Catching up

Caught up with some Japanese friends from Adelaide on Sunday. One of them is from Osaka, whilst the other is from Tokyo. They also brought along a friend.

We went to Tsukiji, which is famous for it's enormous fish market- the world's largest i believe. The market is closed on Sunday, but i have been there during a previous visit to Japan so it wasn't an issue. The purpose of our visit this time was for the sushi. There are hordes of sushi restaurants surrounding the market, as being on the market's footstep allows them to get very fresh ingredients.

The sushi we ate was fantastic, it was so fresh that it seemed to melt in your mouth and the taste was incredible. It was great to watch it being prepared as well. One of the guys i was with sampled some whale sushi but i stuck to salmon (sake), tuna (maguro) and salmon eggs (ikura)- I was more adventurous the other night and was eating beef tongue, but thats another story...).

After lunch, we ventured to Hama-rikyu Gardens (a nearby park/traditional garden). The park was surrounded by a river, and within the garden was a large lake, housing an island in it's centre. A 300 year old tea house (ochaya) was erected on the island, which was joined to the mainland by a bridge. We attended a tea ceremony at the ochaya, and enjoyed powdered green tea with traditional Japanese sweets. We also met a Swiss couple at the ochaya, who were actually in Tokyo for the world barista championships. Turns out she is the Swiss national champion- so we traded cappuccino making tips for suggestions of places they should visit whilst in Japan. All in all, a great, relaxing day.




Left to right: Atsu, some gaijin idiot, Mai and Masa

NOVA gossip...

I don't actually have any gossip about NOVA really.

There was alot of bad press a few weeks ago about the company but things seems to have settled down and it appears to be business as usual (touch wood). There are actually two separate NOVA schools at Kinshicho, but we were informed today that the two schools will be merging, and will form a single large school (at my branch's building). Whether this is a reflection of NOVA's problems i don't know, but no one seems terribly worried. My Knishicho school has lower level students (low level means better ability- 2 is the best, 7 the worst) and no kids classes, and the other school has heaps of kids and high level students, so the merge means that i will have to teach kids, which some instructors are not thrilled about... I don't mind, because it will add more variety to the day.

So more about working at NOVA...

I actually quite enjoy it. I'd heard plenty of negative things about NOVA but it is definately more fun and rewarding than i ever expected. Sure it's not rocket sience, and i can see that after a while, lessons will get repetitive, but most of the students are really nice and some are very interesting (one of our students is a Manga artist, while another student runs a dodgy scam involving Bangladesh and diamonds... I could say more but i'd have to kill u). You form a bond with most of the students and it is rewarding when u hear them using words or phrases that you have taught them in a previous lesson. Furthermore, they are always more than happy to answer any enquiries you may have about Japan.

I like working 5-9pm as i have plenty of time in the morning to go to the gym, or meet people for lunch etc. It also means that u can go out at night during the week, as you have usually recovered by 5:00.

For those of u interested in the money side of things, i work 20 hours per week and earn about 200,000 Yen/month (AU$2000), which is pretty good for a part time job.

"BUT IS THIS ENOUGH TO SURVIVE IN TOKYO???" I hear you ask.

Easily. Work pays for ur train pass, so u don't have petrol expenses, car registration, mechanic fees etc. I go out for a big night 1-2 times per week and still afford a gym membership and 3-4 square meals a day. Plus i save a bit on the side, incase i want to travel. For those Aussies, Kiwis, and Canucks out there- I definately think the Working Holiday VISA is the way to go. Good hours, and u can always work overtime to earn more.

P.S. Our part time wage is higher than most of the full time Japanese staff. When you meet young Japanese people and inform them that you only work 20 hours per week, they give u an astounded look and enquire as to how you could possibly survive in Tokyo. The look on their face then transforms from astonishment to disbelief when u tell them that u earn 200,000 Yen/Month... This is because most of them work 40-50 hours per week and actually have a lower wage than this... Don't misinterpret my ramblings- i'm not exactly sitting on a gold mine- but compared to the average 25 year old Japanese, my salary isn't too bad.

The Japanese mentality (particuarly in Tokyo i suspect) is that young people should work hard, long hours and get paid a crap wage. They are then expected to stay with the same company for the next 30 years, climbing their way up the corporate ladder, after which time they are probably in a management role and are very well looked after indeed by their company. I think this type of loyalty is fading in the younger generations of Japanese, but they still have no where near as much freedom as the Youth of Australia, or i suppose, any other Western country. It's such a high pressure and stressful environment- no wonder Tokyo'ites look so glum and exhausted on the evening trains.

J-Bay update

It's 6:30 i the morning. Just got back from clubbing in Tokyo. Went to a club called Muse in Roppongi. I'm still kinda drunk and can't sleep so i'm surfing the net. Just found out that Taj beat Slater so that is awesome news. Mick Fanning is still number one in the world and Taj is now number two!!

You beaut

Go Aussie!

Damn, i really hope i go surfing soon. I heard therte may be another typhoon on the way so fingers crossed...

J-Bay

This has nothing to do with Japan, but i've been watching the WCT (World Championship Tour) surfing event at Jeffreys Bay, South Africa.

There was an awesome semi-final between Mick Fanning and Taj Burrow. Unfortunately Mick lost (my favourite surfer). Kelly Slater just beat Dean Morrison, So it's Taj and Kelly in the final.

Hopefully Taj gets it. It sucks the way now that when Kelly loses he complains about the judging. Fire up Taj!!

The final is about to start

Cya

P.S. Japan just beat Australia in the Asia Cup soccer. They won 4-3 in a penalty shot out. I didn't get to watch the game cause i was wroking bloody overtime...

Nikko pictures

Typhoons and Earthquakes

Japan has very 'volatile' weather...

On the weekend, a rather large typhoon formed south of Japan and then headed north, running parallel to the country. I believe it was a category 4, with category 5 being the maximum rating. Some students informed me that it was the strongest typhoon Japan has had in July, because usually the big ones don't hit till August/September. Aside from causing some big seas and rain, the typhoon didn't really affect the Tokyo area. It was a different story for southern Japan, i think some people were killed in places such as Okinawa.

The rain fell heavily for the whole weekend we were in Nikko, basically non stop. After trudging around in the mud for 6 hours on Sunday, we decided to pack it in and head home. However, seeing the temples and shrines in the rain was fantastic, it seemed to add to the mystique of the place. One downside of the rain was that our backpacks got saturated, and i happened to have my ipod in my bag and it now doesn't appear to be working... I will let it dry for a few days and try and recharge it... fingers crossed.

Apparently some areas of southern Japan received 1000mm (1 metre) of rain in three days!!! Geez, we could do with that in Australia, that would help in refilling the Murray!

I turned up to work yesterday (Monday) to be informed by some other students (they are a great resource of news/information!) that there had been an earthquake in the morning (around 10:30am). The epicentre was in Nigata prefecture, which is a couple hundred kilometres north of Tokyo. It registered 6.8 on the richter scale... Hang on a sec, will just refer to good 'ol Wikipedia... Ah, 6.0-6.9 on the richter scale is considered 'strong' and can be destructive in areas up to about 100 miles across in populated areas. There are about 120 worldwide per year... Apparently, most people felt tremors in Tokyo, where it measured 3 on the richter scale- which is considered minor and 'often felt, but rarely causes damage'. I was actually at the gym at the time and didn't feel a thing. I wish i had, but i didn't... Maybe i was too focussed on what i was doing!

I'm just sorting through my Nikko photos now so should have some pics up soon.

Till next time

Jimmy

Nikko

Today has been great!!

Im am in Nikko right now, which is a town a couple hours North of Tokyo. It is a traditional area, and houses some of the best temples and shrines within the Tokyo area.

We caught the train this morning- it was about a three hour trip. We had a look around town and then trekked up the hill to our hostel. The hostel is awesome, and is perched on a hill, surrounded by greenery. It blows you away just how green all the vegetation is.

We were told about a lady who lives near the hostel and owns a small ramen shop. She was a nice, cute old lady and the ramen was delicious! We then had an onsen (hot spring)- so i am feeling extremely relaxed now. The plan for tomorrow is to spend the whole day visiting temples so i should have some good pics up soon.

Jane

P.S. We stayed at 'Nikko Park Lodge'. This is a great hostel and i would recommend it to anyone who is planning a trip to Nikko.

Attempted surfing @ Ohara

Looks like those Akihabara videos arn't working dammit. Ah well, maybe i will leave them here for a while and hope they magically start working...

I had been told by a guy who surfs that a break called Ohara was usually ok and that the train station wasn't too far from the beach...

I got up at 6am yesterday, grabbed my board and wetsuit and still half asleep, plodded off to the train station. It's a two hour train journey, with three train changes, so i didn't get to Ohara till about 8:30. When i emerged from the station, the rain was pissing down and a thick fog was restricting visibility. I knew which direction the ocean was, but that was about it... I didn't know how far, or where the actual surf break was. So i bought a cheap unbrella and headed off.

An hour later i struck water. However, it was an old fishing port. No sign of any surf breaks, just breakwalls and fishing boats. I walked along the coast for another half an hour but nothing but more breakwalls and cliffs. The fog was still bad so i knew my chances of finding the surfing beach wern't great.


This is me after walking an hour and a half in fog and rain... At this point i am completely lost and wondering wha the f%#k i'm doing here without a map or any basic directions to the surf break


So i turned around and headed back to the station. I walked past a group of old women who were seated eunder a verandah, weaving fishing nets. They had seen me pass by about and hour before. They gave me a smile and a slightly amused look, and returned their work (probably thinking to themselves... What the hell is this guy doing?? Lol).

I had almost reached the staion when i saw a car with surfboards pull into a ramen store (like a fast food noodle shop). I treked up to them an asked if they spoke English. They said 'a little' and i said i speak a little Japanese... Anyways, to cut a long story short, they turned out to be Brasilian and invited me to eat with them. Afterwards, then let me jump in their car and took me surfing. Turns out Ohara is usually small and crappy (thanks to the guy who gave me that avice) and is too far to walk from the station. They showed me a break called Hebara (had WCT event there in 2005) and we surfed at another place called Onjuku. It was small and crowded but still fun (better than walking around lost in Ohara).

So, what started as a f%*ked day turned out awesome. They go surfing most weekends and said next time they will pick me up from the train station and i can surf with them... They are really good blokes, and although communication was a problem (talked to them through a combination of English and Japanese... I only know about four Portuguese words), they were fun to hang out with.


Dan and Fa, two of the 'top boke' Brasilians. The other guy 'Lala' is asleep in the car.


P.S. I had my first Japanese lesson last friday. They are free at my local community centre so will be talking the local lingo in no time... hopefully.

I'm off to do some food shopping

Peace

Akihabara

Well, i have seen many weird and wonderful things already in Japan, and i have only been here a little under a month. In regards to strange places, Akihabara definately takes the cake. I just don't get this place, it spun me out when i first visted there.

Akihabara is known as 'electronic town'. The main strip consists of hundreds of electronic stores, selling everything from useful items- computers and cameras, to circuit gadgetry (is that a word??)- transformers etc, to slightly less common items- stun guns.


Yes, these are stun guns


This is all very interesting, but the strangeness begins on the street. On Sundays, the main street is closed to cars, and pedestrians fill the road and sidewalk. As you walk down the street, you are accosted by girls in maid uniforms, who hand out fliers for maid cafes. Maid cafes are a Japanese phenomenon. They are cafes that sell food and drinks but the waitresses wear old schol maid uniforms. Japanese men seem to have a 'thing' for maid uniforms, so not only are maid cafes super popular in Japan, but sales of maid uniforms are through the roof!


The main drag


Gio and Lawrence (2 blokes from work) browsing for maid uniforms (these pics were taken with my phone so may be crappy quality)


A steel at just under a little AU$100


I'll have an espresso thanks


The streets of Akihabara also attract a strange bunch of misfits from the general public. U have girls that dress up in strange clothes and have funky hairstyles and parade around the streets. Some even sing or dance. I suppose it's like busting, except they just want attention, not money. Some are treated like celebrities, with sometimes hundreds of guys with cameras following them down the street and taking photos... I guess it gives the girls a taste of fame...

Vending machines in my neck of the woods

According to the ever reliable Wikipedia, "Japan has the highest number of vending machines per capita, with about one machine for every 23 people".

Walking back to my apartment from the train station today, i decided to count vending machines. There were 15 vending machines on the side of the street i was walking (it's divided by a traffic island so difficult to count both sides at the same time). This walk is about half a kilometre and takes me about 7 minutes. If we assume that the other side of the street has a similar number of vending machines, we get 30 machines on a single street, within a 500m stretch...

or 1 machine roughly every 16m...