Archive for category Life in Japan
October 12, 2005 – Monkey love
Posted by Barniferous in Azeroth, Friends and coworkers, Life in Japan on October 12, 2015
Last night Azeroth had a very enthusiastic guest over for a “visit” around 2:30am. I was just about to fall asleep when I heard the sounds of two drunk people attempting to be quiet as they entered the apartment. A message to all the roommates of the world: you aren’t nearly as stealthy as you think after a few drinks.
I am usually a very heavy sleeper, but I was unable to sleep through the sounds of crazy monkey love that started up across the hall. My room door is pretty thin, and Azeroth’s is a sliding door that offers literally no sound dampening at all. On top of that, both of them sounded like they were having a very good time.
Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate when people are able to express how much they are enjoying themselves in an intimate situation. However, it is still possible to enjoy physical affection when you aren’t screaming at the top of your lungs, especially at 2:30am with thin walls.
After unsuccessfully trying to drown out the sound, I decided to take a nice 30 minute walk around the neighbourhood. When I got home, all was quiet.
My day at work was long and miserable due to lack of sleep (again).
(2015 Update) The next day Azeroth told me “you’ll never believe who was in my room last night”. He never told me and to this day I still don’t know. Come on man – it’s been 10 years, give me a hint!
October 10, 2005 – Part of a group
Posted by Barniferous in Drinking, Karaoke on October 10, 2015
Today a group of people went out for beer and karaoke. I was one of them.
(2015 Update) At some point in the future, I will be asked to sum up my 3 years in Japan. If I only use the words “beer and karaoke”, I will have successfully described about 50% of my time in the country.
October 8, 2005 – Wedding in Yokohama
Posted by Barniferous in Life in Japan, The Penpal on October 8, 2015
Today the Penpal and I went to her friend’s wedding in Yokohama. This was my first wedding in Japan.
When I was originally invited to the wedding (as the Penpal’s +1), I was hoping that I would get to see a traditional wedding at a shrine. I was expecting fancy kimonos, serious faces, and sake. When I asked for information, I learned that the wedding was going to be “Western style”, which turned out to be very interesting in it’s own way.
I have been to several weddings in Canada. A typical Canadian wedding involves a ceremony at a church or wedding hall, followed by wedding pictures, dinner, speeches, and then a few hours of drinking and dancing. Depending on how long the newlyweds plan for pictures, the whole experience can take up a whole afternoon and evening.
We showed up at a wedding chapel near Shin-Yokohama station. The chapel was designed to look like a church, complete with pews and crosses. A gaijin in priest robes officiated the ceremony in Japanese, and made several mentions of Jesus. I asked the Penpal if her friends were Christian. She said no. Apparently I was the only person who thought it was strange to see Christian symbols and hear Jesus mentioned during a non-Christian wedding ceremony. I also started having my suspicions that the “priest” was simply an English teacher moonlighting.
Even though I was a bit distracted by the fake Christian wedding ceremony, it was still beautiful and the full chapel enjoyed every minute of it.
After the service, we moved into a nearby reception hall. With the expected Japanese efficiency and punctuality, dinner started exactly when it was supposed to. The bride and groom arrived on a musical cue wearing different clothes than they had just been wearing for the ceremony. Unlike weddings that I was used to from Canada, speeches occurred while everyone was eating. The usual people made wedding speeches – the bride and groom, best man, maid of honour, and parents. We also got to hear from the bride and groom’s work supervisors. In Canada its not common to invite your boss to your wedding unless you are friends. In Japan it is usual.
The reception ended only a few hours after it started, exactly on time as all of the guests filed out through a reception line. Everyone received gifts from the bride and groom on the way out. The reception was done by 10:30, and we were all back at the hotel by 11:00. There was no dancing.
I hung out in a hotel room with The Penpal and her friends. I tried to convince them that it was a wedding night and we should go out and have fun, but everyone else was ready for bed.
The Western Style wedding was an interesting experience, and nothing at all like what I was expecting. It was a carefully choreographed and organized, and started and finished exactly when it was supposed to. Even though I didn’t get to see a traditional wedding, I still learned a lot about modern Japanese culture, and had a lot of fun at the same time. Thanks to the bride and groom for inviting me to share your special day!
October 1, 2005 – Don’t push the “push” button
Posted by Barniferous in Life in Japan, Teaching English on October 1, 2015
My sixth day of work in a row was a busy one. I learned two very important things today about what does and does not get you in trouble at work.
I learned that people DON’T seem to get in trouble for making inappropriate sexual comments in English, especially if the recipient of the comments can’t fully understand them. There was an attractive young female in the office today, learning about working at NOVA because she was interested in becoming one of the Japanese support staff. My coworker Ronnie, who has never met an attractive woman he hasn’t harassed, spent every minute he had in the teacher’s room hitting on the potential staff member. His usual routine involves being charismatic and funny, but when he realized he wasn’t getting anywhere, the comments just got crude and uncomfortable. It was awkward for everyone involved. Nobody really stepped in to stop him, but a few people tried to engage the young lady in some more productive conversation.
On the other hand I learned that you DO get in trouble for pushing the mysterious “PUSH” button on a grey wall panel in the classroom area. The button is labelled in both English and Japanese, and is found in only one of the classrooms. After a month of wondering what it was, and using it in a lesson about speculation, I gave in to the temptation and pushed the button. It opened a skylight panel in the room which I later learned can only be closed with a special tool that is not kept in the branch. My attempts to apologize to the staff (in two languages) were completely ignored.
So to summarize, it’s okay to harass a potential new employee all day, but never push the “push” button.
(2015 Update) For the record, I don’t think Ronnie was ever disciplined for the way he talked to the potential new employee. I am not sure if the inaction on NOVA’s part was due to Ronnie being one of the most popular teachers with students, or if a certain level of sexual harassment is just acceptable. Either way, the potential new employee never applied for a job at NOVA, which was not surprising in the least.
I did however hear about pushing the “push” button from several authority figures afterwards. It’s important to have priorities.
September 29, 2005 – Free show
Posted by Barniferous in Friends and coworkers, Life in Japan, Movies on September 29, 2015
There was a very loud argument which almost turned into a fight outside my apartment building after work. This is a very rare thing to see in Japan, so naturally Palmer and I cracked a beer and watched from our balcony. Many of the neighbours were doing the same thing (although most weren’t drinking beer at the same time).
The highlight of the confrontation was when the loud drunk guy ran full speed into a fence for no apparent reason. Ouch! He got up and kept arguing, and eventually the show ended and everyone went home.
After that we had a few beers and watched Requiem for Dream, which is a really good, incredibly artistic, and very depressing look at addiction. No, I didn’t miss the irony of drinking beer while watching a movie about the dangers of addiction.
September 24, 2005 – Second Japanniversary
Posted by Barniferous in Life in Japan on September 24, 2015
Today marks my second Japanniversary. I marked the occasion by teaching English to some children who attempted (unsucessfully) to remove my tie while I was still wearing it. Good times!
(2015 Update) For those late to my blog, check out the my arrival in Japan in 2003 here
September 18, 2005 – Aichi Expo
Posted by Barniferous in Life in Japan, The Penpal on September 18, 2015
Today I went to Aichi Expo with The Penpal and her parents. Expo is a world fair, with pavilions from 121 different countries, and also some large corporate pavilions as well.
The Penpal’s parents booked us a tour package that included bus transportation to and from Expo and a full day pass. The Expo grounds are 230km from Numazu, and we had to make a few stops along the way. That meant that the bus left from the north side of Numazu station at 3:55am.
Yes, 3:55am.
I woke up at 3:00, had a quick shower, and The Penpal and her family came by in a taxi to get us all to the station on time. Most people slept on the bus, but sleeping on the bus is nowhere near as restful as sleeping in a comfy, comfy bed. We got to Expo just after 8:00, and got a group picture after everyone got off the bus. The result is above, and the only two people smiling are The Penpal and I (back row, I am the only non Japanese person).
After the grumpiest group photo ever, we all rushed towards the entrance to wait for the gates to open. It was already hot, and the crowds were intense. Fortunately Japanese people are good with lines, so the massive crowd of people was orderly and polite.
We spent a full day at Expo, walking around in the heat, waiting in various lines to see different pavilions. We ended up going to Canada, USA, Mexico, Turkey, and a few others. The corporate pavilions had waiting times between 4-8 hours each. As much as we wanted to see the awesome robots that can play the trumpet, we had no interest in standing in line for that long to see just one display.
The Canadian pavilion featured interactive displays about the country, which The Penpal’s parents found interesting. As a rule, Japanese people know well about the US, but not nearly as much about Canada. One of my highlights was seeing a live performance by a band called Blou. They play Acadian party music, and managed to get the entire crowd up and dancing in 35 degree heat.
Yes, I am rocking the classic Winnipeg Jets logo
There were a lot more things to see, but with the crowds and the heat, we really took it easy and limited ourselves. Also, you can only go to so many things when there is a 45 minute wait for the women’s washroom! We nicknamed the women’s washroom “toilet pavilion” because it had the same kind of line as many of the countries.
After a long, hot, crazy, crowded day, we all got back on the bus in the evening and got back to Numazu station before midnight. I am happy that I got to spend the day with The Penpal and her parents, but if I was going to do something like this again, I would break it into two days and stay in a hotel.
(2015 Update) I wanted to find out if Expo was really as busy as I remembered it. It turns out that the attendance on September 18, 2005 was 280,000 people. The official capacity was 170,000. No wonder the lines were so long!
September 5, 2005 – Jetlag day
Posted by Barniferous in Life in Japan on September 6, 2015
After all the crazy travel and events of the last few days, I am happy to spend a lazy jetlag day at home.
So lazy!
August 20, 2005 part 1 – Getting there is not half the fun
Posted by Barniferous in Life in Japan, Return to Canada on August 20, 2015
This morning instead of getting ready for work, I finished packing my suitcase to fly home to visit my sick sister. My suitcase is the maximum size for Air Canada, and was completely loaded with clothes and last minute souvenirs. In addition, I also had my trusty Canada flag backpack loaded up to keep me entertained on my 3 train rides and two flights. To save time, I skipped breakfast and instead picked up a sandwich at 7-11 across from my apartment to eat on the train.
Japan in August is hot and humid. Unbelievably humid. I have been in less humid saunas. Usually I take my bike to the train station, but there was no safe way to bring my giant suitcase with me on the bike. I did consider trying, but thought that wiping out on a narrow road filled with traffic would probably not help my chances of getting to the airport on time.
The walk to the station with my large wheeled suitcase and fully loaded backpack took me about 20 minutes. By the end of the walk I had sweated through the back of my shirt. I loaded my giant bag onto the train for the short ride to Mishima, ignoring any dirty looks from other passengers. At Mishima station I rolled my giant bag from the main platform through the station towards the shinkansen platform. Fortunately this walk was completely inside and air conditioned. From Mishima to Tokyo I had the giant suitcase jammed between my legs and the seat in front of me. Usually I regret that I am not a very tall person. This was not one of those times.
Once I arrived at Tokyo station, I had to once again drag my mammoth suitcase through crazy crowds of people, past all the souvenir stands, and then down to the lowest level in order to catch the Narita Express. Fortunately the Narita Express is designed for travelers, and has ample storage space at the ends of the cars for luggage.
Train travel in Japan is quick, efficient, and convenient, unless you are bringing a large suitcase. When I came to Japan, NOVA was smart enough to get all of the teacher’s suitcases delivered to their new residences. The last time I went back to Canada, I did bring my suitcase, however it was not a horrible humid day like today.
By the time I got to Narita Airport I was sweaty, cranky, and exhausted. I was much happier and lighter when I was finally able to check my bag. Getting through security and immigration was quick and easy, and my flight left on time.
The first 2-3 hours of the flight was TERRIBLE. Our flight experienced non stop turbulence which got so bad that it occasionally shut down the in flight entertainment system. I rarely get motion sickness, but several people on the flight were not so lucky. The only thing worse than choppy air is the sounds and smells of other passengers barfing in a crowded, enclosed space.
The pilot did come on the PA several times to apologize and explain that the skies were quite busy, which prevented our flight from adjusting altitude. After about 3 hours of bouncing around, the air finally gave us a break and we enjoyed the remaining 7 hours in relative calm.
I was very happy to finally get on the ground in Vancouver. Whoever says getting there is half the fun is an idiot.
Drinking in Japan 
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