It's fun to spend the last of your money on music

Another Osaka weekend, was fun but not a whole lot of OMG JAPAN moments. Thu and Fri had the JET mid year conference in Kobe, 480 Jets and Japanese teachers crammed into 2 days of sessions, was nice to see some people I hadn't seen for a while. Kobe's full of cool little cafes, the whole place is more chilled than Osaka. Anyway, on Sat it was a couple of friend's joint bday celebrations at a restaurant in Osaka then on to a commercial hiphop club. Was fun, wasn't the sort of club I'd necessarily pick myself (the clue is the lack of flat caps) but enjoyed it and we all went for 5AM karaoke, where I fulfilled another of my Japan Goals by singing Michael Franks at karaoke.

HMV in Japan is SERIOUS, whilst in Kobe went to their January sale (or WINTAA BAAGENN) and picked up some fantastic music:



The new Jazztronik is great (what the hell is the cover art about though, small kid with aeroplane on her head and inappropriate slogan on tee?), the DJ Kawasaki is some deep dancefloor jazzy house, the Raphael Sebbag is like his most chilled work with United Future Organisation, the Yam Who is of course big beated funk type London productions (fantastic cover of Minnie Riperton's 'Here We Go'), the Moodymann is a classic old dark shuffley detroity house album, and the Webster mixes are interesting, I think they'll grow on me. Right now I am in music heaven and it is a Good Place. The last few times I've been in record shops, I've not even made it to the proper jazz section as I've run out of money before I've got past the club jazz section. Next month's paycheck is all for jazz.

Ordered a real BED from muji too, so from Wednesday there will be no more sleeping on the floor, I'm sick of a futon. Filled in the official form to say I'm not recontracting for a second year, so started to think about home again. Halfway through already! How did that happen.