Archive for category Shizuoka
November 12, 2004 – So much rain!
Posted by Barniferous in Life in Japan, Shizuoka on November 11, 2014
It rained like crazy today. Seriously, it was a crazy amount of rain.
Due to heavy rain volumes, the Tokaido line was experiencing delays. Tokaido is the busiest line of the whole Japan Rail network, running from Tokyo to Kobe. I was lucky to get to work on time, but on the way home I had to wait at Mishima station for half an hour. In a country where you can literally set your watch by the train schedule, a 30 minute delay is a huge deal.
At home I dried out and spent a bunch of time on the internet. Now that I can connect in my room without having to go to the internet cafe, the novelty of the internet has worn off.
In other news, I am buying a plane ticket tomorrow so I can go home for Christmas. Woohoo!
November 9, 2004 – Hard-off
Posted by Barniferous in Life in Japan, Shizuoka on November 9, 2014
Hard-Off – a used electronics store with a funny name
Today I went to a used electronics store called “Hard Off“. Yes, the name makes me giggle.
The “hard” in “Hard Off” refers to electronics hardware. They sell used computers, game systems, TVs, stereos, and other electronics. They also have a good selection of software as well; CDs, video games, and movies. Fortunately someone in the marketing department realized that “Soft Off” or “Hard and Soft Off” would have sounded ridiculous.
Hard off is about a 15-20 minute walk from Ooka City Plaza. I must have spent about two hours in the store, partly for shopping, partly for checking out all of the electronics that were never readily available in Canada. I resisted the urge to buy myself a WonderSwan, a classic Famicom (NES), or a laser disc player. I did end up getting a small wireless internet hub and a receiver.
The wireless hub attaches to the router in our apartment, and broadcasts a wifi signal. The receiver connects to my computer with a network cable. I can now connect to the internet from my room without running wires down the hallway. Unfortunately the layout of my room is a bit awkward and I don’t have a desk, so the computer setup is not ideal at the moment. However, I am just happy to be back online without having to go to internet cafes anymore.
If you are living in Japan temporarily, check out Hard Off. It’s a much better alternative than buying new stuff that you are just going to have to get rid of when you return home.
November 8, 2004 – Earthquakes and Zombies
Posted by Barniferous in Friends and coworkers, Life in Japan, Movies, Shizuoka, The Penpal on November 8, 2014
Today I got to spend some time with The Penpal. It looks like Monday might be our regular hangout day. I have the day off, and she stops by after work. We did some Japanese language practice and I learned some words to describe the taste of food.
After The Penpal left, I watched the new Dawn of the Dead with Palmer. I had some concerns about “fast” zombies and the fact that remakes are usually not as good as the original, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was also obviously filmed in Canada. In the background of one of the mall scenes was a KFC restaurant sporting the sign “PFK” which is the French name.
During the movie we felt two earthquakes. Palmer said that our building is modern and well designed. If we can feel a mild earthquake inside, it must be stronger outside. Not sure if that was reassuring at all.
November 7, 2004 – BBQ in the park
Posted by Barniferous in Friends and coworkers, Shizuoka on November 7, 2014
After work I went to an impromptu BBQ in the park near my apartment. Palmer organized the BBQ, and invited some of his Japanese friends and NOVA teachers. When an Australian plans a BBQ, you know it’s going to be good.
Ooka park is conveniently located on the other side of the 7-11 across the street from Ooka City Plaza. Usually in Japan, any space with a tree and a bench can be called a park. Ooka Park actually has some grass, tennis courts, baseball diamonds, and picnic tables. It would count as a park in Canada as well.
Palmer plays on a local recreational basketball team. One of his basketball teammates is named Yao, a half Ghanian, half Japanese man. Yao’s features are not Asian at all, except for the shape of his eyes. Since he was born and raised in Japan, he carries a Japanese passport and speaks the language fluently with a perfect local accent. People who don’t know him take a look at the tall, dark skinned man and assume he is a foreigner. He enjoys surprising people who can’t believe that he is a Japanese citizen.
Japan is a very homogenous society, but as international marriages continue to increase (slowly), there will be more Japanese people who don’t look “Japanese”. It should present some interesting challenges for Japanese society.
November 5, 2004 – Japanese Lesson after work
Posted by Barniferous in Shizuoka, The Penpal on November 5, 2014
The Penpal’s office is conveniently close to Mishima NOVA, my new branch. After work we met up near the station and practiced Japanese. I learned the verb ending “need to do”, which is incredibly useful.
In the Greater Tokyo area, most of the teachers don’t study Japanese because it is possible to get by without it. As you get away from the major cities, it seems like more teachers are actively studying Japanese. I am hoping that this will make it easier for me to study and improve my language skill.
November 2, 2004 – This karaoke looks familiar
Posted by Barniferous in Drinking, Friends and coworkers, Karaoke, Shizuoka on November 2, 2014
I slept a lot during the daytime to catch up on my recently lack of sleep. I was planning on having a quiet evening at home, but Palmer invited me to go out with a few of his friends that were visiting. Realizing this would be a good way to get to know my new roommate better (and have beer), I agreed and we were on our way.
Our first stop was a small izakaya on the main street that runs by Seiyu. It was a small izakaya where Palmer and friends have been several times, so the service was really friendly. Notable on the menu was whale sashimi. Yes, raw whale meat was available for purchase. I was curious, but one order cost nearly 2000 yen.
Raw whale meat – controversial and possibly delicious
After beer and non-whale pub food, we went to a karaoke place called Uta Club which is conveniently located across from Numazu station’s south exit. Uta Club is popular because it is one of the cheapest karaoke places in Numazu. One hour of all you can drink karaoke costs 780 yen, and there is a special cheap price after midnight. After a short time, I realized that I was in the same place that The Penpal took me for my first karaoke experience in Japan.
From Numazu station to my new apartment is about a 15 minute walk. It seems much, much longer when you are full of cheap beer. I don’t know the way perfectly yet, so I am very happy that Palmer knew where he was going.
So far I have been in Numazu for two days and had two fun nights out. Hopefully this continues!
October 10, 2004 – First look at my new place
Posted by Barniferous in Shizuoka, The Penpal on October 10, 2014
Ooka City Plaza – my home for 2 years
I woke up early (rare for a day off) and set out for Numazu to check out my new neighbourhood. The Penpal had found my apartment and wanted to show me the area.
I took the usual route of Odakyu line to Odawara followed by Tokaido line to Numazu. The Penpal met me at Numazu station and drove me by my new apartment. It is a five story building called “Ooka City Plaza” only a few minutes away from the station by car. I guess it will take about 15 minutes on foot to walk to the station. Directly across the street from City Plaza is a small supermarket and a 7-11. City Plaza is also conveniently located near a big Seiyu store.
Wal-Mart has been trying to break into the Japanese market for years, but it’s hard to find the space to build their big sprawling stores. Wal-Mart bought a large ownership stake in Seiyu in 2002. The Numazu Seiyu is an experiment – the store is almost exactly like any Wal-Mart you would find in Canada or the US with three differences; the name, McDonalds has been replaced by a generic fast food counter that serves pizza and pasta, and the parking lot is on the roof to save space. The layout of the store is exactly the same as Wal-Marts back home, and the rollback smiley face is everywhere.
The roof parking is fun because there is a giant conveyor belt ramp from the main floor to allow easy transportation of fully loaded shopping carts. Naturally as a mature, responsible adult I couldn’t resist and played on the conveyor like a 6 year old.
After checking out my new neighbourhood, we got back in the car and headed towards a place called Niji-no-Sato (Rainbow country) in Shuzenji. There are outdoor gardens, and small villages modeled after Canada and Great Britain. It took a few hours in gridlocked traffic to get there. When we finally arrived, we saw a big sign on the gate informing us that it was closed due to damage from yesterday’s typhoon. Stupid typhoon!
At least The Penpal and I got to hang out and spend some time together. I am really looking forward to moving into my new city!
August 29, 2004 – Love Call Bell
Posted by Barniferous in Shizuoka, The Penpal on August 31, 2014
We woke up in Ryokan Ooya to a massive breakfast. I think if I spent a week here, I would gain a lot of weight. We watched the news in the morning and heard that a huge typhoon was heading in our direction. Fortunately the weather held out for the day.
We checked out of the ryokan and went to an old gold mine which has turned into a museum. The mine is over 400 years old. Visitors can walk through and see the working conditions, complete with signs and models of workers in period clothing. The work looked hot and dangerous. I don’t think I would have liked working there.
After the gold mine, we went to Koibito Misaki (lover’s cape), a beautiful sightseeing spot on the west cost of Izu peninsula. The view was spectacular. To the we could look across Suruga Bay towards Shizuoka city. To the east were the green, tree covered mountains of Izu. Koibito Misaki is a popular tourist spot for Japanese people, but foreigners rarely visit. I think I was the only gaijin in the area today.
One of the highlights is the large “Love Call Bell”, which is a large metal bell with a rope attached. If a young couple rings the bell, their love will last a long time. We rang the bell, and time will tell if it worked.
On the way back to Numazu, we took the most windy, dangerous, crazy road that I have ever seen. At times the road ware barely wide enough for two cars. Other times the road suddenly went into endless S-curves up and down the side of a mountain. It was both fun and scary at the same time. I would recommend this road on a motorcycle, but never on a car.
Our weekend together was a lot of fun, and it was a great break from work. Japan is full of natural beauty, but you have to get away from the big cities to find it.
(2014 Update) Apparently there is a waterfall in Fujinomiya that has the opposite effect of the Love Call Bell. We didn’t go there.
August 28, 2004 pt2 – Private bath at Ryokan Ooya
Posted by Barniferous in Shizuoka, The Penpal on August 31, 2014
Private outdoor onsen at Ryokan Ooya
The Penpal and I left Mishima and headed south towards Izu Peninsula. Toi is on the west side of Izu Peninsula. The peninsula is full of tree covered mountains with small towns along the coast and in some of the flatter areas in the middle. The Penpal has a friend who lives in Toi, and wanted me to meet her. The friend was excited to introduce me to her young son. I would be the first foreigner that he ever met. The concept of “wow my son is going to meet his first foreigner today” may seem a bit strange to people outside of Japan, but I have been hear almost a year so it doesn’t seem unusual anymore.
We had a nice visit at their house, and then moved on to our next destination, Ryokan Ooya. A ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn. The rooms have tatami mat floors and sliding wooden panels. Everyone wears yukatas, and they serve traditional Japanese food. When we checked in, I learned that I was the first foreigner to ever stay at Ooya. The Penpal knew the owner’s family, so we got upgraded to a huge room.
Our dinner was served in the room by yukata clad ladies. They started bring tray after tray of delicious looking seafood, soups, and things I had never seen before, all laid out on fancy decorative plates. It was simply the most beautiful food I had ever seen. There was probably enough food for four people, but the meal was all for us. We did our best but couldn’t finish everything.
After dinner, we had a reservation for one of the private outdoor baths. Reservations could be made in 30 minute blocks. Like most Japanese baths, we had to clean ourselves first, and then sat in neck deep hot water. Between the relaxing water and the amazing view, our 30 minutes went by very quickly. Thanks to the food and hot outdoor bath, it was an early night.
If you ever get the chance, stay in a Ryokan. Don’t think of it as a hotel, think of it as a destination in itself. And arrive hungry.
Drinking in Japan 
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