I'm FINE!!!

Dear family and friends,


Thanks for your concern and your messages yesterday after hearing about the Iwate earthquake (7.0, 7.2?). Everyone in Tokyo is fine, and we barely felt it.


I admit I didn't even really feel the earthquake. I did, however, hear my building move. The sounds we hear in this kind of circumstance are comparable to those heard on a docked boat: the cracking, a slight rocking. I was awakened, once more, by the mobile hanging from my ceiling. I particularly appreciate the earthquake-alarm feature it has become... (to the right is a picture of a real earthquake-alarm device, which tells you how strong it is, and starts saying something in Japanese which I am assuming are either instructions, information, or something really important that I just don't understand yet!) Anyway, I heard the jingling of my chimes, emerged from my sleep, looked up and saw the mobile swaying, and I knew what was going on. Answered someone's text message in my sleep "it's ok it's just an earthquake relax", and didn't leave my bed (it was 8:48am on Saturday morning!) This last one was so mild (in Tokyo), I probably went back to sleep before it even ended... Of course, when I woke up and saw what really happened a few hundred miles away, and the death toll, I wasn't exactly smiling.

Seriously though, I've been here over 7 months now (eek!! already?) and I still haven't prepared my little earthquake kit. It's about time I had one ready, just for the peace of mind. I was going to buy a ready-made one at the specialty store today (picture), but I figured I could put it together myself for half the cost. The basics: a thermal blanket (which I have in a separate emergency kit provided by the building), water, canned food, biscuits/crackers, flashlight, radio, batteries, sometimes a helmet...

I already registered at the French Embassy so if anything happens, they'll come looking for me if I haven't reported to my assigned group. And I know where the nearest water supply spot is near my apartment. It's good to know all these things, and to be prepared! ("Scout toujours...!")



Today (Sunday) I heard a public announcement coming from the City Hall's loudspeaker. I understood some basic words such as "Sunday", "12pm", etc, but didn't understand the general announcement. Luckily, a short message in English followed that said something along the lines of "This is a general announcement for election day. THIS IS NOT AN EMERGENCY" Pfew!!! Glad they said that one!! (Seriously I appreciated that little touch). I have no idea what election was taking place today (probably local elections)...



On a lighter note, Tokyo Miki does tennis!!
I am proud to report that I completed a 2-month tennis class! (and showed up for 3 classes, well done... I was traveling and missed 3 classes).
The first day I went to the club I had my first big meltdown. I had called the club a couple of days beforehand and registered for the Friday evening intermediate class. I wasn't told, however, that the class began AFTER Golden Week (or maybe I just didn't understand it on the phone). As I was struggling to understand what the receptionist was so patiently trying to tell me, and as I was desperately trying to find the right words to ask them whether I could just use a half-court to hit some balls, I did break down and felt angry at myself for not being able to learn Japanese faster and better... Honestly, after my recent 2+ week trip to France & America, everything seems to sink in much better, I am learning so much faster and I'm actually able to get around a lot better.
Anyway, back to the tennis... The first class, the coach (understandably) wanted to test my level, so he put me in the... super-beginner class. I though "oh my Gosh, you're kidding!!" but just kept silent, and went with the flow. Except that when you know how to hit a yellow ball with a racket, and are being drilled for 1 hr on how to do it, your mind wanders a little and by the time a ball actually comes your way, there is a possibility you might miss it. So, yes, the coach must have thought I was a big liar saying I was 'intermediate'. For the record: I took my first tennis class when I was about 8 or 9 years old (back when tennis rackets were made of wood), and have been playing off and on (more off than on) ever since. Often to the despair of the instructors: in South Africa, when I was called to the net, the instructor started with the warning "Birdies, put your helmets on!". Anyway: on my 2nd class, after I returned from my trip, empowered and fiery, I told the instructor ("told" not "asked") I was going to the 'intermediate' group. As expected, I got the "shhhh" (hard to explain, but it's a sucking of air expression with a big sort of grin, and you do NOT want to get that reaction from a Japanese person. Usually it's not good.) He went back and forth a couple of times with the other instructor, telling me "ah but it's a bit difficult" (translation: you're the lousiest tennis player I've seen and you're not moving from the beginner class until I say so). I was having a rough day that day but I wasn't yielding on that one... I just said (ever so nicely and politely) "yes I know, and that's what I want... beginner class is a little... "boring"? (all but "boring" was mumbled in sort-of broken Japanese). He couldn't say "No" to my puppy face and begging expression so he let me go. Yippeee!!! I was going from the 70% theory, 30% play group, to the 60% theory, 40% play group!!! Normally I don't mind the theory too much, but when it's in a foreign language and all you understand are the words "ball", "racket" (and that's just because the Japanese words are "boh-ru" and "ra-ket-to"...), it's tough! Anyway, I had a fantastic time occasionally sending some amazing passing shots, but mostly making a fabulous fool of myself. I will always remember the sweet instructor: he was a little older, spoke almost no English but when he assigned us numbers for the rotations, he would tell me my number in English "nummba faaaive!" and then burst out giggling... He was adorable. Coach, if you're reading this: sorry for that ball I sent flying you-know-where.
Anyway, I liked the fact I practiced some 'real' Japanese during the class, but now I know where the public tennis courts in my neighborhood, I just want to find a tennis partner and go hit some tennis balls!! And as for my next challenge... I'm dying to go to a dojo to learn Kendo, but I might have to take a crash course in Japanese before I do that!

I hope this note finds you healthy and happy wherever you are!

First jishin!!

Living in Japan comes with the near-certainty of experiencing an earthquake at some point. I've been in Tokyo over 6 months now, and I STILL hadn't experienced any "jishin" (earthquake in Japanese). Until last night.

It wasn't so much the shaking that awoke me, rather: the jingling of the mobile that hangs from my bedroom ceiling. For a split, sleepy moment I thought I should close my window and stop the draft - it's been a bit windy recently. Then I realized: my windows were closed! at 1am, your brain goes blank and it takes a bit longer than usual to process what's really going on. Then it comes back to you: yes I DID feel some mild rocking in my bed (I thought I was dreaming I was on a boat), I DID hear a tap-tap-tap (must have been a hanging necklace banging against the wall). By the time I tried to grab the camera to make a little video, it was over. A 2nd quake was felt around 1:45am, and there again I was too slow... Sorry!! :-(

Scared? actually not really. I know the safest place to be is my building - advanced anti-seismic technology makes the building sway (deliberately). But I STILL have to prepare my "earthquake kit": flashlights, radio, battery, snacks, water, etc...

(PS: I just read on CNN.com that the earthquake was a 6.8 ... even though it was 100+ km away from Tokyo, no wonder we felt it!!)



I guess the seism was the second event of the day that made me feel like a true Tokyoïte: the first one came in the evening, when I found a bicycle parking ticket on my jitensha! (my bicycle). Remember I mentioned I'm a magnet for parking tickets? Even with bicycles!!!

Actually, I think it's just a "warning", not a ticket.... (though I've seen real tickets too). I guess I'll have to find another spot now...

But wait, it gets better: sometimes, in Tokyo, when you park your bicycle for a few hours, you find a few 'presents' in the basket. Like small papers (garbage). Yesterday I found a manga!! I was excited, I went home and since I was studying Japanese with my friend, I showed her the manga. She looked at the magazine, flipped it open and... I realized it was not a children's cartoon I had in my possession. Ooooops!!


As a cultural side-note, I have to say you see some people reading these kind of 'books' in the morning and evening commute. Openly. In public. All I can say is: in the morning, it might work better for some people than a double espresso.


PS: I've been compiling some photos and stories and will post them soon (especially during my upcoming vacation).... bear with me!! Life in Tokyo is... rockin' and shakin' !!

Catching up!

I can't believe it's been over 3 months since my last post. I know time flies, but ... wow!

So, in true Japanese fashion, I have to say "gomen nasai" (sorry) a few times, bow in front of my computer (while typing...) and express deep sincere regret for neglecting the "live from Tokyo adventures of Tokyo Miki" threads.

Thing is, it's a bit of a vicious circle. I don't post for a few weeks, and then there are so many events to post and talk about, that I feel I need more time to write... and balancing the joys of LIVING in Tokyo and experiencing this wonderful country, and WRITING about it is a little tricky and I've clearly neglected the former.

So, not to overwhelm you with details of the last 3+ months... I'll try to post short & sweet notes and impressions and do some catching up... :-)

Since my last post, there have been some important events such as Christmas and New Year's, Valentine's Day, and, Miki's milestone birthday. I'll just start with Valentine's Day...

In Japan, Valentine's day is probably as commercial (if not more) than in Europe or the US. Teddy bears, balloons, flowers, chocolates, red hearts everywhere... you name it. The twist: GIRLS are the one giving the gifts to the boys on V-day! Wait, it gets better: not just to your loved one (or the secret crush), but also to colleagues and supervisors!! Yikes! The chocolates given to colleagues and superiors is called "Giri choco" ("obligation chocolate"), while the ones you give to someone you care about is called "honmei choco". I just went with the flow and participated in a little pool of chocolate gifts for the male colleagues in the team. (Luckily, I was out of the office on Feb. 14, spending time at a store... ). After Valentine's day comes White Day, on March 15. That's when the role reversal takes place, where men give their loved ones (and colleagues, etc...) the soaps, flowers, chocolates, teddies, etc. So theoretically (particularly in high school), girls have to wait a whole month to see whether the boy they like actually likes her back! a cruel test of patience.... Call me a cynic, but retailers and restaurants must be the big winners here, with TWO opportunities to boost sales!

Ok, so while I'm writing about traditions of Japan, there is another one that's worth mentioning.

On March 3, there is what they call "Girls' Day", also known as "Hina Matsuri", the "Doll Festival". Typically, the grandparents (mother's side) give a set of Hina Dolls to the little girl(s) in the family. The dolls are believed to chase evil spirits, and wish the girls luck and happy marriages. There is a great variety of hina dolls sets (click on the photos to make them larger!), but the smallest version will always have two characters: the emperor and the empress. The fancier, more expensive versions will add court ladies, musicians, attendants (the whole "entourage" as we would say today...). Hina dolls sets were traditionally displayed in a step-tiered version, often going up to 7 layers. Newer, modern versions display the dolls in a glass box (safer if there are young children around, and easier to store in traditional Japanese houses). What amazes me in these dolls is the elaborate details of the clothing - the little dolls' clothing is made of several layers of beautiful silk fabric, the craftsmanship is beautiful! We (at the stores, of course) had about 10 different versions for sale, and in some stores, the vendor even sent a dedicated person to best advise the families which sets to buy! Also, based on the lunar calendar, there are one (two, this year) "Taien" ("auspicious") days to purchase the hina dolls sets. It was very interesting to hear from my friends & colleagues about this tradition, and which sets they display at home. I was about to purchase my own little set of hina dolls: the Hello Kitty version (I'm serious!). Hello Kitty (or "Kitty-chan" in Japan) dressed up in emperor's clothing. Very cute.

As for the boys, they get "Boys' Day", or "Tango-no-Sekku" on May 5, part of Golden Week. Instead of displaying dolls, the boys display sets of samurai helmets and armors (picture left is an cutout of one of our ads).

Kids will also fly "Koinobori" (carps) outside their homes (right). The carps symbolize strength and perseverance: in Chinese mythology, a carp that succeeds in swimming upstream will transform into a dragon (er... I think that's a good thing). The black carp symbolizes the head of the household, the father, and the red one symbolizes the first son. Younger brothers are represented by smaller carps.

(As a side-note: I met a few people in Japan whose first names were Ichiro, Jiro etc, which mean "1st son", "2nd son"... I thought it was very interesting to understand the meaning of these names)

Just like the Hina dolls, there are a few different versions of helmet/armour displays, and carps. And just like the Hina dolls, there is the "traditional version with a twist": the Mickey Mouse, Anpanman (a Japanese character, round-faced man with a sort of a superman suit), and even a Darth Vader armour! (super expensive)

Oh, and to answer the question a few people have asked recently: NO, I do not speak fluent Japanese (yet), but I'm working on it!! Let's just say I can read hiraganas and katakanas much better, and that I am beginning to read some basic kanjis, which I find difficult but very gratifying when I am able to decipher.

Enough "catching up" for today... I'll be more diligent about frequent, short & sweet posts in the future, now that I'm settled in and all. Next posts will cover a variety of topics, including the hanko-registration, buying a jishio, Okinawa (I did end up going there!!) and more. Stay tuned!! :-)

Wii & Okinawa, shopping, and more...

I had a pretty good and productive weekend... Starting with Friday night dinner with Akira at a very Japanese insider restaurant, the kind where men sit cross-legged and the women with folded legs by the side (alternating left, center, right...). Great tempura, great place, I saved the address...

On Saturday, I walked around Omotesando, where I had lunch at a fantastic crêperie which reminded me of Brittany, then walked around Harajuku admiring the over-the-top outfits some teenagers were exhibiting (Halloween is over and Mardi Gras is far away, this is just a style!). I was hearing Gwen Stefani's song "Harajuku girls" in my head, and I just smiled at the wonderful eccentricity !

On Saturday night I grabbed dinner with another expat who was actually able to read a menu and order in Japanese... I can't wait to be able to order my own dinner!! It might take months or years, but it has recently become a goal. Along with trying to fit into the super-petite sized Japanese clothing...

Sunday I visited two more stores (Toys R Us in Kameido and the Babies R Us nearby), which were buzzing with weekend activities. Very cute. I saw a hybrid of two iconic Japanese characters: Hello Kitty and Pikatchu. I bought two (children) educational posters to help me memorize some basic kanjis and the katakana alphabet. I've been very lazy about the katakana, and this has to change! A LOT of posters and everyday "things" are written in katakana, if I mastered that alphabet I'd be able to read "ko-hii", oh, that's coffee!! I'm working on it. Tomorrow.

I also wanted to stop by Akihabara (electronics area) to buy a sophisticated Japanese-English translator. You know, the lifesaver. But I ran out of time and deferred that purchase. I'm interested in a version that has a writing pad, because if I don't know how to read a kanji, I'm still as helpless! By the way: that would assume I can reproduce the kanji accurately, which is not that easy either. Hmm... I'm sure that if I just tuck that device under my pillow at night, I'll wake up fluent in Japanese, right? or maybe just with a stiff neck. Then I'll have a good excuse to go get a massage.

In the afternoon, I met another expat and we went shopping in Shibuya, browsing furniture and design stores. As I saw the furniture showrooms, I was beginning to realize that pull-out couches are not as standard as in Europe or America. I hadn't picked out the furniture for my apartment yet, and I was gradually accepting the fact I might have to think of a Plan B for guests in my apartment...

Monday morning is when I went with Emi to the furniture showroom to pick out the items for my future apartment, including choosing the fabrics and colors to mix & match. A fun activity for a girl... I can't wait to be settled in! I think it's going to look great! :-))

I decided last week that, given my new line of work, I need to spend more time understanding our customers and their expectations. As a result, I think the purchase of a Wii is perfectly justified. Particularly now with the upcoming release of Wii Fit (I'm not promoting, here! just finding rational justifications to the purchase). In fact, I should submit the bill to my boss and call it "research". I think that's a brilliant idea...

Another even more brilliant idea I've come up with involves store training. Since I've never worked at a toy store before, and some coworkers who previously worked as store managers said it was a great experience to better understand the financial planning process, I was told I might do a weeklong training after the holiday season. The thing is this: I don't know how fluent my Japanese will be in 3 months, but I doubt I'll be able to advise a customer to buy a PlayStation over an X-Box, in Japanese, so my contribution might be limited to shouting "Irashaimase!!" (welcome!) at the store entrance and maybe straighten the piles of stuffed animals and align the bicycles. Given the extent of my actual contribution, I don't believe it makes a big difference whether I complete that training in Hokkaido, Tokyo, or Okinawa. Therefore... I think I should do the training in Okinawa. Maybe if we sell boogie boards at the store I can volunteer to test them in the ocean (I'm nice, like that). Right??

I'll just have to prepare a solid pitch for the Wii and Okinawa and deliver it with a straight face...

Today's lunch with my colleagues was at a Japanese place (I vote for Japanese food every day, I still can't get enough of it!). I ate a strange combination of sashimi over a rice bowl with mixed seaweed... oh, so good! The small problem, though, was that I ran out of cash today. My Suica card is fully loaded and could have bought me lunch at Nobu, my Amex was on stand-by as usual, but Japan is still a cash-driven society, and when we go out to lunch, we all line up and call our menu and pay our share (did I mention no tipping in Japan? yaay!). I had gone to the ATM in the office building earlier, but my card got rejected. Rudely spit out by the giant monster machine. Pfft! I saw the fine print on the front door informing customers that only Japan-issued cards are accepted in the machines (yet they have over 3 dozen logos of all the systems accepted in that network. Including VISA. Just not 'my' VISA. I guess it's really not "everywhere you want to be", after all). So after borrowing some cash from my adorable colleague, we visited about 5 nearby ATM's and banks, with the same answer: Gaijin card no good. You have to smile after a while, maybe look up and try to find a hidden camera... "you're kidding, right?" Not kidding. I guess my only option was to return to good old Citibank. None in Kawasaki. Had to trek to the closest branch after work, and I've honestly never been as happy to find the blue logo on what might be the tiniest Citi branch I've ever seen (2 oversized ATMs, on maybe 4m²). Did a little happy dance when I got my thousands of Yen (you feel rich, here, handling a currency with so many 000's.)

Speaking of Citibank, I wanted to mention some pronunciation variations you may encounter in Japan. As I've mentioned earlier, my name is not the easiest for Japanese people to pronounce, since it is full of "L" ... The "L" sound simply doesn't exist in Japanese, and the closest thing is an "R", so, yes, "really" often becomes "rearry", even for the most fluent Japanese people. I find it very sweet. Another sound that doesn't exist in the Japanese language is the "si" (as in "sit", or "see"). All they have is the "shi" sound. So inevitably, Citibank becomes... Shitty - Bank. Love it.

I'll close this post (finally!) and enclose a picture taken at the office this morning. The weather is still incredibly warm (apologies to the New Yorkers and to Strasbourg, but today I was walking outdoors with just a shirt on, it was over 22 degrees Celsius), and the skies were very clear. And from the West (I think?) side of the office, for the first time, I could see Mount Fuji in all its splendor... magnificent. Wish the picture came out as good as the real thing.

Oh and while I'm at it: here is a picture of the view from my desk. I can't complain!! you can see Tokyo (including Tokyo Tower), and the night view is even prettier!

And before I (really!) sign off for today, here's a video of what it feels like to cross that Shibuya crossing. The video is shaky and I was taking cover behind a Japanese girl, but walk around Shibuya and you'll think Times Square is a village...

As I go to bed, it is early afternoon in Western Europe and the day has just begun in the Americas. I'm still getting used to being on "that side" of the planet...

PS: the good news is that I won't have to pay much overnight interest for the lunch money I borrowed... If you think you're not getting enough return on your savings deposits in Europe or USA, take a look at local interest rates on savings in Japan, it's pretty self-explanatory... Shoe-shopping is suddenly a better "investment"... :-))

Suica almighty!

Today at lunch, we went for Peruvian food! Odd? not really, when you think about it: there is a quite a big Japanese community in Peru! I was happy to be able to read some signs (in Spanish) at the restaurant... yaaay! After lunch and a kick-butt ice coffee, I went with my colleagues to the train station to turn my pay-per-ride Suica card into a commuter pass: unlimited rides within the selected zone. This may sound trivial, but to me it is one more step towards becoming a "local" ! It took a bit of back-and-forth with the agent and the machines, but we were able to add the credits using my Amex, avoiding cash transfers! After we completed the transaction, my colleague said "Now you have the Suica almighty!". So cute.


Here's what my card now looks like. The top left part reads "Kawasaki" (Kawa = river, can you imagine the three vertical lines representing the river? that's a pretty easy kanji to memorize), the top right part says "Kanda", a station farther out than Shinbashi. Note the second kanji in "Kanda" is that "Ta", the square with a cross inside, which means "rice field"... again you can imagine a rice field, don't you think? And as for the "20", that's the year (actually 2008, expiration date of the card). We're currently in "Year 19", based on the tenure of the Emperor. I can't beleive it's already been almost 20 years that Emperor Hiro Hito (father) died... I vividly remember seeing the news on TV.


This morning, I ordered my cafe latte in Japanese! I know the word for small, hot, and latte is "latte" so that was easy. I missed the part where the barista was asking whether I wanted it "to go", but I learned that one now. What makes me smile every time is how all the cashiers, whether at cafes, restaurants, drug stores, always say out loud the amount of your purchase, how much you gave them, what you get back, and a bunch of other incomprehensible phrases. For all I know they could be saying "You idiot why are you giving me Y5000 for a Y100 purchase, can't you give me real change?", or "I like your shoes, where did you buy them?", I wouldn't know the difference... I'm just smiling as the cashier carries out the one-way conversation. Maybe they're thinking "dumb gaijin", after all...

At work, I sat in a meeting that I thought would take an hour, but ended up being about two and a half hours. All in Japanese. Mommy. I'd pay closer attention when some numbers were discussed, or when I would identify a few random words, particularly the ones derived from English. See, Japanese is not all that difficult, when you think about it. Hanger is "han-ga", receipt is "ri-shi-to" (I understood that much from the cashier), but if you do decide to try your luck at using an English word, you have to make sure you pronounce it with a bit of a Japanese accent. Nobody will understand you if you say "handbag", try "han-do-baggu", and ta-daaaa!!

The good news of the day is that I might be able to move to Atago sooner than the 24th, yippee! Can't wait!

Punctuality

The phrase "in a New York minute" won't get you very far in Japan. And you can hide behind the "gaijin" excuse, but the legendary notion of Japanese punctuality is real...

I remember the first couple of days, we were kindly being chased by the assistants a few minutes before each meeting, to make sure we would show up on time. Maybe we foreigners (and I would like to exclude the Germans from this lot) have that kind of reputation... And when a train is scheduled for 8:59, it's 8:59. So everybody's watches are remarkably synched.

I hesitated before posting this story, but I figured the purpose of this blog is more than news & entertainment, it is also a small record of my first impressions, funny or not, discovering a new country.

Tonight, the train back to the hotel inexplicably stopped longer than usual at one of the stations. Or rather: the conductor announced something, people around me sighed, and I didn't catch a word of what was said. A few minutes later, the train went on, and an ocean of people stormed into the car at the next station. It took a few "sumimasen!" for me to get out of the train... On the other side of the platform, I saw another train which was stopped midway along the platform. I found out later the cause of the delay (my fear proved accurate), that someone was involved in an accident (emergency responders and firefighters were active around the halted train). I don't know any more details, but I do hope that this person is alright...


I was warned about such incidents occurring on the public transportation system. What I also heard was that commuters then form a line at the station master's window to collect "late slips" to present at their office. Some companies still have employees clocking in and out of the office, and the station's note exempts tardiness (assuming you arrive 10 mins late and the slip says the delay incurred was 10 mins). So, this is what it looks like in practice: (though I wonder why people were collecting those slips in the evening... surely the wife at home won't request a late note?)




On another note... :

I hereby shamefully admit I got corrupted by my coworkers today. I went to McDonald's. Aaack! Wait!! I didn't eat any junk food! Why would I do such a thing when Japanese food is both yummy and healthy? It was for coffee!! (or in Brooklyn-ese, cawfee). We had vouchers!! Come on!!

I just realized today that if I move into Atago on November 24th as planned, this basically robs me of a long weekend here (Friday Nov. 23rd is a public holiday)... So I don't think I'll be able to explore cool cities in Japan for the weekend. Oh well, I guess I can do a day trip to Yokohama or Kamakura... any travel buddies out there?

That's it for today!!

And the winner iiiiis....

Atago Forest Towers!!

Thank you all for your feedback and votes, I have greatly benefited from your advice! Your experience has helped me in my decision!

The contract is being signed, and it will take about 2 weeks before I can move into the apartment. Just in time for Thanksgiving! I will roast a little turkey in my new kitchen (or maybe a chicken, since the oven is somewhat Japanese-style...), and give thanks and count my blessings !

Work has picked up this week, in a good way. I'm really fortunate to work with such a great team, and I'm excited about working with them in the next year or more!

I wanted to take a little video at the office today to demonstrate Japanese technology, I'll try tomorrow... ;-)