First Few Days in Japan

Kon-n-ich-i-wa!

It’s 12:10pm here in Japan and I just got home from shopping and calling both my parents and Laura-chan. I’m drinking some O’cha (green tea) and eating a little bit of maki that I picked up from the local grocery store called "Eddy's." I think I’m getting a little ahead of myself though, so here’s a quick re-cap on my last couple days.

(I'm going to begin with a personal note that I wrote to myself on Thursday the 25th.)

"It’s 9:15pm on Thursday, the 25th and I’ve just finished my first shower at my apartment. I threw on some CCR, put on my favourite sweater, and I’m getting ready to head on out on the town for my first night here in Tsu-Mie (“tsu” the city, “Me-yay” the prefecture.) Ashanthi, one of my fellow ESL teachers has an apartment just up the street along with two other girls who are also ESL teachers, and who have been here for about six months. They’re going to show us the ropes here in the city.
I haven’t really begun missing anyone too much as of yet, and I point my finger in accusation at the culprit known onlly as "exciting discovery."
So far, my place is a lot less glamourous than I expected, I’m not in Osaka per se, and I don’t know when I’ll be getting internet access to post this, but ultimately I feel like this experience is something that I’m going to love. Japan is quirky, funny, and the door wells are all 5’10”; all of which are things that a person of my stature and qualities can quite easily cope with.

Tomorrow will be a busy day, and I will no doubt have some interesting things to say about that. Until then,

Ja matta ne, (see you later)

-benjamin"



And now back to Friday and today.

Friday was a good day, though speckled with moments that were a little disappointing. One of the first things that I attempted to do was to get a bank account at the UFJ (a major Japanese bank chain,) and was denied due to the fact that I don’t have a phone. Bah! Nova wrote me out their personnel number and told me that it would be okay if I gave it to the bank in lieu of my own number (which I don’t have.) Oh well, what can you do? I decided to make myself feel better by indulging in a little Japanese baking from a local bakery. A couple hundred yen later and I was chewing down on some Green Tea buns. They’re a little neon green in colour, but I can assure you that they’re sweet and tasty. After that, Rachel, Ashanthi and I decided to make a run all over the place, going from grocery store, to 100yen stores, to “Mister Donut,” and back again. I got to check out the international centre and I will most likely be posting this blog from there on Saturday, as they offer free WI-FI internet access to Gaijin (foreigners) like myself.

(My toilet at the Osaka hotel was Sanatarized... I love Engrish.)





On a side note, a cool store called "Mister Donut" exists here in Japan, and it is pretty much the closest thing to Tim Hortons here in Tsu. That kinda fills me with glee, as I'm going to miss the Canadian institution that has brought us all so many yellow teeth and caffeinated highs. Also, I was reminded of the coffee church of Canada when I saw a book for sale at the International centre that was entitled Timbit Nation, a hitchhiker's guide to Canada. Hilarious.


(This is a picture of me posing along with the famous Samurai of the area. I think I look a lot like him.)




Later that night, after a quick nap to rejuvenate from all the walking and shopping, some of the Nova instructors and I went out for pizza at a nearby restaurant. It began to rain for the first time since we had arrived, and so with a few umbrellas and a couple train tickets in hand, we departed for some delicious pizza, or at least, that’s what we hoped for. We arrived and met up with Karyn, Gill, Graham and another bloke that I never really did catch the name of. FYI, Karyn, Ashanthi, Tara, and Gill are all Austrailian, Graham is Scottish, Rachel is from New Zealand and the other guy was English. (Thusfar, I’m the only Canadian representing Canada, which is kinda fun if you'd believe it.) Finally the pizza arrived, and it was quite… different. There was a lot of somewhat nasty tasting cheese coating a few withered pieces of chicken, and the crust was pretty soggy. On the plus side, along with the pizza, I ordered a couple pints of Asahi beer, and those were very nice. Overall, I would have to say that my experience of non-native food here in Japan is that it isn’t very good. That being said, the Japanese food here in Japan is excellent, and so I think my diet will mainly consist of Japanese foods.

Anywho, here are a few pics from my trip thus far, including several pictures from my apartment, that will hopefully help you get a better feel for where I am. Also I have included a couple of “Engrish” phrases or comedic signs that I’ve seen along the way for your enjoyment.

Sayonara,

-benjamin

(The apartment is a little small, but by Japanese standards, I think I'm getting a pretty good deal, seeing how it's a double, and I'm the only one living there.)




(Check out how nasty the tub/shower is... I think some bleach is in order.)








(My kitchen isn't that bad... though I think a microwave would be a good purchase... agree?)