Posts Tagged cultural exchange
May 18, 2006 – Guys night in
Posted by Barniferous in Azeroth, Friends and coworkers, Life in Japan on December 28, 2016
Tonight was a guys night in with Azeroth and Super Dave. After work we stopped by Don Quijote for snacks and drinks. DonKi is just down the street from our apartment, which is convenient because it’s very easy to overshop at a store that sells everything.
Upon returning home we drank beer, ate toaster oven pizza and pepperoni / cheese wedge sandwiches while watching Trailer Park Boys. There is something really international about watching Trailer Park Boys (a low budget Canadian show) in Japan with an American and an Australian.
April 20, 2006 – Trailer Park Boys
Posted by Barniferous in Azeroth, Friends and coworkers, Life in Japan on October 22, 2016
I am proud to say that I have hooked an Australian and an American on a Canadian TV show that we all watched while living in Japan.
Trailer Park Boys is just that funny!
April 21, 2005 – Aussie Rules and Don Cherry
Posted by Barniferous in Friends and coworkers on April 21, 2015
My roommate Palmer seriously sprained his ankle while playing basketball a few days ago. Since he is not very mobile, he, Azeroth and I all decided to hang out and watch some TV over beers at the apartment. Somehow this turned into a cultural sports exchange.
Palmer is a huge fan of Australian Rules Football, which is a “get the ball over a line” team game that looks like a mix of American football, rugby, and soccer. Palmer showed us a DVD of the 2004 Grand Final game between Palmer’s favourite team, The Port Adelaide Power, against the Brisbane Lions. It was my first time sitting to watch a full game of Aussie Rules, and it was a lot of fun! Aussie rules is a fast paced exciting game, and easy to understand for first timers.
In exchange, I pulled out my Don Cherry 16 DVD and introduced Palmer to the world of hockey. For those unaware, Don Cherry is very outspoken former hockey player and coach, who provides colour commentary between periods on Hockey Night in Canada. He also releases a DVD every year featuring the best hockey highlights from the previous season. Don Cherry DVDs have been my regular Christmas present from my mom for the past 6 or 7 years.
Palmer was impressed with the speed, violence, and skill of hockey. I was just happy to have someone to watch Don Cherry with.
Expand your horizons – get out there and watch another country’s popular sport. It’s a great way to learn about another culture, and a good excuse to have a beer.
August 23, 2004 – Nausicaa and American Pie
Posted by Barniferous in Movies, The Penpal on August 23, 2014
The Penpal took the day off and came to visit me in Azusa took the day off to come and hang out with me at Hello House. We decided to have a cultural exchange with movies.
The first movie we watched was Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (風の谷のナウシカ), which is a cool Miyazaki movie. Even though Nausicaa was made before Studio Ghibli was officially founded, it is often considered a Studio Ghibli film. Nausicaa and Castle in the Sky were some of The Penpal’s favourite movies growing up. I was surprised by the strong environmental message, considering the movie was released in 1984.
My movie selection was American Pie, which I still think is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. I recently picked up a Japanese DVD version on sale. The movie had Japanese subtitles, but really didn’t need them for the physical humour. A guy getting caught having sex with a pie is funny in any language.
It was pretty cool that two people who grew up in different cultures in different parts of the world could enjoy the same movies. Movies can be a great way to share culture, and are a great excuse to spend time with someone.
Drinking in Japan 
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