Hey, thousands of people: Who Are You?

I’m happy that the roughly 20 visitors who I know by name are really, really nice people. It’s the other one or two thousand frequent visitors I’m curious about. It’s funny, I really have no idea how I manage to attract that many people. But it makes me feel good. Turns out I’m not as alone as I sometimes (often?) feel. Everyone should have that many friends.

Here, I have a great idea: how bout ya’ll gimme five bucks? I’ll dump it in the living room and roll around naked in it.

Rich Pav

Richard has been living in Japan since 1990 with his wife and two teenage sons, Tony and Andy.

49 thoughts to “Hey, thousands of people: Who Are You?”

  1. You’re only getting $5 from me, Mr. Pav, if you agree to video podcast yourself rolling in sweet, sweet funds..!

  2. hahahaha… I’m still waiting for that can o’ air episode as promised me for my donation.

  3. I totally forgot about that! Tony found the can of oxygen one Saturday morning before I woke up (at the crack of noon) and sucked it all up. I forgot to buy a new one. I’ll do it this week.

    Dig my special comment color? I really should make it some color that goes with the rest of the theme…

  4. I think the color is nice, Rich. It stands out nicely, yet fits great with the rest of the theme. By the way, I like it that you’re using this theme now, reminds me of my previous blog 🙂

  5. Because it was ugly. I couldn’t get the text colors to match the color scheme of the header graphic. Every time I tried I mangled the CSS. And I wanted to start using sidebar widgets like all the cool kids are doing these days.

    Herro flom KFC, BTW. I’m eating dinner after paying 5300 yen to get my hair cut like a dork. I look like Austin Powers.

  6. I’d give you monies, rich, but, sadly, I am a pooooooooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrr college student. Gomen :[

    by the way (and I know this’ll sound totally random..and I hope not creepy) your kids are the CUTEST!

  7. heya!

    I guess I’m one of those slightly anonymous guys that visit your blog regularly. I can only post comments when I’m at the university-network, not from home for some reason. So yeah, that’s a reason for me not submitting comments very often. And there is of course my somewhat bad enlgish and not knowing something relevant to say :p The new lay-out looks nice! I’ll try going on a commenting-spree, because it would be nice to be known a little by you and the other commenters!
    byebye

  8. @Meggie, it’s not creepy at all; it’s a widely known fact that my kids are the cutest. One of these days I’m going to have to video them giving me “super hugs.” It’s where you take a running start, vault onto Daddy and hug him with both your arms and legs at the same time, noisly squeezing all the air out of him. Either I’m going to miss that when they’re teenagers, or they’re going to put me in the hospital with a broken back and a crushed ribcage.

    @Bennie, I know you already! And if your English isn’t good, then maybe mine isn’t good enough to be able to notice.

  9. Since you probably don’t know me, let me introduce myself. Im a frequent listener and reader but on rare occasion poster. I’ve commented in the past but rarely generally because I have nothing pertinent to say. I’m in trouble now though because of you. My wife got on my mac and saw the video of you at the beach with the kids. After being beaten by her when I got home, she decided that it was a really funny video. Now she listens to your podcast too. Keep up the great work and I’m glad your podcasting again.

    -Matt
    Oh yeah, I’ll donate too if you use the honey. 🙂

  10. Yo Rich,
    I’m one of your anonymous readers. Sorry I can’t donate but the next/first time I’m in Tokyo (April!), I owe you a drink.

    Keep up the good casting!

    ~ Jackie (guy with a girl’s name)

  11. Speaking of wifes, my wife is still wanting to see the rest of that swimming pool/ramen shop video. I’m sure it can wait though. I’m sure the next planetary catastrophe is a long way off.

    -Jay

  12. @Matt:

    I’m in trouble now though because of you. My wife got on my mac and saw the video of you at the beach with the kids.

    You think you got in trouble, my wife saw the raw footage and I had to explain to her without the help of the final version why I videoed so many skinny teenage asses.

  13. Wow you were able to get a lot of responses from this simple post, but it seems we won’t be having a honey covered Rich rolling around in a pile of money. Although the idea makes me laugh.

  14. Hey Rich,

    I had already written you long time ago asking advices like “What do I need to go live in Japan ?”.

    Maybe you remember this ” My name is Richard too, but Ricardo in Portuguese.”

    I visit your website every week at minimum, I’m great fan of herroflomjapan !

    I do not post a lot because I think my English is not so good, but I am improving my Japanese…

    Maybe one day when I go to Tokyo again I can meet you, I went there in September but I thought it was too creepy… for you to meet some unknown listener.

    Keep up the good “Work”…

  15. Yhea when I was in Tokyo, I thought of meeting you for a drink as well but it was just after you said that you weren’t going to do any more podcasts on your Blog so I thought it might be a bit weird (don’t know why). But if I’m ever in Tokyo again I will email you and see if you want to have a few drinks in a Hub bar.

  16. Hey Rich – We exchanged emails over a year ago, so I’m not a total lurker, but pretty damn close. My life is ridiculously busy, so I usually have no time to leave even quick comments (thus my own blog that has gone without an update for months and months) – but I check your site at least once a week, and listen to each new podcast that you put out. Keep ’em coming for as long as you feel like putting them out!

    P.S.: I still think your self-described “philosophical bullshit” was some of your best stuff!

  17. Hello rich,
    Long time listener…

    My favorite style of cast you have done is the one with 2 mics on each ear.

    The mouth cam one you have just released is defiantly amazing also. Would be a cool way of filming concerts and street happenings. I have been yearning to go there for about 2 years now and hope to go with in 3 years or so.

    (hope you got the email)

  18. Yeupe, I’ve been following for about two years, and its very good. I’m even in the the bloody facebook group. I’m an extraordinary American university student, studying Japanese. Pretty much the only other videocast I get is Diggnation which is also sweet.
    Oh and the fact that Rich works at a flipping Lego-related company is win. Speaking of work, I’d like to know more about that long as its not trade secrets or what-not. Pretty much all the places I’ve worked at hauntingly remind me of Dilbert comic strips…

  19. Hey Rich,

    I’ve posted a few comments here in the past, but hardly enough that you’d know me. Just wanted to say hi from Michigan. We’ll have to see about that $5 once work settles down…

    After listening to your stuff last year, I managed to talk myself into buying an iRiver and some binaural mics to try my own hand at podcasting, but then you went on hiatus, and I lost my nerve. Now that you’re back, and Scott’s back on Tokyo Calling, and my work situation has changed, I’m willing to give it another shot. I just need ot figure out this rss stuff…

  20. Can you roll around naked on hundreds of mouse traps? I’ll pay 10 bucks after you do it… hee hee

  21. So that’s how one gets listeners to comment. One of the weird things about having a podcast or vlog, as opposed to an all-text-and-photo blog, is that it’s a lot harder to get a grasp on audience size. Like you, I always think, “Who are these people?” when I look at the logs and traffic.

    The remodeling looks good – new bells and whistles and all. I’ve often wondered why you didn’t take advantage of your seemingly large audience.

    Seems like you have some loyal fans, too. If I were you, I’d sell photos with the fan photo-shopped in with you and something like “Dear [fan’s name], thanks for being my best friend in the world.” Apparently, you’d make bank.

    As for donations, I’ll give you $5 not to record yourself rolling naked in money. Or recording yourself not doing so. Or whichever makes sense.

  22. How about we give you $5 not to roll naked :/
    Dont take this the wrong way Rich, but I prefer the old header picture, this one is a bit too green for my liking.

  23. this one is a bit too green for my liking.

    It’s temporary until I can get get to the top of some building to a good nighttime panorama. I know it’s too green, I had to make it that way so the contrast would allow the header text to show on top of it.

  24. Wow this is a nice looking blog now. I wish I was good at web design like that heh.

    Ah anyways, kudos to the thousands of unknown readers/viewers you have now on your blog.

    As for giving you $5’s, I’d love to man

  25. Hey Rich. Been a long time listener from the beginning, I comment often, but I still don’t know which list I’m in. Crap. I think we’ve chatted about podcasts a few times. Anyway I’ll buy you a drink when I move to Tokyo next month anyway. I’ll ping ya then if you’re down.

  26. Hi Rich
    I listen to the podcasts since in the early days. I remember the one, when you went to a hairdresser-shop with your stereo-mikes on, and explained to the hairdresser what podcasting is. It was quite a sensation to hear the cutting-machine going from one ear to the other.
    I’d send you 5$, but rolling naked in money is stupid, and I imagin it sounds really lame.
    How about buying yourself a nice suit, and explain the tailor what podcasting is?

    Greetings from Zurich, Switzerland

  27. I donated $15 to your “new mic fund” about 6 months ago when you decided to start podcasting after a long hiatus, in lieu of one of those DVDs you threatened to sell. Not that I expect a personal thank you, but how do I know it was received and not languishing in a dormant Paypal account?

    Come on folks – every one of you people who has read this far is being entertained and can afford $5! Pathetic that some people say they can’t afford $5 yet they probably had a venti latte this morning and spend $80 a month for cable TV.

  28. Not to be too snarky back to Dave, but coffee sucks. I wouldn’t drink a venti latte if you paid me. Furthermore, we pay $11 a month for below-bare-bones cable, simply because we have to have “local broadcast” television. My last available online money went to the Pirate Bay guys that were trying to buy Sealand. Not the brightest move, upon reflection…

  29. @Dave, your worst fear is real, I had no idea you donated that much! My PayPal account is tied to a Yahoo mail acct that got overrun with spam. I must have missed your message. Thank you for the donation, and for reminding me to get the acct fixed.

  30. Hay rich just wondering if you received my donation.
    Also is the gmail account still working?
    (the herroflomjapan(at)gmail.com)

  31. @Akira: Just now, I finished tying up a bunch of PayPay related loose ends. I have a list of Thank-you’s I need to write and you’re on it.

    I’m also behind on HFJ email. And work. And part-time work.

  32. I’m new to Japan and I just started reading your blog a few weeks ago when I’m bored at work, so I read a lot

  33. Hey Rich, I have been listening since the beginning, looking forward to some new soundseeing tours, especially the seedy stuff! Glad to see you are monetising things at last. Amazingly, my podcasts now pretty much support the wife and me, so it can be done!

    Ben in Spain

  34. @Ben, you mean your podcasts are pretty much your only source of income? Do tell, my wife recently asked me if it would be possible to make enough money off of podcasting for her to quit her loathsome job.

  35. Great to see lot of folks coming out of the woodwork to say hello, so figured I better introduce myself a bit too.

    Listener since, um, whenever iTunes added podcasting – yours was one of the first podcasts I came across on there and have been listening/watching since. Few comments, but nothing so much as you’d know me.

    I love the rambling and the wanderings around the city – I really think you should do something with your idea of introducing more people to local indie artists. I’m planning something similar here in the UK and think it would be great to give more exposure to artists without much web experience.

    Occasional visitor to Japan (family visits and stuff) – I too considered the idea of saying hello any buying you a beer when last in Tokyo in Jan, but also concluded that it would be way too creepy for you 🙂 Hope my donation can buy a beer (not sure @ Tokyo prices!)

  36. @Rich – I emailed you about this a while ago but I guess it got lost amongst the rest – we do Spanish language podcasts, real conversational stuff, and sell supplementary materials – plus we make a bit from the google ads on my Spain site… email me via the site if you want to know more. Ben

  37. Just found the site a few weeks ago, after trying out a couple of other “living in Japan” podcasts that weren’t cutting it for me. I’m slowly getting sucked into the world of Rich Pav.

    I’m a CG animator living in Los Angeles. I’ve been working some crazy hours over the past few months trying to finish my work on Spiderman 3. The podcasts are a nice escape while I’m mentally chained to my desk. Keep it up. You are being heard.

  38. hey rich im one of those people that doesnt really say anything so i thought id just say hi im actually a high school student who is interested in japanese culture and i found you through that and i like to see these things through the eye of someone who actually lives there

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