Archive for category Friends and coworkers
Life in Noborito – The Stoop
Posted by Barniferous in Life in Japan, Lux, Shenanigans on December 12, 2013
Other than the common living room area, there was one more hub of social activity at Hello House: The Stoop. The Stoop was the unofficial name of the front steps from the street to the main entrance of Hello House East.
Since smoking in a room with a tatami mat floor is very bad idea, the stoop was the de facto smoking area for Hello House. In addition to smokers, other people would hang out and chat, watching the residents come and go. I spent many nights hanging out with Lux on the front steps.
My favourite Stoop story involved a night where I was hanging out with Lux and likely a few other people. Hello House was down the street from a Hostess Bar that catered to middle aged business men. It could be argued that most Hostess Bars cater to middle aged business men, but this one definitely captured a 40-55 crowd with almost no exceptions. On one particular night, the hostesses were saying goodbye to a group of about 3 very drunk business men. The men were walking down the street towards Hello House, when one of them stopped to pee on the wall across the street.
Public urination is not entirely uncommon in Japan, especially among drunk businessmen (or English teachers). However, usually most people will take the time to go down an alley or somewhere away from people. Not this guy, he decided he was going to relieve himself directly across from a group of English teachers who were sitting outside. Lux decided that this was not appropriate behaviour and decided to loudly let the man know.
“HEY! That’s disgusting! I don’t come and piss in front of your house! Yeah you! I know you can understand me!!”
This didn’t slow the man down at all. If anything it gave him a little bit of a swagger when he shook out the last few drops and walked away.
Most of the time hanging out on the stoop didn’t involve entertaining public urination, but it was still a fun place to spend some time and chat with the other Hello House residents.
A note about the picture: I took this picture during a visit to Noborito in 2006, right before I left Japan. I am glad that I did, because not long after Hello House East and West were sold and flattened to make room for a new development. Goodbye Stoop! You are gone but not forgotten.
November 26, 2003 – The universal language of beer
Posted by Barniferous in Drinking, Greater Tokyo Area, Marshall, Shenanigans on November 26, 2013
(rewrite of original post)
Marshall and I went out to a small local izakaya called Avenue. It was about a 5 minute walk from Hello House where the smelly alley meets the main street. Anyone who has ever lived in the area will know exactly what this means.
When I left Winnipeg there was a big push to cut down on over-serving. For those who don’t know, over-serving is continuing to sell alcohol to customers who are already (seriously) intoxicated. Coming from that environment, it was a bit of a shock for me to have to step over a customer who was passed out on the floor. He was on his side clinging on to a plastic bag to puke into. At that point we also realized that we had just walked into a place with character.
Marshall and I ended up having several beers at our own table, which was separated from a large group table by wooden slats that you could easily see through. We caught the attention of the large group of Japanese guys at the next table who were celebrating a birthday. They started talking to us, and thanks to the universal language of beer (and some basic Japanese), we were invited to join them at their table. We ended up having a little too much fun with our new friends. I snapped the attached picture of one of them as he was encouraging us to drink something out of a mysterious green bottle. The 120 x 120 pixel picture was the most my 2003 phone camera could handle, and it adequately represents what my vision was like at the end of the evening.
I love this country!
November 22, 2003 – The University Educated tissue guy
Posted by Barniferous in Friends and coworkers, Keikyu-Kawasaki NOVA, Life in Japan, Teaching English on November 22, 2013
Japanese promotional tissues
(rewrite of original post)
I was working at Keikyu Kawasaki NOVA today with Smiling Mo and managed to get three no show lessons. As I had learned previously, when you don’t have students you are expected to find something useful to do in the office. There is usually enough busy work to cover one or two open lessons. However, Smiling Mo and I both had several no shows and completely ran out of office work to do.
We asked the staff if they had anything that we could do to help. They asked if we really meant anything. We answered yes, we really would do anything to help. Minutes later we were at Keikyu Kawasaki station handing out NOVA tissues.
Free promotional tissues are commonly found near all train stations. They are simply a package of tissues with information on a business in the wrapper. The tissues are usually handed out by part time workers or junior employees. On this day I got to join the illustrious ranks of the tissue givers.
While handing out tissues I was approached by one of my regular students. He was a fun guy from Peru who was in Japan for construction work. When he saw me handing out tissues he laughed and then asked me if I was being punished for doing something wrong. At this point I started to question the value of my Bachelor of Commerce Degree (with honours) and the choices that brought me to that situation. I was a smart, educated guy. How did I possibly end up handing out free tissues at a train station?
Then I looked over at Smiling Mo, who was absolutely having a great time. He was a charismatic, outgoing person and was using the tissues as an excuse to talk to strangers, especially groups of attractive female students. Smiling Mo’s enjoyment helped me to realize that I wasn’t just doing a menial task, I was getting paid good money to do a menial task in JAPAN, far away from the frozen tundra of Winnipeg. With this realization, I started to actually have a bit of fun handing out NOVA tissues.
If you are half way around the world for a limited time, you might as well enjoy everything that the experience has to offer.
November 13, 2003 – First all nighter in Tokyo
Posted by Barniferous in Drinking, Friends and coworkers, Life in Japan, Marshall, Shenanigans, Tokyo on November 13, 2013
(partial rewrite of original post)
Had my first taste of Tokyo nightlife on Thursday (and Friday) with Marshall. The plan was to go to Shibuya, meet up with Mississippi Mike and his friends, and catch the last train home. Naturally we had a few drinks before we left, and got a “traveler” for the train. For the record, drinking beer on the train is legal, but generally frowned upon by other passengers.
We arrived in Shibuya with no idea of where to go and way too many options, so we decided to wander around the major streets and see what looked interesting.
1st stop – The Oil Bar – We went in entirely because of the name. Oil Bar was is a small pub that played hair metal. We were pleasantly surprised that the staff spoke English very well. It was a good to get a beer and make a plan for the evening. No communication yet from Mississippi Mike.
2nd stop – GasPanic – Depending on who you talk to, GasPanic is either famous or infamous. It is most well known as a popular place where foreign guys go to meet Japanese girls. There is no cover charge, and all drinks are 400 yen. There is a large sign on the wall informing customers that you must have a drink in your hand at all times to remain in GasPanic.
When we arrived it was very crowded, but welcoming and fun. Many beers were consumed, tequila shots were downed and chased with more beer. We met a group of Canadians and managed to have a conversation (as well as you can in a noisy bar) about hockey and Japanese women. Marshall and I left just after midnight feeling very good, and started heading for the station in order to catch the last train home. As we had the station in sight I finally got a text from Mississippi Mike to let us know that he and his group has just arrived in Shibuya.
Depending on your destination, the last train to leave most stations in Tokyo is around 12:30am. The first train starts around 5:00am. If you miss the last train you can either get an expensive taxi ride home, or decide to stay out all night. The beer and tequila in our system helped convince us to turn the evening into an all nighter.
3rd stop – Womb – Apparently one of the best dance music clubs in the world, not just Japan. The whole place was huge, but since it was Thursday night (technically Friday morning), the main dance floor was not open. It would have been cool to see all four floors open and busy. Cover was 1500 yen and drink prices were obscene, especially after coming from the economic GasPanic. Our group danced to live DJ music until the they closed down at 4:30am.
The trip home – This part was not very fun. Shibuya is a confusing place when you are sober and not exhausted. Nobody remembered the way back to the station, and for some reason everyone broke up into small groups going in different directions. All of the groups kept walking in circles and running into each other. After about half an hour, Marshall and I finally found Shibuya station, but due to our diminished capacities we could not find the Keio line. We finally gave up and took the Yamanote line to Shinjuku, switched to Odakyu line, fell asleep on the platform, then woke up to catch a train back to Noborito. There is nothing worse than seeing the sunrise after too much partying. I got home at 6:30, about 9 and a half hours before I needed to leave for work.
Despite the trouble getting home, good times were had by all.
November 4, 2003 – Porno (the book, not the porn)
Posted by Barniferous in Drinking, Friends and coworkers, Life in Japan on November 4, 2013
(rewritten from original post)
Getting my train pass fixed was surprisingly easy, thanks to basic level Japanese and helpful JR staff.
After work I went for some beer with new trainees. There is another Canadian! He is unfortunately from New Brunswick, but I won`t hold that against him. I learned that there was a sequel to Trainspotting (the book) called Porno. Parts of the book are written in phonetic Scottish to communicate how strong some character’s accents are. Reading a few pages of it melted my brain.
October 31, 2003 – Team Canada
Posted by Barniferous in Hello House, Marshall on October 31, 2013
Original Post
There is a new Canadian in Hello House! Now we are not so outnumbered by the Aussies. Go Team Canada!
2013 Update
Hello House is largely fully of Aussies and Americans. The new Canadian (let’s call him Marshall) brought the Canuck total up to 3. Hello House had roughly the same proportions of teachers as NOVA did. At NOVA, most of the English teachers were Australian or American. Next in line would be British and Canadian. Pulling up the rear for numbers are Irish, Scottish and New Zealanders. There was no restriction on country of origin, as long as English was your first language and you could get a working visa.
October 23, 2003 – When you’re this bad, they call you Mister?
Posted by Barniferous in Life in Japan, Lux on October 23, 2013
The cold from hell is almost gone, but I lost my voice today, so no teaching for me. I ended up going shopping at Daiei with TimTam during the day because I didn`t need my voice for shopping. In the evening I went with TimTam and Lux to Mister Donut for 100 yen donuts. You really get what you pay for here. (i.e. the donuts sucked)
October 19, 2003 – Bob Sapp Time
Posted by Barniferous in Life in Japan, Lux on October 19, 2013
BOB SAPP!
Original Post
Nothing sucks more than a bad cold on your day off. I stayed home and watched a whole bunch of TV and finally saw Bob Sapp in a fight. Man that guy is huge!!! He lost by DQ when he slugged a guy who was on the mat under kickboxing rules. For those who don`t know, Bob Sapp is a former NFL player who came to Japan and became famous in K-1 and Pride.
In the evening I went out grocery shopping with Lux, the other Canadian in Hello House East. Lux refuses to speak any Japanese, but somehow gets away with it. She also loves smiling and waving at unsuspecting Japanese men making them blush. Shopping with Lux is never dull.
2013 Update
For a few years, Bob Sapp was one of the biggest gaijin talents in Japan. He was literally everywhere – train ads, commercials, fights, variety shows, everywhere. Part of the appeal is that Bob Sapp is like a human cartoon character. He is happy to switch from “the beast” to a big smiling, dancing goofball. As a fighter he was not great if you could avoid his giant flailing punches. As a moneymaking entertainer he ruled Japan for a few years and was well aware that he had a limited shelf life. It was fun to live in Japan during Bob Sapp time.
October 15, 2003 – Beware Roppongi
Posted by Barniferous in Friends and coworkers, Life in Japan, Shenanigans on October 15, 2013
After an eventful training class where I experienced my first earthquake I was just looking forward to getting back to Kawasaki for a quick beer at Kiosk before heading home. Mississippi Mark and I were on the train together – I was sitting and he was standing holding the train handle. Suddenly, a Japanese girl walks up to him and starts talking to him in English. I could only see the girl from the right side and she looked pretty cute.
The girl introduced herself as Momoko and started asking Mississippi Mark how long he had been in Japan, where he works, and where he has been in Japan so far (the standard questions).
When you are not from Japan, it is difficult to guess the age of the Japanese people you are talking to. Momoko was young looking and fashionably dressed. This meant she could have been anywhere from 15 to 35. Trying to help narrow down the age range, I asked her if she was a student. She answered that she was studying graphic design at a local art school. This meant that she was at least out of high school, which was a relief.
During the conversation, Mark mentioned that he wanted to go to Roppongi sometime. Roppongi is a well known foreigner friendly nightlife area in Tokyo. Momoko says “Don’t go to Roppongi! That’s where this happened”, pointing out the MASSIVE BLACK EYE she had on her left side. Mississippi had seen this the whole time, but it was not visible from my angle. She also pointed out her busted up lip and then told us “Don’t worry – the other girl looks much worse!”.
Well that’s a relief.
She insisted on getting Mark’s email address and told him she would invite him to Roppongi sometime and promised not to fight if they went out together. After she left, Mark told me that he would be bringing backup if he ever went out with Momoko because he was afraid of her. Man, I love this country!
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Drinking in Japan 
November 20, 2003 – Crappy day
Posted by Barniferous in Drinking, Friends and coworkers on November 20, 2013
(rewrite of original post)
After a busy day at work I went out for some beer with coworkers. I had a few more than I should, and on the train home I inadvertently acted like an ass to my American coworkers. My supervisor was also on the train, and suggested that I work on my tact. Not one of my finest moments, but also one that I didn’t repeat.
being an ass, drinking too much, inappropriate comment
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