Welcome to the chronicles of my life in Japan - where Diet Pepsi tastes like Diet Coke, Diet Coke tastes like Diet Coke, and tomato/vegetable juice is orange colored.

Note: When using Japanese within these pages I use the following format:

XX (yyyyy) [zzzz; aaaaaaa] where

• XX is a particular word in Japanese text
• if XX is in kanji then yyyy will be the phonetical characters
• zzzz will be the phonetical pronunciation in Engilsh
• aaaaaaa will be the definition or explanation of the word.

Example: 漢字　（かんじ)　[Kanji; A system of Japanese writing with origins in written Chinese.]

Foreword:

Forewarning: For some people this will be the first exposure to my web writing. Well, for the unprepared let it be known that within these pages will be found countless obscure references to various aspects of pop culture from yesteryear (and even some from current day, but not mostly.) There's no explaining it - it's just my way.

PREAMBLE:

Whereas the blog section of my Home Page is a place for me to express my thoughts or anecdotal prattle, Chikyuu Senshi Gaijin Man is a place for me to describe my adventures in Japan. For the moment [as of 4/13/03] these pages consists only of a 1-week trip. But as soon as I move to Japan this place will be updated semi-daily with tidbits of miscellany.

To explain the name:

• 地球: Chikyuu is Japanese for the Earth.

• 戦士: Sehshi means warrior. I ripped this off of 機動戦士ガンダム (きどうせんしカンダム) [Kidou Senshi Gandamu; a 1979 animated TV series with the English title Mobile suit Gundam - is often referred to as the Star Trek of Japan. Much like Star Trek, most of the Gundam that has come out in the last 5 years is hardly watchable]

• ガイジンマン: Gaijin is a (somewhat derogatory) shortening of 外国人 (がいこくじん) [Gaikokujin; Directly translates as "Outside Country Person" and generally translates as "foreigner." By adding "Man" to the end of "Gaijin" I'm making it into something like the 5-6 person 戦隊 (せんたい) [sentai; often used to mean "super hero team"] title. A long-standing Japanese TV staple is the live-action sentai shows (like what American TV sees as the Power Rangers) with titles like　五人戦隊ファイブマン　(ごじんせんたいファイブマン) [GoJin Sentai FiveMan; Airing in 1989 or 1990, followed by 鳥人戦隊ジェットマン　（ちょうじんせんたいジェットマン） ChoJin Sentai Jetman, which was followed by the show that was turned into the power rangers, for better or worse (mostly worse...)]

So basically, 地球戦士ガイジンマン means "Earth Warrior Gaijin-Man." All in all, the title means I'm a big, goofydork who likens himself to a foreign superhero (after a fashion) in what is to him a forign land, and that's something to celebrate.

I will say this: Foreigners (even Americans) who know a bit of Japanese, who show a genuine interest and respect in Japanese culture, and are witty and energetic, enjoy a kind of celebrity status among Japanese. That is to say, at least among Osaka-jin - who, according to Osakans, are more interesting and fun that Tokyoites [whom some Osakans claim are too cold and impersonal.]