Jed (the editor) and I (Brian) are heading down to NYC this weekend to attend TBX (the Travel Blog Exchange).  Well not attend really since we didn’t get tickets, but at least hit up all the parties and lunches.  Anyway, point being that we do not actually have a place to stay.  That’s where the awesome friends part comes in.  If you live in NYC have an extra couch or floor you don’t mind us using Friday and Sat night and are a fan of new friends, well then, drop us a line (brian@jetsetzero.tv).

Here are things that we’ve got going for us as guests:

• Not sketchy
• Awesome
• Filled with stories of adventure
• Courteous, Polite, and well mannered
• We will bring a couple six packs of tasty beer or a bottle of wine for you as a token of appreciation (your choice!)

Pretty good deal if I do say so myself. 

As time is of the essence, let us know soon (brian@jetsetzero.tv). 

Your new friends!  (Brian: Left, Jed: Right)

Onwards, to Korea!  Upwards, out of the gutter!

And that’s the end of Season 2: Tokyo.  After much, much, much delay we’ll now finally be moving into Season 3: Seoul.  I could go on and on about my battle with burnout and how it has led to our mangled schedule, but one of the effects of burning out is that you’re tired all the time.  So instead of ranting, I think I’ll go to bed.

Enjoy the episode and check out the Vivian Girls, whose track “Where Do You Run?” nicely wraps up our final moments in Tokyo.

This is the second in a series of three time-lapses, which in many ways symbolize the experience each of us had in Tokyo. The first showcased the dreary but industrious Tsukiji Fish Market– an early morning scene characterized by bustle, irritability, and an overdose of caffeine (hallmarks of my life in Kanagawa). Stay tuned for our forthcoming, third installment– Brian’s neon orgy in Shibuya.

With finances reaching the critical disaster zone Matt must forgo his spot in the guesthouse and find a home on the streets of Tokyo to save money.

Okay.  So, it has been a while.  More than three weeks, to be precise, which is exactly two weeks longer than it should have been since this episode was released.  A lot happened this month, from obvious hardware failures, to marauding ex-girlfriends, to rheumatoid arthritis, to hilariously weak immune systems, but the simple fact of the matter is that once upon a time none of this ever would have phased me.

In college I was known for my legen-(wait for it)-dary brute strength work ethic (which didn’t always result in creative successes, mind you), and through most of Season 1 I was operating on a moderated version of that same sleep:work ratio.  Either I’m getting old, the full New England winter (my first in almost a decade) was too harsh, or I’m experiencing a mild burnout.  Whatever the cause, I have only myself to blame.

So apologies all around: first and foremost to our viewers for making you wait so long to continue the story, but also to our crew who work so hard to capture this incredible footage on a daily basis.  There are some positive changes coming to the JS0 production office in the near future, but in the meantime I’m just going to try to buckle down and make this show keep happening, one way or another.

When a day of homelessness starts out like this...

Almost 7am, almost freezing, the sun a barely an annoyance to the tops of the thick clouds.  The day opened up and it got colder, and a little colder, and then rainy, then more rainy, then that thing that happens when it rains in sub-zero temperatures.  Snow started to fall in Tokyo.  This wasn’t the pathetic sprinkling of snowflakes, like when you permit a polite amount of ground pepper on a dainty salad.  This was a proper urban flurry, like when you pour salt and pepper on a terrible-tasting lasagna.

Snow falling down Cocoon Tower

It wasn’t quite cold enough for the snow to stick, but that only meant it melted.  And because it drifted, hiding under overhangs was only so effective.  I don’t think an umbrella would have helped me too much, if I had one.  Unfortunately, I didn’t, so I scurried to the train station with all my bags, with snow felling and melting, and me wishing I had a warm room to go lie down in.  Instead, I was destined for a nap on the Yamanote line subway.

All snow and no umbrella makes Matt...