One of the things that solitude does to people is to make them reflect. It's been a while since I lived in a place without housemates to chat to, so it's kinda strange at first. No more shouting across the hallway to landlord khoo to come see the latest L'pool goal or late-night Wii trauma center surgeries.
Anyway, the past few days I've been wondering what the meaning of life is. They say it's the journey that counts, not the destination, but does that mean at each resting point, one will find out more about the general direction where one is going?
Coming to Japan has been a step, a fairly-big one perhaps, but it's a step that was supposed to be part of a bigger plan. Work a few years here, learn the tricks of the Asian tech trade, settle down, start something, not necessarily in that order. I'm starting to realize that things might, and often will change. The rug will get pulled out from under my feet, for sure. Just have to learn to balance...
It's only been a coupla' weeks, I know :)
Hope you're doing well!
Monday, August 27, 2007
Lunch crowds
In the area where I work, there're several office buildings, each of which easily house 800-1000 worker bees like me. And everyday around 12 noon, 65% of us famished bees swarm out in search of food. The results: lines outside restaurants and eateries, stressed-out waiters and waitresses, and handy conversation starters like, "Crowded isn't it?", "Yeah, lots of people...", "Doesn't feel good leh..."
Approaching the situation like a typical techie, today I asked my co-workers why people don't just stagger their eating times.
Expected answers like, "Oh 12 to 1 is the official time", "It's how things usually work here", etc. followed by a couple of shrugs, but I was delighted to hear, "We Japanese like crowds; we get nervous when there aren't people milling about all over the place."
Never thought of it that way.
(PS: Someone please tell me what "staggered" is in 日本語)
Approaching the situation like a typical techie, today I asked my co-workers why people don't just stagger their eating times.
Expected answers like, "Oh 12 to 1 is the official time", "It's how things usually work here", etc. followed by a couple of shrugs, but I was delighted to hear, "We Japanese like crowds; we get nervous when there aren't people milling about all over the place."
Never thought of it that way.
(PS: Someone please tell me what "staggered" is in 日本語)
Thank you!
I'm really happy to receive your positive feedback. It's great that somehow you're entertained by these stories, even the severely unsweet grapefruit I'm eating right now fails to leave a bitter taste in my mouth.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
It's a small world...
Can't believe it. First week here, I felt isolated from friends, family, familiar faces. Things changed from the 2nd week onwards; made new friends, found several relatives and now I'm exchanging SMSs with my younger cousin who's a high-school student in Japan.
Wouldn't have picked Rush Hour 3 as my first movie in Japan to be honest, but since my little cousin wanted to watch it, we headed for a theater in Shibuya (渋谷). Finding places in Tokyo can be a challenge if one doesn't know the exact location. Maps are helpful, though not exactly accurate, and street signs are often ingeniously tucked away in the most inconspicuous places. Best resort: ask some other person. Police officers, solicitors, train station staff, security guards, all of whom are very helpful. Random thought: I wished I saw Hachiko's statue though. Have to go back again soon...
Anyway, we finally found a theater and bought tickets--designated seats of course, none of that getting in line 1-blerdy-hour before the movie fiasco. Smallish place, air-con not too cold, decent seats. I heard that Japanese movie audiences tend not to laugh/scream/react to the movie so I was looking forward to experiencing that, but I was wrong. People laughed out loud! The guy next to my little cousin kept moaning about how noisy other people are, "uruse-!" ("うるせー!"), annoying her to no end. He obviously missed the irony there.
The movie itself wasn't too bad. Zhang Jingchu (张静初) was worth the 1800yen ticket, if anything else. Don't quite understand the French-bashing though...oh well it's just a movie.
Wouldn't have picked Rush Hour 3 as my first movie in Japan to be honest, but since my little cousin wanted to watch it, we headed for a theater in Shibuya (渋谷). Finding places in Tokyo can be a challenge if one doesn't know the exact location. Maps are helpful, though not exactly accurate, and street signs are often ingeniously tucked away in the most inconspicuous places. Best resort: ask some other person. Police officers, solicitors, train station staff, security guards, all of whom are very helpful. Random thought: I wished I saw Hachiko's statue though. Have to go back again soon...
Anyway, we finally found a theater and bought tickets--designated seats of course, none of that getting in line 1-blerdy-hour before the movie fiasco. Smallish place, air-con not too cold, decent seats. I heard that Japanese movie audiences tend not to laugh/scream/react to the movie so I was looking forward to experiencing that, but I was wrong. People laughed out loud! The guy next to my little cousin kept moaning about how noisy other people are, "uruse-!" ("うるせー!"), annoying her to no end. He obviously missed the irony there.
The movie itself wasn't too bad. Zhang Jingchu (张静初) was worth the 1800yen ticket, if anything else. Don't quite understand the French-bashing though...oh well it's just a movie.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Street festival near the office on Friday night
Surprised by a bustling street festival on the walkway to the train station on Friday night. Kids were in their vibrant yukatas, laughing and running around. Pretty nice atmosphere.
Office space
Some funny things about the office; people like to shuffle their feet as they walk along the hallway. Everybody does it--from the junior staff to upper management. Except the non-Japanese people like me, but after a few days I started to catch myself doing it and have to consciously suppress the urge nowadays :)
One can tell who's nearby just from the shuffling sounds.
*shuffle*shuffle* -> Oh, that's Yamamoto-san.
*shuffle*flop*shuffle* -> What's Nakashima-san from Marketing doing all the way over here?
*shuffle**shuffle*flop*flop*crash!* -> Oops, Ishihara-san tripped over that stray cable again.
Funny episode with a HR lady. Bumped into her in the elevator on my way home one night. Made small talk until the escalator going down into the train station and without warning, she suddenly took off! As if she had been poked by a cattle prod, one second she was right beside me and the other, she was a blur of motion, 0 to 60kmh in two thirds of a second, literally bolting down the steps. I stared at her fleeing figure, mouth wide open in astonishment. Couldn't figure it out why and eventually decided that she was so uncomfortable talking to me, she took off in a supposed hurry :) Hope I didn't cause her any internal injury :D
One can tell who's nearby just from the shuffling sounds.
*shuffle*shuffle* -> Oh, that's Yamamoto-san.
*shuffle*flop*shuffle* -> What's Nakashima-san from Marketing doing all the way over here?
*shuffle**shuffle*flop*flop*crash!* -> Oops, Ishihara-san tripped over that stray cable again.
Funny episode with a HR lady. Bumped into her in the elevator on my way home one night. Made small talk until the escalator going down into the train station and without warning, she suddenly took off! As if she had been poked by a cattle prod, one second she was right beside me and the other, she was a blur of motion, 0 to 60kmh in two thirds of a second, literally bolting down the steps. I stared at her fleeing figure, mouth wide open in astonishment. Couldn't figure it out why and eventually decided that she was so uncomfortable talking to me, she took off in a supposed hurry :) Hope I didn't cause her any internal injury :D
Thursday, August 23, 2007
2 days of feasting
Day 1: Roppongi
Dinner at Teppanyaki Ten (鉄板焼き天), opposite Tokyo Midtown, followed by drinks at a bar called Oranje (I think)
Occasion: Genie & San are in town!
They introduced me to Kyoko-san and Ryota-san, a very gregarious couple who know most, if not all of the yummy restaurants in Tokyo. So Teppanyaki Ten serves a nice ala carte menu of grilled-on-a-hot-metal-surface dishes, including some great prix fixe courses.
We all had the same course: scallops, some salad, some beef, some uni hahaha, not very descriptive am I, basically pretty good food.
Day 2: Ebisu
Dinner at Matsu Gen (松玄), near Ebisu Station, a soba (そば) place that turned into an Izakaya (居酒屋). Apparently they have branches in NYC too.
Dinner at Teppanyaki Ten (鉄板焼き天), opposite Tokyo Midtown, followed by drinks at a bar called Oranje (I think)
Occasion: Genie & San are in town!
They introduced me to Kyoko-san and Ryota-san, a very gregarious couple who know most, if not all of the yummy restaurants in Tokyo. So Teppanyaki Ten serves a nice ala carte menu of grilled-on-a-hot-metal-surface dishes, including some great prix fixe courses.
We all had the same course: scallops, some salad, some beef, some uni hahaha, not very descriptive am I, basically pretty good food.
Day 2: Ebisu
Dinner at Matsu Gen (松玄), near Ebisu Station, a soba (そば) place that turned into an Izakaya (居酒屋). Apparently they have branches in NYC too.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Lunar 7th month don't's
(in the words of semi-retired surgeon Poon)
I'm super superstitious so here're a few words of advice to follow for lunar July:
1. DO NOT kill any BIG moths in your house. (too bad my dad just killed one right in front of my eyes last night. I will definitely share some ghost story with you guys if i feel/see one)
2. DO NOT swim.
3. DO NOT go out late.
4. DO NOT wear something red.
5. Try to walk in the center of pedestrian walkways since ghosts like to walk near walls & you don't want to keep bumping into them.
6. Don't let your keys keep making "ting ting" sounds--this attract ghosts
7. IF you see someone burning ghost money, walk away.
8. Try to leave some light on at the inside front entrance of your home.
Have a safe lunar July (8/13-9/10)
I'm super superstitious so here're a few words of advice to follow for lunar July:
1. DO NOT kill any BIG moths in your house. (too bad my dad just killed one right in front of my eyes last night. I will definitely share some ghost story with you guys if i feel/see one)
2. DO NOT swim.
3. DO NOT go out late.
4. DO NOT wear something red.
5. Try to walk in the center of pedestrian walkways since ghosts like to walk near walls & you don't want to keep bumping into them.
6. Don't let your keys keep making "ting ting" sounds--this attract ghosts
7. IF you see someone burning ghost money, walk away.
8. Try to leave some light on at the inside front entrance of your home.
Have a safe lunar July (8/13-9/10)
Monday, August 20, 2007
On the way to verk
There's a longer path I take to work because it looks nicer. Walking along a river, trees on each side, even though it's pretty warm in summer, I still prefer the greenery to the other path--a sheltered, mostly concrete walkway.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Shampoo, cut, massage, haircut vocabulary practice
Went to get a haircut at a really residential part of town yesterday. Got a friend to introduce me to his stylist, which meant a higher level of tolerance towards me--the ignorant foreigner and a 1000 yen discount :)
Should have taken a notebook along to write down all the new vocabulary for future use, for instance, "lightly touch", "smooth over the brow", "slice by razor blade", "shampoo-sensitive hair", etc. Should carry a notebook everywhere, for that matter. Hoping to reach a point where I can remember all the words that I don't understand.
Funny English advertisement slogan: Don't mean to make fun of people's English 'cos it isn't their native tongue after all, but what's printed on the hairsalon's card just didn't sound right:
"A beautiful styling has creatived by a correct cut line and mature sence. For making perfect styling... perfect presentation. Image your form for abundant expression. Remember that we always stand by you."
Kinda get what it's saying though, right? Wonder if I should suggest something more appropriate...
Dave and I agreed that hairsalons in Taipei beat everywhere else (we've been to) for the sheer value.
Should have taken a notebook along to write down all the new vocabulary for future use, for instance, "lightly touch", "smooth over the brow", "slice by razor blade", "shampoo-sensitive hair", etc. Should carry a notebook everywhere, for that matter. Hoping to reach a point where I can remember all the words that I don't understand.
Funny English advertisement slogan: Don't mean to make fun of people's English 'cos it isn't their native tongue after all, but what's printed on the hairsalon's card just didn't sound right:
"A beautiful styling has creatived by a correct cut line and mature sence. For making perfect styling... perfect presentation. Image your form for abundant expression. Remember that we always stand by you."
Kinda get what it's saying though, right? Wonder if I should suggest something more appropriate...
Dave and I agreed that hairsalons in Taipei beat everywhere else (we've been to) for the sheer value.
Akihabara (aka Akiba to its devotees)
Seems funny that almost every major Asian city has an electrical goods' haven like this. One special feature of Tokyo's 秋葉原電気街 is the attire adopted by advertisers to appeal to the more geeky consumers (perhaps otaku [オタク] is the term used to describe these enthusiasts). Maid costumes or robot outfits seem to be popular...
Omu rice (Omelette rice)
Finally got to try a Japanese staple cheap-eat. The brown sauce (Worcestershire sauce?) was rather unnecessary though, I felt, and a stronger tomato flavour i.e. Taiwanese 蛋包饭 would suit my palate better. Well, just have to try a few more stores...
Friday, August 17, 2007
Blending in but standing out
One of the funny things about being Asian and non-Japanese in Tokyo is people look at me and assume I'm Japanese, of course.
So my new manager, a Caucasian guy who has been living in Japan for many years, and I went to get coffee one morning. He's fluent in Japanese and ordered two lattes for us. I stood beside him at the counter, and for some reason, the salesgirl took his order, immediately turned to me and asked, "What size?" (in Japanese). Naturally I was a bit surprised and asked my manager (in English, because it just seemed weird to speak to an Englishman in Japanese) what he'd like.
Funny girl. She probably thought I was Japanese and that it's safer to talk to me in case the white dude didn't understand -> thereby embarrassing him.
I chuckled at the irony :)
So my new manager, a Caucasian guy who has been living in Japan for many years, and I went to get coffee one morning. He's fluent in Japanese and ordered two lattes for us. I stood beside him at the counter, and for some reason, the salesgirl took his order, immediately turned to me and asked, "What size?" (in Japanese). Naturally I was a bit surprised and asked my manager (in English, because it just seemed weird to speak to an Englishman in Japanese) what he'd like.
Funny girl. She probably thought I was Japanese and that it's safer to talk to me in case the white dude didn't understand -> thereby embarrassing him.
I chuckled at the irony :)
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Eating and exercising
As I mentioned, was getting quite bored and restless, having not exercised for a couple of weeks. A lot more walking in Tokyo, though, thankfully. I don't miss plonking my butt into a car seat although I do miss my little red car. Hope it's doing well.
Haven't been eating much Japanese food during lunch. Co-workers bring me to different restaurants everyday, and I must admit the selection is quite amazing. Monday was Mansei (万世) a Wagyu (和牛) place, not too bad. Tuesday, Kua'Aina, a Hawaiian burger joint with nice fat juicy burgers--best burgers in the area I heard. Today, Tika, a Nepalese curry place with very tasty Indian-like curry+tandoori chicken+naan sets. Quite impressed so far although it's going to burn a hole in my pocket at this rate. To make up for that I just eat some Omusubi (rice balls stuffed w/ various things) for dinner. There's this simple home-cooked food store that sells bentos and made-to-order omusubis near my apartment--I go there everyday after work now.
Checked out the Minato-Ku (港区) Sports Center today in my search for a swimming pool. Can't run in this heat, so best thing is to swim. Quite an experience it was for me, the proverbial gaijin (外人) waltzing into a "native" place, not knowing the rules and such. A friend back in the US recommended it, so I decided to check it out.
Found it without trouble, went it and found it set up just like a train station--buy a ticket at a vending machine, slot it into a gate to enter. I was amused how the ticket machine allowed one to choose if one was a resident of the Ku (400yen), a non-resident (700yen), a school kid (100yen) etc. Well, my adventure began from that point on :)
First, I forgot to take my ticket after going through the gate and a young lady at the reception had to chase after me indignantly. Luckily I subconsciously heard her cry of "Sumimasen!" and turned back.
Reached the top floor with the pools. Pretty nice, lots of people inside. The lanes were organized neatly, of course. Not wanting to stand out, I asked the receptionist to explain the rules to me and am I glad I did. He patiently told me Lanes 1,2 were 1-way lanes (一方通行), and lanes 3,4 were 2-way lanes, and explained how the showers and lockers worked. Nice guy.
By the time I changed, showered and went outside, I was raring to get into the water. Two seconds after lowering myself into the pool, the lifeguard rushed over, "Sumimasen!" Probably the people around me were staring wide-eyed at me because, horror of horrors, I wasn't wearing a swimming cap! (or whatever you call those things)! So I used my magic phrase for getting out of situations, "Sumimasen, hajimete nannodesuga..." or "Sorry, first time!" and true enough, she smiled and loaned me one for free.
Finally I got into the pool and swam happily for about half an hour. I was in my own little watery world, listening to the bubbles and enjoying the exercise, when an announcement came out of the overhead speakers, and everyone started leaving the pool! Naturally I wasn't paying attention and although I saw people leaving the pool, my optimistic self was convinced that it's dinner time so most people would leave. What the heck, one more lap.... it wasn't until I reached the end of that lap that I realized I was one of two people left in the pool and the other guy was in the process of getting out...
Of course I quickly launched myself out from the pool and sheepishly joined some people sitting down along the sides. The voice from the speakers blared on and on, and I'm sad to say, that was one listening comprehension test that I flunked badly. Didn't catch a single meaningful sentence.... for 5 minutes I just sat there, pretending to blend in until I finally got fed-up and asked the guy next to me what the heck was going on.
Turns out there are mandated 10-minute breaks for all swimmers thrice a day. Regardless of when you entered the pool.... (*scratches head*) When the 10 minutes were up, everyone dived back in and all was well in the world again.
Would definitely go back to check out the fitness center. I'm sure I'll get into more trouble there ;) First I need to figure out if there are closer and cheaper fitness centers around...
Haven't been eating much Japanese food during lunch. Co-workers bring me to different restaurants everyday, and I must admit the selection is quite amazing. Monday was Mansei (万世) a Wagyu (和牛) place, not too bad. Tuesday, Kua'Aina, a Hawaiian burger joint with nice fat juicy burgers--best burgers in the area I heard. Today, Tika, a Nepalese curry place with very tasty Indian-like curry+tandoori chicken+naan sets. Quite impressed so far although it's going to burn a hole in my pocket at this rate. To make up for that I just eat some Omusubi (rice balls stuffed w/ various things) for dinner. There's this simple home-cooked food store that sells bentos and made-to-order omusubis near my apartment--I go there everyday after work now.
Checked out the Minato-Ku (港区) Sports Center today in my search for a swimming pool. Can't run in this heat, so best thing is to swim. Quite an experience it was for me, the proverbial gaijin (外人) waltzing into a "native" place, not knowing the rules and such. A friend back in the US recommended it, so I decided to check it out.
Found it without trouble, went it and found it set up just like a train station--buy a ticket at a vending machine, slot it into a gate to enter. I was amused how the ticket machine allowed one to choose if one was a resident of the Ku (400yen), a non-resident (700yen), a school kid (100yen) etc. Well, my adventure began from that point on :)
First, I forgot to take my ticket after going through the gate and a young lady at the reception had to chase after me indignantly. Luckily I subconsciously heard her cry of "Sumimasen!" and turned back.
Reached the top floor with the pools. Pretty nice, lots of people inside. The lanes were organized neatly, of course. Not wanting to stand out, I asked the receptionist to explain the rules to me and am I glad I did. He patiently told me Lanes 1,2 were 1-way lanes (一方通行), and lanes 3,4 were 2-way lanes, and explained how the showers and lockers worked. Nice guy.
By the time I changed, showered and went outside, I was raring to get into the water. Two seconds after lowering myself into the pool, the lifeguard rushed over, "Sumimasen!" Probably the people around me were staring wide-eyed at me because, horror of horrors, I wasn't wearing a swimming cap! (or whatever you call those things)! So I used my magic phrase for getting out of situations, "Sumimasen, hajimete nannodesuga..." or "Sorry, first time!" and true enough, she smiled and loaned me one for free.
Finally I got into the pool and swam happily for about half an hour. I was in my own little watery world, listening to the bubbles and enjoying the exercise, when an announcement came out of the overhead speakers, and everyone started leaving the pool! Naturally I wasn't paying attention and although I saw people leaving the pool, my optimistic self was convinced that it's dinner time so most people would leave. What the heck, one more lap.... it wasn't until I reached the end of that lap that I realized I was one of two people left in the pool and the other guy was in the process of getting out...
Of course I quickly launched myself out from the pool and sheepishly joined some people sitting down along the sides. The voice from the speakers blared on and on, and I'm sad to say, that was one listening comprehension test that I flunked badly. Didn't catch a single meaningful sentence.... for 5 minutes I just sat there, pretending to blend in until I finally got fed-up and asked the guy next to me what the heck was going on.
Turns out there are mandated 10-minute breaks for all swimmers thrice a day. Regardless of when you entered the pool.... (*scratches head*) When the 10 minutes were up, everyone dived back in and all was well in the world again.
Would definitely go back to check out the fitness center. I'm sure I'll get into more trouble there ;) First I need to figure out if there are closer and cheaper fitness centers around...
Monday, August 13, 2007
1st day of verk
The day came and went faster than I thought; first lugging a laptop while dressed in shirt and pants in a hot muggy summer is no joke. The weather was cooler compared to the past few days but even then when I finally reach the office, my shirt was splotched with wet patches. So much for a good first impression...
Rush-hour train commute wasn't that bad, I smiled to myself, until I realized, wah lau, this is Obon and most people are off on vacation. Shucks!
People at the office were nice and friendly. I'll take it at face value 'cos I can't tell anyway :) Since it's a small office, most people realize I'm the guy from HQ when I intro myself. Quite happy that I am not the center of attention though--that would be a bit awkward.
Have to get used to having more reserved people around e.g. few people chit-chat in the hallways or by cubes. In contrast, the office is pretty quiet. Even when I wanted to ask the HR lady a question, she ushered me into a nearby conference room :)
Co-workers brought me to lunch. Kind of an awkward crowd though, 1 mainlander, 1 American, 1 Japanese and me. Not quite sure which language to speak in since each of us has his own deficiency :)
The afternoon was pretty uneventful. I'm glad to be able to get a handle on some work, arrange a 1:1 with my new manager, and schedule some conference calls for tomorrow morning (afternoon San Jose time). Need to sleep early tonight.
I need to find a pool and fitness center!
Rush-hour train commute wasn't that bad, I smiled to myself, until I realized, wah lau, this is Obon and most people are off on vacation. Shucks!
People at the office were nice and friendly. I'll take it at face value 'cos I can't tell anyway :) Since it's a small office, most people realize I'm the guy from HQ when I intro myself. Quite happy that I am not the center of attention though--that would be a bit awkward.
Have to get used to having more reserved people around e.g. few people chit-chat in the hallways or by cubes. In contrast, the office is pretty quiet. Even when I wanted to ask the HR lady a question, she ushered me into a nearby conference room :)
Co-workers brought me to lunch. Kind of an awkward crowd though, 1 mainlander, 1 American, 1 Japanese and me. Not quite sure which language to speak in since each of us has his own deficiency :)
The afternoon was pretty uneventful. I'm glad to be able to get a handle on some work, arrange a 1:1 with my new manager, and schedule some conference calls for tomorrow morning (afternoon San Jose time). Need to sleep early tonight.
I need to find a pool and fitness center!
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Still jet-lagged, but walking around
Friday, Saturday was spent half in a jet-lag daze, walking around the Musashi Koyama (武蔵小山) area, eating when hungry and buying miscellaneous stuff like laundry powder and a bedsheet.
For some reason, there is a big bag of bedding in my room which looks very comfy but which cost upwards of 3000 yen to lease. Crazy landlord--I'm not paying for blankets and comforters that other people used before. Apparently there's a difference between bedsheets for beds and those for futons. Finally have some covering for the bed :)
My apartment is next to a street, and throughout the day, sometimes cars drive by and the occupants would speak out of a loudspeaker as they cruised past, selling stuff and announcing some other things that I don't understand. It gets annoying sometimes. I keep wondering if it is elections time or some local extortion scheme.
TV is pretty interesting, all in Japanese of course, including the "Rambo Part I" that was aired on Friday night. Somehow Stallone cussing in Japanese didn't sound very convincing.
Some friends brought me to eat pepperoncino and later to an observation tower near Shinjuku station.
Lots of people as usual. Atop the tower, the 360-degree view was pretty good.
One thing I found interesting was amidst all the tourists, I felt just like one of them, but it dawned upon me that I was actually living in Tokyo and not boarding a plane out of the country in a few days' time. Still quite amazing...
For some reason, there is a big bag of bedding in my room which looks very comfy but which cost upwards of 3000 yen to lease. Crazy landlord--I'm not paying for blankets and comforters that other people used before. Apparently there's a difference between bedsheets for beds and those for futons. Finally have some covering for the bed :)
My apartment is next to a street, and throughout the day, sometimes cars drive by and the occupants would speak out of a loudspeaker as they cruised past, selling stuff and announcing some other things that I don't understand. It gets annoying sometimes. I keep wondering if it is elections time or some local extortion scheme.
TV is pretty interesting, all in Japanese of course, including the "Rambo Part I" that was aired on Friday night. Somehow Stallone cussing in Japanese didn't sound very convincing.
Some friends brought me to eat pepperoncino and later to an observation tower near Shinjuku station.
Lots of people as usual. Atop the tower, the 360-degree view was pretty good.
One thing I found interesting was amidst all the tourists, I felt just like one of them, but it dawned upon me that I was actually living in Tokyo and not boarding a plane out of the country in a few days' time. Still quite amazing...
Friday, August 10, 2007
Arrived in Tokyo
Finally reached Tokyo yesterday (Thur) afternoon. 34 degrees C, humid as hell, checked into a minuscule apartment. 
The fact that I've left the Bay Area for a foreign land has just started to sink in.
People seem nice if i talk to them. but if i don't establish some sort of connection through eye or verbal contact, they don't seem to acknowledge my existence. A "big-city" syndrome, I guess.
Don't have a cellphone yet, 'cos i can't get one without a work visa. And couldn't find the darn DSL modem in the apartment last night and thought I was screwed--imagine life without Internet access! Fortunately, I finally found it this morning, tucked away in the last cabinet I opened of course :) Last night was a bit cold because the air-con was on, but there wasn't any bedding and I had no blankets. Woke up a few times so definitely going to buy a bedsheet and a blanket today.
Today i'm going to wander around a little and check out the area around my apartment. It seems residential and not touristy, and it's 5 minutes away from the nearest train station. There's a hospital, a high school and an elementary school nearby, plus a pretty long semi-indoor shopping avenue next to the station--not high-class shopping but more mundane stuff like veggies, household goods, cellphones, etc.
The fact that I've left the Bay Area for a foreign land has just started to sink in.
People seem nice if i talk to them. but if i don't establish some sort of connection through eye or verbal contact, they don't seem to acknowledge my existence. A "big-city" syndrome, I guess.
Don't have a cellphone yet, 'cos i can't get one without a work visa. And couldn't find the darn DSL modem in the apartment last night and thought I was screwed--imagine life without Internet access! Fortunately, I finally found it this morning, tucked away in the last cabinet I opened of course :) Last night was a bit cold because the air-con was on, but there wasn't any bedding and I had no blankets. Woke up a few times so definitely going to buy a bedsheet and a blanket today.
Today i'm going to wander around a little and check out the area around my apartment. It seems residential and not touristy, and it's 5 minutes away from the nearest train station. There's a hospital, a high school and an elementary school nearby, plus a pretty long semi-indoor shopping avenue next to the station--not high-class shopping but more mundane stuff like veggies, household goods, cellphones, etc.
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