As I fumble through the intricacies of this foreign tongue, I marvel at how human beings express themselves. Verbal communication, written words, gestures, how body language is so often subconsciously interpreted and yet consciously overlooked. Don't believe it's just Japanese culture that has many hidden convoluted meanings. One just has to look out for signs in every culture.
Often I hear rapid-fire words coming out from someone talking to me, and while I can't make out every single word or process every character fast enough, somehow through a combination of luck / observation / guess-by-context, I manage to utter a reasonable reply.
At the real-estate agent, I was lucky to escape without causing them to keel over from trying their best not to laugh at the silly foreigner and his kindergarten vocabulary. But hey, somehow I got my points across! 2nd floor and above, at least one tatami room, not facing east-west, etc.
Other times, I instinctively say something safe / stupid and laugh at myself silently afterwards for messing up :)
E.g. few weeks ago, at a restaurant:
Cashier: Thank you O magnificent guest for your distinguished patronage.
Me: Err... no I don't want it, thanks.
Cashier: (smiles embarrassingly because she thought she'd embarrassed me)
At the neighbourhood supermarket:
Cashier: (After keying in all the items) Do you have a points card, sir?
Me: Sorry?
Cashier: Do you have a points card?
Me: No I don't need chopsticks, thanks.
Cashier: (smiles patronizingly and wishes I just pay up and go)
After a while, the words and gestures just fall naturally into place. Now, haha, no problemo dudes. Bring 'em on. Let me unleash my 日本語! ;)
I really believe understanding one another's culture and removing one's social barriers is key to making the world a friendlier place.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Autumn: Time to nourish the palate
(Shinjuku 新宿) One of many similar-looking shops vying for one's attention, Kushiden (串でん) actually has 2 stores within 50 meters of each other in bustling Shinjuku. The interior was smoky and filled with young people chatting and nibbling at grilled meat on sticks. Satay, kebab, whatever it's called, succulent morsels of meat and veggies skewered on sticks and slowly cooked over a charcoal fire are a welcome meal at any time.
(Yoyogi 代々木) One of those places tucked away in a quiet neighbourhood. Owner drives a gigantic Cadillac and fishes for a living. Okonomiyaki literally means "Grill what you like" and is apparently a poor man's food--greasy and filling. Skilfully done by our friendly waitress, the appetizers and okonomiyaki were tasty and comforting. Accentuated by great conversation, my first cold beer (1/3 glass anyway) in a few years, new friends--what more can one ask for?
(Shibuya 渋谷) A bit closer to China this time; a Mongolian hotpot chain--ideal for a chilly autumn evening.
(Shibuya 渋谷) Autumn special at a cream puff chain. Very popular among the ladies apparently because I was the only guy in line. But skhoo, if you are looking, the pumpkin flavour won't stick around forever ;)
Ate one for old times' sake. Cheers.
(Yoyogi 代々木) One of those places tucked away in a quiet neighbourhood. Owner drives a gigantic Cadillac and fishes for a living. Okonomiyaki literally means "Grill what you like" and is apparently a poor man's food--greasy and filling. Skilfully done by our friendly waitress, the appetizers and okonomiyaki were tasty and comforting. Accentuated by great conversation, my first cold beer (1/3 glass anyway) in a few years, new friends--what more can one ask for?
(Shibuya 渋谷) A bit closer to China this time; a Mongolian hotpot chain--ideal for a chilly autumn evening.
(Shibuya 渋谷) Autumn special at a cream puff chain. Very popular among the ladies apparently because I was the only guy in line. But skhoo, if you are looking, the pumpkin flavour won't stick around forever ;)
Ate one for old times' sake. Cheers.
Clean up the world a little bit, starting with Tokyo
Went to Odaiba (お台場) for a park clean-up activity organized by a friend's company. Pretty cool, not just because I got to do something for the environment, but also because I got to ride the Yurikamome (ゆりかもめ) subway line for the first time. It's an above-ground subway that circles a large portion of Tokyo Bay, providing riders with very good waterfront views.
We went to the designated park in the morning, got equipped (long cafeteria tongs, gloves and trashbags--divided into burnable (燃える), non-burnable (燃えない) and recyclable (資源) garbage of course, and split up into teams. Each team combed a section of the park for an hour, fighting mosquitoes and picking up anything that looked out of place. The people in my team were a mix of Americans, Japanese and Chinese and had all spent time in the US, so we had a pretty fun time chatting while we worked. Not really back-breaking work, 'cos it was only for a hour+.
Conclusion: 90% of burnable trash consisted of cigarette butts *surprise*surprise*. The rest: cans, plastic forks, chopsticks. Didn't find any used condoms though, fortunately. I remember a similar event in Pittsburgh in which a lot of interesting items were found in the parks. The most interesting item found during this event was a baseball bat. However there wasn't much trash to begin with. Nevertheless if there are more public trashcans in general, maybe there will be less litter. Anyway I heard that many trashcans were removed from Tokyo streets after the sarin gas attacks a few years ago.
Official report: click here
The company was good, lunch was provided, got a free tee-shirt and I got to contribute a little something to society; What more can one ask for on a lazy Saturday morning?
We went to the designated park in the morning, got equipped (long cafeteria tongs, gloves and trashbags--divided into burnable (燃える), non-burnable (燃えない) and recyclable (資源) garbage of course, and split up into teams. Each team combed a section of the park for an hour, fighting mosquitoes and picking up anything that looked out of place. The people in my team were a mix of Americans, Japanese and Chinese and had all spent time in the US, so we had a pretty fun time chatting while we worked. Not really back-breaking work, 'cos it was only for a hour+.
Conclusion: 90% of burnable trash consisted of cigarette butts *surprise*surprise*. The rest: cans, plastic forks, chopsticks. Didn't find any used condoms though, fortunately. I remember a similar event in Pittsburgh in which a lot of interesting items were found in the parks. The most interesting item found during this event was a baseball bat. However there wasn't much trash to begin with. Nevertheless if there are more public trashcans in general, maybe there will be less litter. Anyway I heard that many trashcans were removed from Tokyo streets after the sarin gas attacks a few years ago.
Official report: click here
The company was good, lunch was provided, got a free tee-shirt and I got to contribute a little something to society; What more can one ask for on a lazy Saturday morning?
Monday, October 08, 2007
Please, I just need a place to stay
The common ways of apartment hunting in Tokyo are rather tedious and not very welcoming to foreigners, in my opinion. Not that I mean to gripe about everything I'm not used to, but the process I'm going through is just inefficient. Of course somehow it has worked for gazillions of people.
In general, one comes up with a location depending on, say, commute time from the office, or a particular district. Then a realtor is contacted--usually there are several conveniently located around each train station. Don't bother searching online for the moment as good apartments come and go so fast that realtors don't have time to enter them into a computer. Plus under the impression that only affluent foreigners go online to look for apartments, the places one finds via a realtor's website tend to be more expensive.
My criteria:
- at least 10 minutes' walk from the nearest train station (for exercise--will probably regret it once the rains and the scorching summer heat sets in)
- at least 2nd floor and above. Just don't relish the thought of every Tomi, Dickeshi and Hariko walking past my front door.
- in-room washer facilities. Most apartments are unfurnished...
- room for at least 1 guest. For all you guys who are coming to visit :)
Fees:
- Monthly:
- rent(賃料): expect to cough up ~USD1000 for a decent place 30 minutes from downtown Tokyo.
- maintenance fee(管理費) which ranges from 0-10% depending on the landlord's whims.
- One-time (typically):
- deposit/security money(敷金) equal to 1-2 mths' rent.
Supposedly refundable at the end of one's lease if the apartment remains in good condition, but one should not expect to see this sum again.
- key money(礼金) to the tune of 1-2 mths' rent again.
This is a total scam concocted by some greedy arse on the pretext of showing one's appreciation to the landlord for the to-die-for privilege of renting the premises.
At the realtor's office, the tedious task of sifting through sheets of apartment datasheets to find a suitable one begins. The agents can only help narrow down to a particular folder. If one is lucky, a similar recent transaction triggers some memory and the agent manages a "Have I got the perfect place for you!"
Generally they're nice, but do be careful of being steered towards something that they deliberately planned for you, based on whatever decision process they might have done through. (Or am I too cynical?)
After shortlisting a few dozen possiblities, they'll call the landlords to verify if the apartments (or 物件) are available. Expect some to be snatched up already. If one is a foreigner, don't be surprised if many landlords immediately reject one outright. "Sorry, I don't want to deal with foreigners." That's right, no matter how many years one has lived in Japan, or if one is the Prince of Kalimantan. People aren't xenophobic, just scared.
Haha by now you can tell that I am not too thrilled nevertheless...
Finally after some time, an agent escorts one to the apartment of interest to have a look. That's usually the deciding factor, but it's not over yet! That's when the _real_ application starts. Fill out a few forms, request proof of employment and of course, the mysterious guarantor (保証人) which every renter requires in case the tenant skips town and the landlord is bereft of that month's rent and damages. Problem is, only Japanese citizens can be guarantors so what is a foreigner to do? Answer: Find a good Japanese friend or hire a guarantor company for the princely sum of 1 mth's rent.
After going to all that trouble, there's still the possibility that the landlord might nit-pick at something and reject one's application.
Dang.... renting an apartment in Japan is neither the cheapest nor simplest of tasks.
I'm seriously considering starting a rental business without all these requirements.
Wish me luck! Hopefully I can get a suitable apartment this week.
In general, one comes up with a location depending on, say, commute time from the office, or a particular district. Then a realtor is contacted--usually there are several conveniently located around each train station. Don't bother searching online for the moment as good apartments come and go so fast that realtors don't have time to enter them into a computer. Plus under the impression that only affluent foreigners go online to look for apartments, the places one finds via a realtor's website tend to be more expensive.
My criteria:
- at least 10 minutes' walk from the nearest train station (for exercise--will probably regret it once the rains and the scorching summer heat sets in)
- at least 2nd floor and above. Just don't relish the thought of every Tomi, Dickeshi and Hariko walking past my front door.
- in-room washer facilities. Most apartments are unfurnished...
- room for at least 1 guest. For all you guys who are coming to visit :)
Fees:
- Monthly:
- rent(賃料): expect to cough up ~USD1000 for a decent place 30 minutes from downtown Tokyo.
- maintenance fee(管理費) which ranges from 0-10% depending on the landlord's whims.
- One-time (typically):
- deposit/security money(敷金) equal to 1-2 mths' rent.
Supposedly refundable at the end of one's lease if the apartment remains in good condition, but one should not expect to see this sum again.
- key money(礼金) to the tune of 1-2 mths' rent again.
This is a total scam concocted by some greedy arse on the pretext of showing one's appreciation to the landlord for the to-die-for privilege of renting the premises.
At the realtor's office, the tedious task of sifting through sheets of apartment datasheets to find a suitable one begins. The agents can only help narrow down to a particular folder. If one is lucky, a similar recent transaction triggers some memory and the agent manages a "Have I got the perfect place for you!"
Generally they're nice, but do be careful of being steered towards something that they deliberately planned for you, based on whatever decision process they might have done through. (Or am I too cynical?)
After shortlisting a few dozen possiblities, they'll call the landlords to verify if the apartments (or 物件) are available. Expect some to be snatched up already. If one is a foreigner, don't be surprised if many landlords immediately reject one outright. "Sorry, I don't want to deal with foreigners." That's right, no matter how many years one has lived in Japan, or if one is the Prince of Kalimantan. People aren't xenophobic, just scared.
Haha by now you can tell that I am not too thrilled nevertheless...
Finally after some time, an agent escorts one to the apartment of interest to have a look. That's usually the deciding factor, but it's not over yet! That's when the _real_ application starts. Fill out a few forms, request proof of employment and of course, the mysterious guarantor (保証人) which every renter requires in case the tenant skips town and the landlord is bereft of that month's rent and damages. Problem is, only Japanese citizens can be guarantors so what is a foreigner to do? Answer: Find a good Japanese friend or hire a guarantor company for the princely sum of 1 mth's rent.
After going to all that trouble, there's still the possibility that the landlord might nit-pick at something and reject one's application.
Dang.... renting an apartment in Japan is neither the cheapest nor simplest of tasks.
I'm seriously considering starting a rental business without all these requirements.
Wish me luck! Hopefully I can get a suitable apartment this week.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Visiting home
Kind of an oxy-moron, isn't it--"Visiting home". In some ways, even though I call Singapore "home", the thought of going back permanently has not yet occurred to me. Still it's great to be back briefly. For once, I can be part of the "Citizens" queue/line at the airport and be the intended recipient of the big "Welcome home" banner.
Dear Mama and Papa, as always, waited patiently for me just outside the baggage claim area, even though it was 12:30am on a working Monday.
Had an episode at Narita airport with a tourist on his way to Singapore while we were waiting to board the same flight. Basically he was late by a day for his planned arrival to Singapore and wanted to contact his hotel to make sure they didn't cancel his reservation. So I loaned him my laptop and called the hotel via Skype on his behalf since he couldn't speak English that well. Unfortunately they canceled his reservation so he had to pay extra for a new room, so he wasn't very happy and asked me to help him call his travel agent in the US when we reach Singapore. Naturally I agreed and arranged with him to meet at the baggage claim in Changi. But when I retrieved my luggage, he was nowhere to be found... and feeling bad that my parents were missing out on sleep, I decided that Mr. Cruz should have no trouble in tourist-friendly Singapore and left without attempting to find him. Sorry...
Anyway, once home, Mama plied me with mooncake and Vitagen before shooing me off to bed. Ah... the familiar ceiling, the scent of the furniture, the light from the streetlamps tentatively peeking into the room... during JC (high school) days, many times have I stayed awake briefly after turning off the lights, enjoying the solitude and admiring the night sky. There's this jigsaw puzzle I assembled long ago which has the night sky and all its constellations in glow-in-the-dark paint. Always wanted to put it up on the ceiling but Pa would've gone ballistic if I had done so :) It's probably still lying somewhere in the house, waiting for a chance to show another fascinated child its starry magic.
I enjoyed every such night during the week, and filled my days with an endless array of local food. What fun it was to go to a hawker center and just walk past the stalls, like a lion calmly surveying its territory, I strolled languidly up to a signboard that caught my fancy, and ordered whatever they had to offer. Can never get tired of the variety; every plate a surprise, every bowl of _whatever_ a welcome delicacy that I renewed acquaintances with. Yum yum!
My stomach wasn't so happy of course. After weeks of Japanese food, something about the famous Changi Village nasi lemak put it off balance and I had to endure a constant tummyache while continuing to stuff myself silly throughout the week. And I barely scratched the surface! Chicken rice (thrice), ban jian kuay, nasi lemak (twice), sugar cane juice (frothing and fresh--twice), soya bean (yes, soyA bean) milk, yong tau foo, chui kuay, ban mian, Eurasian cai fan, nasi padang, satay and last but not least, Mum's cooking. Four different types of chilli I believe: assam chilli, chicken rice chilli, sambal chilli, freshly-cut chilli, chui kuay chilli, yong tau foo chilli.
Home food; funny I never miss it while away but stepping into a hawker center upon return just triggers a irresistible instinct to sample every little thing. Considering that the weather typically destroys one appetite the first 3 days, that is no mean achievement :)
Just remember the following: The typical Singaporean talks about the next meal while he or she is the middle of the current one.
Dear Mama and Papa, as always, waited patiently for me just outside the baggage claim area, even though it was 12:30am on a working Monday.
Had an episode at Narita airport with a tourist on his way to Singapore while we were waiting to board the same flight. Basically he was late by a day for his planned arrival to Singapore and wanted to contact his hotel to make sure they didn't cancel his reservation. So I loaned him my laptop and called the hotel via Skype on his behalf since he couldn't speak English that well. Unfortunately they canceled his reservation so he had to pay extra for a new room, so he wasn't very happy and asked me to help him call his travel agent in the US when we reach Singapore. Naturally I agreed and arranged with him to meet at the baggage claim in Changi. But when I retrieved my luggage, he was nowhere to be found... and feeling bad that my parents were missing out on sleep, I decided that Mr. Cruz should have no trouble in tourist-friendly Singapore and left without attempting to find him. Sorry...
Anyway, once home, Mama plied me with mooncake and Vitagen before shooing me off to bed. Ah... the familiar ceiling, the scent of the furniture, the light from the streetlamps tentatively peeking into the room... during JC (high school) days, many times have I stayed awake briefly after turning off the lights, enjoying the solitude and admiring the night sky. There's this jigsaw puzzle I assembled long ago which has the night sky and all its constellations in glow-in-the-dark paint. Always wanted to put it up on the ceiling but Pa would've gone ballistic if I had done so :) It's probably still lying somewhere in the house, waiting for a chance to show another fascinated child its starry magic.
I enjoyed every such night during the week, and filled my days with an endless array of local food. What fun it was to go to a hawker center and just walk past the stalls, like a lion calmly surveying its territory, I strolled languidly up to a signboard that caught my fancy, and ordered whatever they had to offer. Can never get tired of the variety; every plate a surprise, every bowl of _whatever_ a welcome delicacy that I renewed acquaintances with. Yum yum!
My stomach wasn't so happy of course. After weeks of Japanese food, something about the famous Changi Village nasi lemak put it off balance and I had to endure a constant tummyache while continuing to stuff myself silly throughout the week. And I barely scratched the surface! Chicken rice (thrice), ban jian kuay, nasi lemak (twice), sugar cane juice (frothing and fresh--twice), soya bean (yes, soyA bean) milk, yong tau foo, chui kuay, ban mian, Eurasian cai fan, nasi padang, satay and last but not least, Mum's cooking. Four different types of chilli I believe: assam chilli, chicken rice chilli, sambal chilli, freshly-cut chilli, chui kuay chilli, yong tau foo chilli.
Home food; funny I never miss it while away but stepping into a hawker center upon return just triggers a irresistible instinct to sample every little thing. Considering that the weather typically destroys one appetite the first 3 days, that is no mean achievement :)
Just remember the following: The typical Singaporean talks about the next meal while he or she is the middle of the current one.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)