Yesterday I went to the headquarters of my guesthouse company in Higashi Koganei (東小金井) to pay my last rent for this year.
I had to pay extra because after next month I'm staying for an extra 17 nights until my flight home on 10th July. They had no problem with me leaving in the middle of the month, and it doesn't cost any extra for the daily extension.
But they are all such lovely people it was quite sad saying goodbye to them. I can't believe I'm already so close to leaving Japan again! I need to make the most of these last 7 weeks.
Showing posts with label guesthouse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label guesthouse. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Re-Contracting
Today Rob, Katy and I celebrated our two month anniversary of being in Japan by going to the head office of our guesthouse and paying our next month's rent.
But we also had to re-contract, because we have to give a month's notice before our contract with them ends if we want to extend the time we're staying in the guesthouse. We all went for another three months and signed the contracts again.
The months are going by quickly again! Just like last year, it seems like I keep coming back to pay more rent!
But we also had to re-contract, because we have to give a month's notice before our contract with them ends if we want to extend the time we're staying in the guesthouse. We all went for another three months and signed the contracts again.
The months are going by quickly again! Just like last year, it seems like I keep coming back to pay more rent!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Fumigation!
After the three weeks of living in this guesthouse, I have noticed that it's quite a haven for bugs and insects of all descriptions.
My room has been okay and hasn't been invaded at all, but Katy and Wynne's rooms on the second floor (first floor for Britain) have been attacked a couple of times. The kitchen is the worst though. It's not very pleasant when you're cooking to see a small beetle or cockroach in the corner. Or, in last night's case - a giant grasshopper on the extractor fan!
But through the night the management have fumigated the kitchen and lounge area, so they were closed from 9pm til 9am this morning. It makes me feel a lot better!
Generally, Japan's insects are big and crazy looking. It's no surprise that Pokemon came from this country when they have jumping spiders, thrashing worms, huge preying mantises and cicadas, and colourful beetles that fly at you like warplanes. It's so different from Britain, and it's quite interesting to see them, but the novelty wears off after a little while, so I'm not sad to see them start to disappear now that autumn is underway!
My room has been okay and hasn't been invaded at all, but Katy and Wynne's rooms on the second floor (first floor for Britain) have been attacked a couple of times. The kitchen is the worst though. It's not very pleasant when you're cooking to see a small beetle or cockroach in the corner. Or, in last night's case - a giant grasshopper on the extractor fan!
But through the night the management have fumigated the kitchen and lounge area, so they were closed from 9pm til 9am this morning. It makes me feel a lot better!
Generally, Japan's insects are big and crazy looking. It's no surprise that Pokemon came from this country when they have jumping spiders, thrashing worms, huge preying mantises and cicadas, and colourful beetles that fly at you like warplanes. It's so different from Britain, and it's quite interesting to see them, but the novelty wears off after a little while, so I'm not sad to see them start to disappear now that autumn is underway!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
A Very Nostalgic Day
On Sunday I had such an emotional rollercoaster of a day. It was amazing! I decided to go and visit my old house from last year in central Tokyo.
I left my guesthouse around mid-afternoon and took the Chuo-line all the way to Tokyo station, which takes about forty minutes, and then walked to Otemachi subway station (大手町駅), which is basically right next door. Unfortunately, the Hanzomon line (半蔵門線) is the furthest one from Tokyo station, so I had to walk for about fifteen minutes underground before I actually got to my platform, but it was lovely because I remembered every passageway. Every turn brought about a new bubbling feelings of nostalgia.
I was really really excited to see my old housemates and the area. As I took the subway the two stops to Suitengumae (水天宮前駅) I was trying really hard not to smile.
I took the exact route out of the station I always used to and as I walked out into the sun and walked past the police box on the corner and past the busy intersection, it felt so strange, but so lovely!
I rounded the corner and there it was! My old building.
I took the lift up to the second floor and knocked on the door. I heard a shout of "Hello" from my Chinese housemate and I opened the door. I can't write down how nice it was to see the place again, but take it from me that it was nice!
It felt exactly like last year sitting on the sofa and chatting about random things and looking around the living room. What struck me most was how everything looked the same! Almost nothing had changed, except for maybe the shower head!
All the post-it notes with English vocabulary and phrases I'd written were still up, and some notes my Thai housemate had written were still up too. I looked in my old cupboard and there were even packs of tea I hadn't used! The decaff pack that my family had brought out to me in the Spring was still there, and you can't find that easily in Japan, so I put them all in a bag and took them with me! My umbrella was also still in the rack, but I have a new fold-away one so I didn't steal that back.
I wanted to see inside my old room but there's a Vietnamese guy living there now, and although he seemed really nice, I felt it would be really rude to ask if I could have a look at it, so I let that pass.
We had a bit of time, because we were waiting for a French guy I lived with to arrive, and then we were going to a Monica Wu concert together.
We went for dinner in a restaurant I remembered was good from last time. The name is Don Don, which is very similar to my Chinese housemate's name, so I thought it would be fitting to go there. On the way, I asked if we could have a quick wander round the local area, for old times' sake.
We went to the river (the Sumida River, 隅田川), which is just one minutes' walk round the back of the guesthouse.
Then we walked past the Tokyo City Air Terminal, where I used to take the Airport Limousine Bus to Narita Airport. We went inside to see some of the shops, and I saw the restaurant where I had my 19th birthday breakfast with my family last year. That was such a nice time!
I had ramen with tempura (my favourite) for dinner, and we chatted more about what had happened since I left last August.
I rang my French housemate from the restaurant, and he said he'd be about thirty minutes, so we went for another walk.
I left my guesthouse around mid-afternoon and took the Chuo-line all the way to Tokyo station, which takes about forty minutes, and then walked to Otemachi subway station (大手町駅), which is basically right next door. Unfortunately, the Hanzomon line (半蔵門線) is the furthest one from Tokyo station, so I had to walk for about fifteen minutes underground before I actually got to my platform, but it was lovely because I remembered every passageway. Every turn brought about a new bubbling feelings of nostalgia.
I was really really excited to see my old housemates and the area. As I took the subway the two stops to Suitengumae (水天宮前駅) I was trying really hard not to smile.
I took the exact route out of the station I always used to and as I walked out into the sun and walked past the police box on the corner and past the busy intersection, it felt so strange, but so lovely!
I rounded the corner and there it was! My old building.
I took the lift up to the second floor and knocked on the door. I heard a shout of "Hello" from my Chinese housemate and I opened the door. I can't write down how nice it was to see the place again, but take it from me that it was nice!It felt exactly like last year sitting on the sofa and chatting about random things and looking around the living room. What struck me most was how everything looked the same! Almost nothing had changed, except for maybe the shower head!
All the post-it notes with English vocabulary and phrases I'd written were still up, and some notes my Thai housemate had written were still up too. I looked in my old cupboard and there were even packs of tea I hadn't used! The decaff pack that my family had brought out to me in the Spring was still there, and you can't find that easily in Japan, so I put them all in a bag and took them with me! My umbrella was also still in the rack, but I have a new fold-away one so I didn't steal that back.
I wanted to see inside my old room but there's a Vietnamese guy living there now, and although he seemed really nice, I felt it would be really rude to ask if I could have a look at it, so I let that pass.
We had a bit of time, because we were waiting for a French guy I lived with to arrive, and then we were going to a Monica Wu concert together.
We went for dinner in a restaurant I remembered was good from last time. The name is Don Don, which is very similar to my Chinese housemate's name, so I thought it would be fitting to go there. On the way, I asked if we could have a quick wander round the local area, for old times' sake.
We went to the river (the Sumida River, 隅田川), which is just one minutes' walk round the back of the guesthouse.
Then we walked past the Tokyo City Air Terminal, where I used to take the Airport Limousine Bus to Narita Airport. We went inside to see some of the shops, and I saw the restaurant where I had my 19th birthday breakfast with my family last year. That was such a nice time!
I had ramen with tempura (my favourite) for dinner, and we chatted more about what had happened since I left last August.
I rang my French housemate from the restaurant, and he said he'd be about thirty minutes, so we went for another walk.
We passed the local veg shop.
There's the Daimaru Peacock (the supermarket) tower, which you can see from all around.
We went into Hamacho Park, which is right by the hotel my family stayed in, and the leisure centre where I used to swim sometimes.
On the way back to the guesthouse, we passed a group of women in traditional dress. It's the first time I've seen them this time round.
There's the Daimaru Peacock (the supermarket) tower, which you can see from all around.
Random statue in between Peacock and Hamacho Park.
I didn't see this last time I was here! It's a decibel counter; we tried clapping by it and the numbers went up immediately!
We went into Hamacho Park, which is right by the hotel my family stayed in, and the leisure centre where I used to swim sometimes.
You really can see Peacock tower from all around!
And here's the hotel...
Ahh, Peacock. You and your deals were so good to me.
On the way back to the guesthouse, we passed a group of women in traditional dress. It's the first time I've seen them this time round.
We met my French housemate and got back on the train, me waving goodbye to the building again, and went to Futako Tamagawa (二子玉川) on the Tokyu Denen Toshi line, which the Hanzomon line becomes after Shibuya.
I was worried we might be a bit late for the start of the concert, but we made it with a few minutes to spare.
It was easily the best performance I've seen Monica do. I can't remember how many concerts I've been to, but it's quite a few, and this one stood out above the rest. It might have been because I was in a really good, slightly dazed, mood, but she sang and danced really well, and I really enjoyed hearing her songs, including some new ones. Looking forward to the new album!
I was a bit worried I'd miss the last train, as I had to change at Shibuya and then at Shinjuku before getting on the Chuo-line back home, but it was fine and I made it in time.
I looked back over the day on the train, and I couldn't really believe it. The thing that struck me most was how everything was the same, not just with the guesthouse, but with my housemates. I'm really glad I'm living in Tokyo again and I can see them often. It's going to be a really good year!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Alien Registration & National Health Insurance
Today, Rob, Katy and I met up with Chihoko and walked to the Koganei City Office to register as official aliens, and start the procedures to buy Japanese National Health Insurance (国民健康保険, kokumin kenkou hoken), which we need to do as we're studying at a Japanese University.
It was pouring with rain, really heavily, so we all had our umbrellas up. It was due to a typhoon (台風11号, the eleventh typhoon of the year) passing right by the Kanto region. We all went out in T-shirts and shorts like we had been for the past few days but for the first time since arriving, I was actually cold! I was actually shivering by the end of the day, because the rain combined with the strong wind was very unpleasant!
The Foreign Registration desk was on the first floor so we walked in and took seats straight away. They gave us application forms to fill in, and spoke some English so it quite easy to do it. I remembered some of it from last time I had to register as an alien in Chuo-ku.
To get an Alien Card (外国人登録証, gaikokujin tourokushou) you need:
- valid passport
- 2 standard passport photos (4.5cm x 3.5cm)
- completed application form (supplied by the city office)
After you get the card you can use it to open bank accounts and buy mobile phones, and it also acts as a proxy for your passport, so you don't need to carry your passport round with you as ID.
After finishing the application process, and paying Y200 each for the certificates for the bank and phone companies, proving we had applied for the card, we got an A4 certificate that can be used like an Alien Card until the real one is ready for collection. Ours should be ready in mid-September, so we'll go back and collect them in a couple of weeks.
After that, we headed upstairs to the second floor and waited for the desk handling the Health Insurance to be free. We were called up separately and were talked through (in Japanese, but with Chihoko's help we all understood) the procedure. We signed some documents and were told that we'd be informed by post when we could go to the post office to pay for it.
We couldn't write down our individual room numbers because they only had our guesthouse as a whole in their system. We were a bit worried about how the letters would reach us, but we remembered that at the guesthouse head office they had told us we could register our individual addresses, including room numbers, at a post office. So off we went, in the heavy rain, to the nearest post office.
We asked for the relevant forms, which seemed quite simple, until we realised we'd filled in the wrong sections. We asked for new forms, and Rob and Katy both seemed very dishearted that we looked like ばか外人, baka gaijin), or stupid foreigners, but I think I've grown so accustomed to making stupid mistakes that I didn't really mind!
We filled the new forms in and gave them back. They took longer with mine than with the other two, but there didn't seem to be any fatal errors, so I assume it'll be okay!
We then met Rob's friend Kazuya, who met us at a Softbank phone shop. Rob wanted to buy a pay-as-you-go (プリペイド, prepaid) phone, like I did nearly two years ago (I couldn't believe it was that long ago!) but of course he had trouble like I did. Not as much trouble admittedly, because he's over 20, but he had to go into a shop, and with Chihoko's kind help, order one. They said they'd email or ring him (through my phone) in a week or two when it's ready for him to collect.
Then we relaxed and went to a Japanese McDonald's! It was my very first Japanese McDonald's meal, as I purposefully avoided it last time I lived here. I wanted to try something you can't get in Britain, so I went for a Teriyaki burger. It was nice but the teriyaki sauce was slightly too sweet for my taste. The chips were exactly the same as in Britain, and the others said their food tasted identical, so if you're ever feeling homesick here you know where to turn!
We chatted for a while and then all headed back to the guesthouse to do some kanji study. Big placement test on Thursday! We need to be prepared!
Tomorrow we're meeting a good friend of ours called Georgie, who's in Tokyo for just one day. We need to decide where to show her! I hope the rain clears up though, the typhoon is due to move north, but I hope it clears Tokyo in time!
It was pouring with rain, really heavily, so we all had our umbrellas up. It was due to a typhoon (台風11号, the eleventh typhoon of the year) passing right by the Kanto region. We all went out in T-shirts and shorts like we had been for the past few days but for the first time since arriving, I was actually cold! I was actually shivering by the end of the day, because the rain combined with the strong wind was very unpleasant!
The Foreign Registration desk was on the first floor so we walked in and took seats straight away. They gave us application forms to fill in, and spoke some English so it quite easy to do it. I remembered some of it from last time I had to register as an alien in Chuo-ku.
To get an Alien Card (外国人登録証, gaikokujin tourokushou) you need:
- valid passport
- 2 standard passport photos (4.5cm x 3.5cm)
- completed application form (supplied by the city office)
After you get the card you can use it to open bank accounts and buy mobile phones, and it also acts as a proxy for your passport, so you don't need to carry your passport round with you as ID.
After finishing the application process, and paying Y200 each for the certificates for the bank and phone companies, proving we had applied for the card, we got an A4 certificate that can be used like an Alien Card until the real one is ready for collection. Ours should be ready in mid-September, so we'll go back and collect them in a couple of weeks.
After that, we headed upstairs to the second floor and waited for the desk handling the Health Insurance to be free. We were called up separately and were talked through (in Japanese, but with Chihoko's help we all understood) the procedure. We signed some documents and were told that we'd be informed by post when we could go to the post office to pay for it.
We couldn't write down our individual room numbers because they only had our guesthouse as a whole in their system. We were a bit worried about how the letters would reach us, but we remembered that at the guesthouse head office they had told us we could register our individual addresses, including room numbers, at a post office. So off we went, in the heavy rain, to the nearest post office.
We asked for the relevant forms, which seemed quite simple, until we realised we'd filled in the wrong sections. We asked for new forms, and Rob and Katy both seemed very dishearted that we looked like ばか外人, baka gaijin), or stupid foreigners, but I think I've grown so accustomed to making stupid mistakes that I didn't really mind!
We filled the new forms in and gave them back. They took longer with mine than with the other two, but there didn't seem to be any fatal errors, so I assume it'll be okay!
We then met Rob's friend Kazuya, who met us at a Softbank phone shop. Rob wanted to buy a pay-as-you-go (プリペイド, prepaid) phone, like I did nearly two years ago (I couldn't believe it was that long ago!) but of course he had trouble like I did. Not as much trouble admittedly, because he's over 20, but he had to go into a shop, and with Chihoko's kind help, order one. They said they'd email or ring him (through my phone) in a week or two when it's ready for him to collect.
Then we relaxed and went to a Japanese McDonald's! It was my very first Japanese McDonald's meal, as I purposefully avoided it last time I lived here. I wanted to try something you can't get in Britain, so I went for a Teriyaki burger. It was nice but the teriyaki sauce was slightly too sweet for my taste. The chips were exactly the same as in Britain, and the others said their food tasted identical, so if you're ever feeling homesick here you know where to turn!
We chatted for a while and then all headed back to the guesthouse to do some kanji study. Big placement test on Thursday! We need to be prepared!
Tomorrow we're meeting a good friend of ours called Georgie, who's in Tokyo for just one day. We need to decide where to show her! I hope the rain clears up though, the typhoon is due to move north, but I hope it clears Tokyo in time!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Guesthouse
My guesthouse for this trip is situated west of Central Tokyo, in one of the cities that make up Tokyo Prefecture. It's called 小金井市 (Koganei-shi) and my closest station is 武蔵小金井駅 (Musashi Koganei eki), which is about 20 minutes from Shinjuku on the JR Chuo line (中央線).
The guesthouse is about 10 or 15 minutes walk from the station, down quite a steep hill. It's about 2km/1.5 miles from my University, ICU, which isn't bad as we might be able to walk that. I know some people who go to Uni in Tokyo but live in Yokohama and have to get three trains, taking over two hours twice a day!
The guesthouse is one of many belonging to the company "Tokyo Artistic Guesthouse", which has lots of different locations in the Western suburbs, whereas Sakura House, who I stayed with last time, have houses in the centre.
Here's the front of my guesthouse:
The guesthouse is about 10 or 15 minutes walk from the station, down quite a steep hill. It's about 2km/1.5 miles from my University, ICU, which isn't bad as we might be able to walk that. I know some people who go to Uni in Tokyo but live in Yokohama and have to get three trains, taking over two hours twice a day!
The guesthouse is one of many belonging to the company "Tokyo Artistic Guesthouse", which has lots of different locations in the Western suburbs, whereas Sakura House, who I stayed with last time, have houses in the centre.
Here's the front of my guesthouse:
This is the front entrance, where we leave our shoes.
This is one of the colourful vans that we were picked up in on our first day.
My room is smaller than the one I had last time, although that was surprisingly big. This room has plenty of room for me and my stuff, so it'll be fine. It's on the third floor (that's Japanese third, British second floor), which is the boys' floor. The girls' and couples' floor is the second, and then mixed on the first floor.
Each room has internet (you need your own ethernet/LAN cable), TV (terrestrial channels only), fridge and freezer, bed, air conditioner (Y100 for 3 hours, although you can pause it and use the rest of the money later). I'm not sure if all the rooms have these things, but my room also has a chest of drawers, a desk, a shelving unit, balcony (shared with four other rooms) and a wardrobe.
A couple of things worried me when we checked in and signed the contract. They told us that sometimes the internet gets very slow when lots of people are using it. Because of this, it automatically reboots every hour, rendering the tenants internet-less for a few minutes at a time. This has been fine so far, nothing bad has happened! But they did warn us that Skype Video chat might be too much for the over-crowded line, and it might not work. This would be awful because that's how I used to stay in contact with my family! They're on holiday at the moment so I haven't had the chance to check it, but my fingers are tightly crossed!
Something else they told us was that each room is limited to the use of 20 amps at a time, which means that if too many appliances are running at a time, the fuse could blow, and then a manager has to come and sort out the electricity. I'll have to watch what I use!
I'm settling into life here now I think. After three nights I've started to adjust to the different way of living. The showers and kitchen are on the bottom floor so it's much further to go than in Sakura House, where everything was on the same small floor. But I do have a TV and my own fridge!
At first I found the bed really uncomfortable, despite having two futon covers under me, so I went to a department store near the station, Ito Yokado, and bought a rug for Y2,900 to fold under the covers, which has made it much better now, although I'm still considering taking it back and swapping it for a proper futon matress. I need good sleep to function!
Hopefully this place will be a nice home for me over the next year. It's quite empty at the moment, but I'm sure that the rooms will fill up soon!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Arrival in Japan
First things first - wooo, I'm here!
It's lovely to be back in Tokyo! I hadn't realised how much I missed it until I got on the train and started seeing places I remembered. Especially when we passed the Shinjuku skyscraper district - I love those buildings!
But anyway, I should start at the beginning. My family and I drove down to London Heathrow airport on Wednesday morning. It took about an hour and a half, despite part of the motorway being closed due to a gas leak. We parked and walked up to Terminal 3, where I heard my name shouted by Rob, one of the other students going to ICU. Katy, the other one of the three of us, was already there, along with another student going to a different University we were flying out with. There was one other too, but we decided not to wait for him before we checked in. There was no queue at the JAL desk, and we all got in with no problems. I'm sure our bags were overweight, but the woman didn't say anything - maybe she took pity on us!
I met my family upstairs and we had lunch. My stomach was churning like crazy, with that bizarre mix of anxiety and excitement. I managed to eat a jacket potato and the hour passed very quickly. It was too quick! Suddenly I was saying goodbye to my family again, with tears in my eyes. We had done it before, and we knew what goodbyes are like. But of course that doesn't make them any easier!
I waved until I had passed into the security check with the other four. I was okay then, because I started focussing on the next section of the journey. I didn't beep at the metal detector, which was surprising! All my stuff was okay, despite being overweight, but of course they don't weigh hand luggage.
We made our way down to Gate 27 and had our boarding passes checked. I realised that I'd meant to ask if there were any aisle seats available, because my long legs are awful in cramped seats. I asked at the gate if there were any aisle seats available, and they said that a party hadn't turned up, and I could have their seats if they didn't arrive in time. I waited for about 15 minutes and the party didn't check in so I moved four rows back, so not too far from the rest of my group, who were spread across two rows, but where I could sit more comfortably. I'm very glad I asked!
The 11 hour 45 minute flight went much quicker than I thought it would. I watched one and a half films, and then tried, largely unsuccessfully, to sleep for the rest of the time. I think I got about 3 hours in the end, but it was very hard to tell because I kept waking up to readjust my position.
I wasn't nearly as worried or stressed as when I first arrived in Japan. I knew where everything was, and that I was with other people, and we were being met by locals. Everything felt much safer and more secure than last time!
We went through the swine flu check and immigration like a breeze. Narita Airport is so quiet and calm, it's the exact opposite of British airports. They took my fingerprints and photo at immigration, just like last time, and checked my visa. I think the inspector was a little perplexed at seeing two visa stamps in my passport, but he didn't ask any questions.
We left the customs check with no problems (you have to fill out two forms on the plane, one for immigration, and one for customs) because we weren't carrying any prohibited or restricted items. Then we met Rob's good friend and a couple of students from ICU who I'd been in contact with. They were all really really nice and helped us all with our heavy baggage. We bought tickets to 東小金井 (Higashi Koganei), which is where the head office of our guesthouse company is. From Narita Airport (outside Tokyo to the east) to the western suburbs where we're living, it took about two hours, and three trains. It was quite hot (around 30C) and humid, especially as we weren't used to it, but not as bad as I remembered it being. Maybe it was because it's the end of August, rather than the beginning, which is when I left last year. But Rob's friend said that Japan's summer this year had been cooler overall than average. That's not a problem with me!
Watching the scenery flash by as we made our way through central Tokyo was amazing. I recognised so many places, and just looking at the train map brought back fond memories of last time. We were all very tired, and everything seemed a bit like a dream, I think particularly for Katy, who has never been to Japan before. But we got to Higashi Koganei station with no problems, thanks to our local guides. We thanked them very much and were then picked up in a brightly coloured van and taken to the office. The office was right by a small wooded area, and there was a deafening roar of cicadas! I'd never heard anything like it. I really hoped I wouldn't be able to hear any from my room. We were talked through the contract and the rules of the guesthouse, and we paid our deposits and first month's rent.
That took just over an hour, and then they drove us to our guesthouse. I was glad we could go straight there even though it was late afternoon, because they had said that if we didn't arrive by 15:30, we might not be able to check in that day, and would have to stay in temporary rooms in the head office. We were shown to our rooms, and we sorted everything out, and then were left to it.
We were all a bit dazed and confused, but we knew we couldn't go to sleep, as it was only 6pm, so we met Rob's friend again in the town near the station, and went for some dinner in an izakaya (Japanese pub). We got back at about 21:30, and I was dead to the world by half past 10, and I slept dead through until 6:30am this morning, when I woken up, either by the bright sunlight (the curtains here are just as transparent as in Sakura House last year) or the gradual heat as the room warmed up.
Today we did some shopping and bought some food while exploring the local area, and I'm feeling quite comfortable here. We made our first group meal this evening, noodles with beef in a tomato sauce. I think that's a really good way to save money, as the meal split between the three of us was only Y380. We'll definitely be doing that a lot!
I'm fully unpacked now, and I'm feeling much more like it's a home now. Everything has its place and I'm getting used to the layout of the house. Tomorrow we're going to try to figure out the best route to ICU. Wish us luck!
It's lovely to be back in Tokyo! I hadn't realised how much I missed it until I got on the train and started seeing places I remembered. Especially when we passed the Shinjuku skyscraper district - I love those buildings!
But anyway, I should start at the beginning. My family and I drove down to London Heathrow airport on Wednesday morning. It took about an hour and a half, despite part of the motorway being closed due to a gas leak. We parked and walked up to Terminal 3, where I heard my name shouted by Rob, one of the other students going to ICU. Katy, the other one of the three of us, was already there, along with another student going to a different University we were flying out with. There was one other too, but we decided not to wait for him before we checked in. There was no queue at the JAL desk, and we all got in with no problems. I'm sure our bags were overweight, but the woman didn't say anything - maybe she took pity on us!
I met my family upstairs and we had lunch. My stomach was churning like crazy, with that bizarre mix of anxiety and excitement. I managed to eat a jacket potato and the hour passed very quickly. It was too quick! Suddenly I was saying goodbye to my family again, with tears in my eyes. We had done it before, and we knew what goodbyes are like. But of course that doesn't make them any easier!
I waved until I had passed into the security check with the other four. I was okay then, because I started focussing on the next section of the journey. I didn't beep at the metal detector, which was surprising! All my stuff was okay, despite being overweight, but of course they don't weigh hand luggage.
We made our way down to Gate 27 and had our boarding passes checked. I realised that I'd meant to ask if there were any aisle seats available, because my long legs are awful in cramped seats. I asked at the gate if there were any aisle seats available, and they said that a party hadn't turned up, and I could have their seats if they didn't arrive in time. I waited for about 15 minutes and the party didn't check in so I moved four rows back, so not too far from the rest of my group, who were spread across two rows, but where I could sit more comfortably. I'm very glad I asked!
The 11 hour 45 minute flight went much quicker than I thought it would. I watched one and a half films, and then tried, largely unsuccessfully, to sleep for the rest of the time. I think I got about 3 hours in the end, but it was very hard to tell because I kept waking up to readjust my position.
I wasn't nearly as worried or stressed as when I first arrived in Japan. I knew where everything was, and that I was with other people, and we were being met by locals. Everything felt much safer and more secure than last time!
We went through the swine flu check and immigration like a breeze. Narita Airport is so quiet and calm, it's the exact opposite of British airports. They took my fingerprints and photo at immigration, just like last time, and checked my visa. I think the inspector was a little perplexed at seeing two visa stamps in my passport, but he didn't ask any questions.
We left the customs check with no problems (you have to fill out two forms on the plane, one for immigration, and one for customs) because we weren't carrying any prohibited or restricted items. Then we met Rob's good friend and a couple of students from ICU who I'd been in contact with. They were all really really nice and helped us all with our heavy baggage. We bought tickets to 東小金井 (Higashi Koganei), which is where the head office of our guesthouse company is. From Narita Airport (outside Tokyo to the east) to the western suburbs where we're living, it took about two hours, and three trains. It was quite hot (around 30C) and humid, especially as we weren't used to it, but not as bad as I remembered it being. Maybe it was because it's the end of August, rather than the beginning, which is when I left last year. But Rob's friend said that Japan's summer this year had been cooler overall than average. That's not a problem with me!
Watching the scenery flash by as we made our way through central Tokyo was amazing. I recognised so many places, and just looking at the train map brought back fond memories of last time. We were all very tired, and everything seemed a bit like a dream, I think particularly for Katy, who has never been to Japan before. But we got to Higashi Koganei station with no problems, thanks to our local guides. We thanked them very much and were then picked up in a brightly coloured van and taken to the office. The office was right by a small wooded area, and there was a deafening roar of cicadas! I'd never heard anything like it. I really hoped I wouldn't be able to hear any from my room. We were talked through the contract and the rules of the guesthouse, and we paid our deposits and first month's rent.
That took just over an hour, and then they drove us to our guesthouse. I was glad we could go straight there even though it was late afternoon, because they had said that if we didn't arrive by 15:30, we might not be able to check in that day, and would have to stay in temporary rooms in the head office. We were shown to our rooms, and we sorted everything out, and then were left to it.
We were all a bit dazed and confused, but we knew we couldn't go to sleep, as it was only 6pm, so we met Rob's friend again in the town near the station, and went for some dinner in an izakaya (Japanese pub). We got back at about 21:30, and I was dead to the world by half past 10, and I slept dead through until 6:30am this morning, when I woken up, either by the bright sunlight (the curtains here are just as transparent as in Sakura House last year) or the gradual heat as the room warmed up.
Today we did some shopping and bought some food while exploring the local area, and I'm feeling quite comfortable here. We made our first group meal this evening, noodles with beef in a tomato sauce. I think that's a really good way to save money, as the meal split between the three of us was only Y380. We'll definitely be doing that a lot!
I'm fully unpacked now, and I'm feeling much more like it's a home now. Everything has its place and I'm getting used to the layout of the house. Tomorrow we're going to try to figure out the best route to ICU. Wish us luck!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Flights, Accommodation & Insurance
I know this post's title is a bit "can't be bothered to do separate posts for each" but I thought it would be better to do one long one than three short ones.
I booked my flights about a month ago using Gendai Travel, which is a travel agent based in London that specialises in cheap flights to different cities in Japan. You can't book online, so I rang them up and spoke to a very nice Korean woman who helped me get on the same flight as the four other people from Leeds University who I'm flying out with.
The return flight cost £545 with Japan Airlines (JAL) and we leave on the afternoon of Wednesday 26th August from London Heathrow, arriving just after noon at Tokyo Narita. It's about a 12 hour flight, which will be trying! But the five of us will be very excited and chatting the whole way there so it should be fine. The price is very good so we were lucky to find them quite close to the departure date.
The only problem with the flights is that the hold baggage allowance is only 20kg, and the cabin allowance is 10kg. So if I can't fit everything I'll need for the year into those two bags, I'll have to ship some things out.
For accommodation, the two other people from Leeds Uni going to ICU, two others going to the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS), which is the next-door university, and I, are going to stay in a guesthouse. I stayed in a guesthouse last time I went to Japan, where you have a private bedroom, and then share bathroom and kitchen facilities with the other residents. The guesthouse was recommended by a student who did an exchange with ICU last year, and the company is called Tokyo Artistic Guesthouse. We researched and thought that they had a good price and they had lots of choice in terms of location. We reserved five rooms in the one closest to both ICU and TUFS, in Koganei City (小金井市), online, and it was very easy to do it all with the online reservation form. There was a special offer on at the time and it will cost about Y60,000 per month, which is Y20,000 cheaper than the one I stayed in last year, but of course that one was much more central than this one.
We could have applied for University accommodation, either on or off campus, but we had heard that Japanese University dorms are very strict in terms of curfews and not having people in your rooms, and you also most likely have to share a room with another student. I don't mind sharing a room with someone else for a short time, and it would be lovely to get to know someone that well, but I feel I need more privacy than that set-up would provide. The others felt the same way, so we decided to go for the private option.
And finally, insurance! I looked around a little bit for different policies, but then the University of Leeds offered us their own, which cost only £50 and was very comprehensive. It was good and cheap so I went for that one. It only covers me for one year, so I have to leave Japan before 25th August 2010.
So that's it! Quite a bit of information, but at least it's all sorted now. I need to keep working at Cadbury World and finishing my list of things to do before I leave in just three weeks and three days! Eeek!
I booked my flights about a month ago using Gendai Travel, which is a travel agent based in London that specialises in cheap flights to different cities in Japan. You can't book online, so I rang them up and spoke to a very nice Korean woman who helped me get on the same flight as the four other people from Leeds University who I'm flying out with.
The return flight cost £545 with Japan Airlines (JAL) and we leave on the afternoon of Wednesday 26th August from London Heathrow, arriving just after noon at Tokyo Narita. It's about a 12 hour flight, which will be trying! But the five of us will be very excited and chatting the whole way there so it should be fine. The price is very good so we were lucky to find them quite close to the departure date.
The only problem with the flights is that the hold baggage allowance is only 20kg, and the cabin allowance is 10kg. So if I can't fit everything I'll need for the year into those two bags, I'll have to ship some things out.
For accommodation, the two other people from Leeds Uni going to ICU, two others going to the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS), which is the next-door university, and I, are going to stay in a guesthouse. I stayed in a guesthouse last time I went to Japan, where you have a private bedroom, and then share bathroom and kitchen facilities with the other residents. The guesthouse was recommended by a student who did an exchange with ICU last year, and the company is called Tokyo Artistic Guesthouse. We researched and thought that they had a good price and they had lots of choice in terms of location. We reserved five rooms in the one closest to both ICU and TUFS, in Koganei City (小金井市), online, and it was very easy to do it all with the online reservation form. There was a special offer on at the time and it will cost about Y60,000 per month, which is Y20,000 cheaper than the one I stayed in last year, but of course that one was much more central than this one.
We could have applied for University accommodation, either on or off campus, but we had heard that Japanese University dorms are very strict in terms of curfews and not having people in your rooms, and you also most likely have to share a room with another student. I don't mind sharing a room with someone else for a short time, and it would be lovely to get to know someone that well, but I feel I need more privacy than that set-up would provide. The others felt the same way, so we decided to go for the private option.
And finally, insurance! I looked around a little bit for different policies, but then the University of Leeds offered us their own, which cost only £50 and was very comprehensive. It was good and cheap so I went for that one. It only covers me for one year, so I have to leave Japan before 25th August 2010.
So that's it! Quite a bit of information, but at least it's all sorted now. I need to keep working at Cadbury World and finishing my list of things to do before I leave in just three weeks and three days! Eeek!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
I'm Back Home!
I'm actually back!
Very tired and a little confused, but definitely back in Britain!
I will write about my flight properly soon, but it went without a hitch. It was extremely sad to leave my guesthouse and my housemates, but I knew that it had to happen. I said goodbye to everyone, and everything, and really had to fight myself to stay as composed as possible. I was leaving my home of seven months.
My Chinese housemate, very kindly, came to Tokyo City Air Terminal on Thursday morning to wave me off. It was incredibly sad to say goodbye to him, because he was very kind. I waved until the bus rounded the corner and he was gone.
On the bus to the airport, which cost Y2,900, I was having real flashbacks to various times during my trip. I know it sounds like something you see in a film, with grainy black and white images representing memories, but the journey was actually filled with random images of people, places and emotions.
At the airport, I sent emails to some people from my phone, and told them I was safely ready to go, and thank you for everything.
I couldn't believe I was leaving Japan. The last few days there didn't feel real.
On the plane, I looked through the selection of music you can make your own playlist out of, and I found some songs that meant a lot to me while I was in Japan. I feel I must admit that Touch My Body, by Mariah Carey, was included, but I probably heard that song more than any other over the last seven months.
I only slept for about 90 minutes the night before I left, and had maybe 3 hours of broken, uncomfortable sleep on the plane.
But somehow I stayed awake and alert, probably from adrenaline, until 11pm at home. My mum, brother and cousin met me at Heathrow airport in London, and then we had lunch in a pub (so British) and drove up to Birmingham.
The over-riding feeling was a dream-like state that I found myself in. It felt like I was just in Britain for a little bit, and I'd be returning 'home' to Tokyo soon.
Once I got home, everything felt strange, lovely, but very strange. It didn't quite register that I was at home. My real home, in Birmingham.
I knew that, after a few days, Japan would feel like the dream, but for now, Japan is still my reality.
I can't find the words, and that's not because I lived in a non-English speaking country, to describe how absolutely amazing my trip to Japan was.
The way my personality, outlook, and life has changed as a result is more than I ever expected. I can't recommend doing something like this enough.
Although I was sad to leave, I'd much rather be sad to leave because I enjoyed it, than be happy to go because it was a painful, trying seven months.
And sometimes it was difficult, looking back at it, and I did feel a bit homesick at times, but the memories and experiences I have now make up for it a thousand times.
I have to close that chapter of my life behind me now, and look forward to University in September, where I'll study English & Japanese, and after that, in September 2009, I will return to Japan as an exchange student to study for one year.
An exciting four years lie ahead of me!
And I can't wait.
Very tired and a little confused, but definitely back in Britain!
I will write about my flight properly soon, but it went without a hitch. It was extremely sad to leave my guesthouse and my housemates, but I knew that it had to happen. I said goodbye to everyone, and everything, and really had to fight myself to stay as composed as possible. I was leaving my home of seven months.
My Chinese housemate, very kindly, came to Tokyo City Air Terminal on Thursday morning to wave me off. It was incredibly sad to say goodbye to him, because he was very kind. I waved until the bus rounded the corner and he was gone.
On the bus to the airport, which cost Y2,900, I was having real flashbacks to various times during my trip. I know it sounds like something you see in a film, with grainy black and white images representing memories, but the journey was actually filled with random images of people, places and emotions.
At the airport, I sent emails to some people from my phone, and told them I was safely ready to go, and thank you for everything.
I couldn't believe I was leaving Japan. The last few days there didn't feel real.
On the plane, I looked through the selection of music you can make your own playlist out of, and I found some songs that meant a lot to me while I was in Japan. I feel I must admit that Touch My Body, by Mariah Carey, was included, but I probably heard that song more than any other over the last seven months.
I only slept for about 90 minutes the night before I left, and had maybe 3 hours of broken, uncomfortable sleep on the plane.
But somehow I stayed awake and alert, probably from adrenaline, until 11pm at home. My mum, brother and cousin met me at Heathrow airport in London, and then we had lunch in a pub (so British) and drove up to Birmingham.
The over-riding feeling was a dream-like state that I found myself in. It felt like I was just in Britain for a little bit, and I'd be returning 'home' to Tokyo soon.
Once I got home, everything felt strange, lovely, but very strange. It didn't quite register that I was at home. My real home, in Birmingham.
I knew that, after a few days, Japan would feel like the dream, but for now, Japan is still my reality.
I can't find the words, and that's not because I lived in a non-English speaking country, to describe how absolutely amazing my trip to Japan was.
The way my personality, outlook, and life has changed as a result is more than I ever expected. I can't recommend doing something like this enough.
Although I was sad to leave, I'd much rather be sad to leave because I enjoyed it, than be happy to go because it was a painful, trying seven months.
And sometimes it was difficult, looking back at it, and I did feel a bit homesick at times, but the memories and experiences I have now make up for it a thousand times.
I have to close that chapter of my life behind me now, and look forward to University in September, where I'll study English & Japanese, and after that, in September 2009, I will return to Japan as an exchange student to study for one year.
An exciting four years lie ahead of me!
And I can't wait.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Family Visit: An Arrival and A Departure
Okay, it's about time for some catch-up I think! I'm very sorry about the huge gaps between posts at the moment, but things keep happening, and then nothing happens, and then huge things happen!
But the really huge huge thing is my family's visit last week. The original plan was for them to come to Japan for my birthday (9th April) but because the Church decided that Easter would be early this year the school holiday didn't coincide (for the second time in my entire life!) with it. Of all the years to make it early!
But anyway, they booked the holiday, having to miss my birthday by a mere four days. It still worked well, as it was very close to the halfway point through my trip, and split it into two bitesize pieces of being away.
The morning they arrived, another of my housemates moved out. It was very sad as I like him a lot. I had gotten him a small leaving gift, because he always chatted to me when I was feeling down or homesick, or just felt like talking to someone! And he never complained when I babbled away for hours about nothing in English, and asked for random translations to Japanese. I think that deserves knighthood, but unfortunately that gift wasn't at my disposal so a book had to do!
After saying my farewell (he has visited since then and still lives in Tokyo so I will meet up with him again), I headed out to Narita Airport to meet my family.
I took the Keisei line, which originates from Tokyo as the Toei Asakusa Line and then transforms past Oshiage station into an above-ground train. This was a hideous mistake. There was no direct train to Narita Airport, and I ended up changing train four times along the route until I finally found one that could actually take me there. It was ridiculous. On the way back to the airport when my family left we used the JR Sobu line from Tokyo station, which was direct. But if you want to use the Narita Express (N'EX) then you need to reserve. There is also a Skyliner from Ueno station.
My mum rang me when I was two stops away saying that they were waiting in the Arrivals Lounge and the plane had arrived half an hour early. Surprisingly, her phone worked in Japan as it was quad-band and 3G. I don't think any other phone types work in Japan at the moment.
I arrived at the station (the train stops at Narita station first but this is the town, not the airport, then Terminal 2, and finally Terminal 1, which is called 'Narita Airport') and a sign said that my bags would be inspected at a checkpoint, but they just asked for ID. Passport or Alien Card is okay.
I had a choice between North or South Arrivals Lounge, and naturally I chose the wrong one. I walked round to the other and ambushed my family. I saw my mum first, and ran forward to give her a hug. She told me that my youngest brother, Dominic, was waiting at the entrance downstairs, and I should go down and see him.
I found him, then we went to find my middle brother and dad. It was so incredibly surreal, and so incredibly amazing, to see them in Japan.
Just like me, none of them had slept on the plane journey over but they were all wide-awake with excitement. We had a bit of lunch in the airport, but I couldn't eat anything because my stomach was so jumbled up with emotion.
After that, I bought our Limousine Bus tickets from the counter, and we wheeled the luggage out to the front. It was exactly like my first day in Japan, which added to the surrealism.
We didn't have news to catch up on, as we email and Skype each other regularly, so we chatted about random things, just like normal. I was the guide right from the off, translating signs and annoucements, pointing sights out from the window of the bus.
We hit bad traffic on a road into Tokyo and my brothers and mum closed their eyes to get some energy back but my dad was busy reading the travel guide and asking me questions about the language. During our conversation he pointed at me as he said something, like people do naturally, and I was shocked to find that I was really taken aback by the forwardness of the gesture. I have been careful to always use open hand gestures when indicating direction or a person. If you want to point to yourself, you should point to your nose, and never use a direct motion towards another person. So that was interesting as I hadn't realised how 'Japanised' I may have become.
The journey from Narita Airport to Tokyo City Air Terminal (TCAT) was meant to take 55 minutes, but I think it must have been more like 90. I live very close to TCAT and my family's hotel was about 15 minutes walk from there. They stayed in a new Toyoko Inn, which was surprisingly cheap, and very convenient as it was so close to me.
I took them to the hotel, pointing things out from my local area as we went. They couldn't check into their hotel until 4pm, and it was only noon or something. Getting up early makes the day a lot longer!
We left our luggage at the hotel, and went to find some lunch. We went to my local supermarket, Daimaru Peacock, and bought some ready meals. This is not as bad as it sounds, Japanese ready meals are surprisingly good quality.
Of course, it started to rain as soon as we sat down outside, but we didn't care. We were together!
After that, I showed them my local shrine, Suitengu Shrine. My mum got her fortune from the fortune telling drawers. You put Y100 in the slot, and then shake one of the wooden cylinders full of thin wooden straws, then tip it upside-down until one comes out. Then you match the number painted on the stick to the right drawer (the numbers are in kanji) and take a fortune slip from the drawer. If it's bad then you can tie it to a string nearby and give it back to fate, but you can keep it if you like it. Unfortunately, I couldn't decipher my mum's so we don't know if it's good or bad!
Everyone was pretty tired after that, so I took them back to my guesthouse via a Doutor coffee shop and showed them my home. It was really nice to be able to show them my life, so they could have an image to attach to the information and stories I'd told them.
After a bit of recovery, we went back to the hotel and had some dinner, and sorted luggage out. Everyone then went to bed, except my dad because he was still hungry and went to a ramen (noodle) restaurant nearby.
My family had difficulty sleeping that night due to jetlag and maybe a bit of excitement, but I slept quite well.
The next day it was time to start the itinerary I had made for the holiday. Everyone needed to be well rested because it was very full!
But the really huge huge thing is my family's visit last week. The original plan was for them to come to Japan for my birthday (9th April) but because the Church decided that Easter would be early this year the school holiday didn't coincide (for the second time in my entire life!) with it. Of all the years to make it early!
But anyway, they booked the holiday, having to miss my birthday by a mere four days. It still worked well, as it was very close to the halfway point through my trip, and split it into two bitesize pieces of being away.
The morning they arrived, another of my housemates moved out. It was very sad as I like him a lot. I had gotten him a small leaving gift, because he always chatted to me when I was feeling down or homesick, or just felt like talking to someone! And he never complained when I babbled away for hours about nothing in English, and asked for random translations to Japanese. I think that deserves knighthood, but unfortunately that gift wasn't at my disposal so a book had to do!
After saying my farewell (he has visited since then and still lives in Tokyo so I will meet up with him again), I headed out to Narita Airport to meet my family.
I took the Keisei line, which originates from Tokyo as the Toei Asakusa Line and then transforms past Oshiage station into an above-ground train. This was a hideous mistake. There was no direct train to Narita Airport, and I ended up changing train four times along the route until I finally found one that could actually take me there. It was ridiculous. On the way back to the airport when my family left we used the JR Sobu line from Tokyo station, which was direct. But if you want to use the Narita Express (N'EX) then you need to reserve. There is also a Skyliner from Ueno station.
My mum rang me when I was two stops away saying that they were waiting in the Arrivals Lounge and the plane had arrived half an hour early. Surprisingly, her phone worked in Japan as it was quad-band and 3G. I don't think any other phone types work in Japan at the moment.
I arrived at the station (the train stops at Narita station first but this is the town, not the airport, then Terminal 2, and finally Terminal 1, which is called 'Narita Airport') and a sign said that my bags would be inspected at a checkpoint, but they just asked for ID. Passport or Alien Card is okay.
I had a choice between North or South Arrivals Lounge, and naturally I chose the wrong one. I walked round to the other and ambushed my family. I saw my mum first, and ran forward to give her a hug. She told me that my youngest brother, Dominic, was waiting at the entrance downstairs, and I should go down and see him.
I found him, then we went to find my middle brother and dad. It was so incredibly surreal, and so incredibly amazing, to see them in Japan.
Just like me, none of them had slept on the plane journey over but they were all wide-awake with excitement. We had a bit of lunch in the airport, but I couldn't eat anything because my stomach was so jumbled up with emotion.
After that, I bought our Limousine Bus tickets from the counter, and we wheeled the luggage out to the front. It was exactly like my first day in Japan, which added to the surrealism.
We didn't have news to catch up on, as we email and Skype each other regularly, so we chatted about random things, just like normal. I was the guide right from the off, translating signs and annoucements, pointing sights out from the window of the bus.
We hit bad traffic on a road into Tokyo and my brothers and mum closed their eyes to get some energy back but my dad was busy reading the travel guide and asking me questions about the language. During our conversation he pointed at me as he said something, like people do naturally, and I was shocked to find that I was really taken aback by the forwardness of the gesture. I have been careful to always use open hand gestures when indicating direction or a person. If you want to point to yourself, you should point to your nose, and never use a direct motion towards another person. So that was interesting as I hadn't realised how 'Japanised' I may have become.
The journey from Narita Airport to Tokyo City Air Terminal (TCAT) was meant to take 55 minutes, but I think it must have been more like 90. I live very close to TCAT and my family's hotel was about 15 minutes walk from there. They stayed in a new Toyoko Inn, which was surprisingly cheap, and very convenient as it was so close to me.
I took them to the hotel, pointing things out from my local area as we went. They couldn't check into their hotel until 4pm, and it was only noon or something. Getting up early makes the day a lot longer!
We left our luggage at the hotel, and went to find some lunch. We went to my local supermarket, Daimaru Peacock, and bought some ready meals. This is not as bad as it sounds, Japanese ready meals are surprisingly good quality.
Of course, it started to rain as soon as we sat down outside, but we didn't care. We were together!
After that, I showed them my local shrine, Suitengu Shrine. My mum got her fortune from the fortune telling drawers. You put Y100 in the slot, and then shake one of the wooden cylinders full of thin wooden straws, then tip it upside-down until one comes out. Then you match the number painted on the stick to the right drawer (the numbers are in kanji) and take a fortune slip from the drawer. If it's bad then you can tie it to a string nearby and give it back to fate, but you can keep it if you like it. Unfortunately, I couldn't decipher my mum's so we don't know if it's good or bad!
Everyone was pretty tired after that, so I took them back to my guesthouse via a Doutor coffee shop and showed them my home. It was really nice to be able to show them my life, so they could have an image to attach to the information and stories I'd told them.
After a bit of recovery, we went back to the hotel and had some dinner, and sorted luggage out. Everyone then went to bed, except my dad because he was still hungry and went to a ramen (noodle) restaurant nearby.
My family had difficulty sleeping that night due to jetlag and maybe a bit of excitement, but I slept quite well.
The next day it was time to start the itinerary I had made for the holiday. Everyone needed to be well rested because it was very full!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Some Questions Answered
I have been contacted by someone who wants to do the same thing as me, and will face the same obstacles as I did because of their age.
This post will hopefully answer their questions, and help anyone else in a similar position.
1. Is Gaba a weekend training course?
Gaba is a conversation school (eikaiwa) where I teach students. The training I was referring to in my previous posts was the school's training. It may be confusing as they refer to their teachers (like me) as 'instructors'. The busiest times at conversation schools are weekdays evenings and weekends, and you decide your own schedule at Gaba, so that's when I work.
2. How did you go about finding private students and then tutoring them? Is GABA essential to do this?
I found my private students through a company called the Foreign Instructor Centre (unfortunately I can't find their website). I found that company on GaijinPot.com and applied to them through it, and now they send me the details of prospective students usually around five times a day. When you reply to them saying you're interested in a student, you suggest a time and place for the lessons, they ask the student if they're interested too. Then they arrange an unpaid thirty-minute demo lesson between you and the student. If the student likes you, they arrange with both you and the company to meet a certain amount of times every week.
Gaba is not essential to do this. In effect, I have two jobs. I work at Gaba on weekends and weekday evenings, and meet private students at different times spread throughout weekdays.
3. Also, I did read on your blog about another job interview?
I have had several other job offers from other schools, I've lost count but it's probably close to fifteen. All of these schools found me via my 50-word advert on Jobs In Japan.com.
4. What other types of jobs would it be POSSIBLE for someone like me to get? The only one I'm aware of at the moment is working in a restaurant.
I think the best option for any native-English speaker coming to Japan is teaching English. I am 18 and started work a month after arriving, and, two weeks later I've earned around Y30,000 (£150). Gaijinpot.com advertises for all types of jobs, but the most common is definitely teaching.
5. I didn't find anything on your blog about homestays, so I'm guessing you completely scrapped it, or ignored it?
That's true, in my blog post on Accommodation I didn't mention homestays.
Honestly, this is because I had forgotten about it being a viable option. Personally, I wouldn't want to stay with a family for 10 months or so, because I would want more privacy and freedom than might be offered. However, it might be a good idea to organise one for the first few nights as they can meet you at the airport, and introduce you to the Japanese language and culture with less of a shock.
My recommendation is definitely a guesthouse, or gaijinhouse. This means you live with other foreigners and share your kitchen, bathroom and living room with them. You might have your own rooms (like me), or stay in a dormitory. I am staying with Sakura House. There is more information on how to organise monthly (it is minimum stay of one month) accommodation with them on an earlier post.
If your heart is set on a homestay, here are a few websites I've found that might be useful.
Go Japan's Homestay page (follow the links on the page)
Go Japan's Homestay advice page
Homestayweb.com (helpfully split up into area/city)
Homestay Program Index
6. I'm just wondering how you got your apartment? In terms of coming to Japan, and having that apartment already rented? (Or arranged?). Did you have that done through a website like Gaijinpot?
I arranged my guesthouse through Sakura's House website. There's more information about the best way to find what you want with them on my Accommodation post.
7. I do meet the requirements for the Working Holiday Visa, and I'm just wondering when I should apply for it?
Basically, you should apply for the visa somewhere between six months and three weeks before you want to enter Japan and enter Japan within six months of receiving the visa. It takes about one week for the visa to be issued after application. There's more information on my Visa post.
8. About the language. My Japanese is worse than shocking.
Don't worry about language ability. English is everywhere, and although I have knowledge of Japanese, none of it was practical experience, so think of what I have done so far as using English only. Ask for someone who speaks English at banks, or shops or wherever you need help, and 90% of the time, someone with be able to help you, at least in Tokyo. I have made improvements in my language ability, but have encountered difficulties and frustration, as I mentioned last week.
9. How should I set up a bank account? Is there a specific bank I can go to that will do it? (Being under 20 years old.)
The bank account was difficult, I must admit. Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ Bank was recommended to me by Gaba, who said that I would be able to open an account there being under 20, because I would be working with them. If a company like Gaba asks you to open an account, they might be able to help you open one, like Gaba did for me. If you work with private students (not arranged through the Foreign Instructor Centre as they require a bank account) then you will be paid in cash so you don't need to worry. More information here.
10. Finally, about the mobile phone. I read on one of your blogs about needing a 20 year old to buy a mobile phone over there. Is this in every case?
As far as I know, this is in every case. Also, most phone companies are shutting down pre-paid (pay-as-you-go) services in the next few months because of crime. This is unfortunate, as the service is almost perfect for foreigners staying for a few months. I'm not sure exactly when they are being phased out totally, but they are no longer available at big-chain electronic stores or even the phone company branch shops. I had to buy mine from a convenience store.
With regard to finding someone over 20, I just asked a housemate if he knew anyone over 20 who could help me out, and I had a phone by the following evening! Sum0 (from Sum0's Japan Blog) found someone at Mickey House in Shinjuku (a language exchange cafe) who bought one for him, so maybe you could take a trip there when you arrive. Maybe my earlier post on Mobile Phones will be helpful too.
This post will hopefully answer their questions, and help anyone else in a similar position.
1. Is Gaba a weekend training course?
Gaba is a conversation school (eikaiwa) where I teach students. The training I was referring to in my previous posts was the school's training. It may be confusing as they refer to their teachers (like me) as 'instructors'. The busiest times at conversation schools are weekdays evenings and weekends, and you decide your own schedule at Gaba, so that's when I work.
2. How did you go about finding private students and then tutoring them? Is GABA essential to do this?
I found my private students through a company called the Foreign Instructor Centre (unfortunately I can't find their website). I found that company on GaijinPot.com and applied to them through it, and now they send me the details of prospective students usually around five times a day. When you reply to them saying you're interested in a student, you suggest a time and place for the lessons, they ask the student if they're interested too. Then they arrange an unpaid thirty-minute demo lesson between you and the student. If the student likes you, they arrange with both you and the company to meet a certain amount of times every week.
Gaba is not essential to do this. In effect, I have two jobs. I work at Gaba on weekends and weekday evenings, and meet private students at different times spread throughout weekdays.
3. Also, I did read on your blog about another job interview?
I have had several other job offers from other schools, I've lost count but it's probably close to fifteen. All of these schools found me via my 50-word advert on Jobs In Japan.com.
4. What other types of jobs would it be POSSIBLE for someone like me to get? The only one I'm aware of at the moment is working in a restaurant.
I think the best option for any native-English speaker coming to Japan is teaching English. I am 18 and started work a month after arriving, and, two weeks later I've earned around Y30,000 (£150). Gaijinpot.com advertises for all types of jobs, but the most common is definitely teaching.
5. I didn't find anything on your blog about homestays, so I'm guessing you completely scrapped it, or ignored it?
That's true, in my blog post on Accommodation I didn't mention homestays.
Honestly, this is because I had forgotten about it being a viable option. Personally, I wouldn't want to stay with a family for 10 months or so, because I would want more privacy and freedom than might be offered. However, it might be a good idea to organise one for the first few nights as they can meet you at the airport, and introduce you to the Japanese language and culture with less of a shock.
My recommendation is definitely a guesthouse, or gaijinhouse. This means you live with other foreigners and share your kitchen, bathroom and living room with them. You might have your own rooms (like me), or stay in a dormitory. I am staying with Sakura House. There is more information on how to organise monthly (it is minimum stay of one month) accommodation with them on an earlier post.
If your heart is set on a homestay, here are a few websites I've found that might be useful.
Go Japan's Homestay page (follow the links on the page)
Go Japan's Homestay advice page
Homestayweb.com (helpfully split up into area/city)
Homestay Program Index
6. I'm just wondering how you got your apartment? In terms of coming to Japan, and having that apartment already rented? (Or arranged?). Did you have that done through a website like Gaijinpot?
I arranged my guesthouse through Sakura's House website. There's more information about the best way to find what you want with them on my Accommodation post.
7. I do meet the requirements for the Working Holiday Visa, and I'm just wondering when I should apply for it?
Basically, you should apply for the visa somewhere between six months and three weeks before you want to enter Japan and enter Japan within six months of receiving the visa. It takes about one week for the visa to be issued after application. There's more information on my Visa post.
8. About the language. My Japanese is worse than shocking.
Don't worry about language ability. English is everywhere, and although I have knowledge of Japanese, none of it was practical experience, so think of what I have done so far as using English only. Ask for someone who speaks English at banks, or shops or wherever you need help, and 90% of the time, someone with be able to help you, at least in Tokyo. I have made improvements in my language ability, but have encountered difficulties and frustration, as I mentioned last week.
9. How should I set up a bank account? Is there a specific bank I can go to that will do it? (Being under 20 years old.)
The bank account was difficult, I must admit. Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ Bank was recommended to me by Gaba, who said that I would be able to open an account there being under 20, because I would be working with them. If a company like Gaba asks you to open an account, they might be able to help you open one, like Gaba did for me. If you work with private students (not arranged through the Foreign Instructor Centre as they require a bank account) then you will be paid in cash so you don't need to worry. More information here.
10. Finally, about the mobile phone. I read on one of your blogs about needing a 20 year old to buy a mobile phone over there. Is this in every case?
As far as I know, this is in every case. Also, most phone companies are shutting down pre-paid (pay-as-you-go) services in the next few months because of crime. This is unfortunate, as the service is almost perfect for foreigners staying for a few months. I'm not sure exactly when they are being phased out totally, but they are no longer available at big-chain electronic stores or even the phone company branch shops. I had to buy mine from a convenience store.
With regard to finding someone over 20, I just asked a housemate if he knew anyone over 20 who could help me out, and I had a phone by the following evening! Sum0 (from Sum0's Japan Blog) found someone at Mickey House in Shinjuku (a language exchange cafe) who bought one for him, so maybe you could take a trip there when you arrive. Maybe my earlier post on Mobile Phones will be helpful too.
Books I recommend are 'Japan: A Working Holiday Guide', by Louise Southerden (this has been my bible for the last few years). In terms of teaching, I think 'How to Teach English', by Jeremy Harmer is very good.
I hope this has been helpful, and has answered any questions you have. If there are still some problems, let me know and I'll try to help you sort them out!
Some follow-up questions have been asked, so I will try to answer them as best I can.
1. I would want to stay by myself and rent my own apartment. I definitely want an apartment where I have my own kitchen etc, and not shared facilities. I checked the Sakura House website, and noticed they had apartments, as well as guesthouses and dorms. Do the apartments have shared bathroom, kitchen and living room? (I wasn't too sure from the website).
I have had a look at Sakura House's website and apartments do seem very appealing. I can't speak for all the apartment premises they offer, but the first one I checked was Nakano Heights. It includes a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom in a 17 sq metre space. The washing facilities are located outside the room so may be shared. The monthly rent is Y115,000 (£575) so it's more expensive than dormitories and guesthouses, but the cheapest apartment Sakura House offers is Y80,000 (£400). Some other apartments do have shared bathroom and kitchen facilities, and may be at the cheaper end.
2. I'll have a look on Google for other websites with apartments in Tokyo and see if I have any luck. I'll hope for finding one with no key money required and a small deposit. Any ideas?
I had a look online and found this website which offers apartments all over Tokyo. In most cases, you will need a guarantor, someone who lives in Japan and has a stable income, among other requirements, which is difficult to do! But they also offer 'Serviced Apartments', which sound easier to get into. You can choose a 'Long-stay apartment' and have a hunt through what you want. Prices seem to start at around Y80,000 (£400).
3. Also, about your answers to you teaching English. You stated you have two jobs. Gaba and private tutoring? Just wondering - how much money do you make through both of these, and how many students you have taken on / how many lessons you average out a week?
I have two private students, one I see once a week for a two hour lesson (Y2,000/hour) and the other I see three times a week for hour-long lessons (also Y2,000/hour). This comes out as Y10,000 (£50)/week from private students. On top of that, I work at Gaba for 1,400/40-minute lesson (soon to be 1,500/lesson). I aim to do 20 lessons a week at Gaba but at the moment it's more like 15. So, I suppose on average I aim to earn about Y30,000/week (£150).
For more information on money and living costs, see my post on Budgets.
A couple more questions:
1. Did you go to Gaba when you arrived in Japan for a 'certificate' ? ie. to get a job with them? Just wondering how it was, and what it involved?
Yes, what they call 'Certification' is actually just their in-house training. Once you complete the three 9-hour days of training and get at least 70% on the test at the end, you can start working for them. The test was very simple and you can use any textbooks or internet resources in the room to help you. I applied to Gaba through Gaijinpot.com and that's how I found the job.
The training basically involved sitting there for a hours on end taking notes, and then practising teaching each other, with one pretending to be a Japanese student, the other teaching them a lesson from the textbook. On the third day, we taught real Japanese people, which was more interesting.
2. I read that you do 15 lessons a week - do you get an email from Gaba with details of a student who wants lessons, then you just have to respond and confirm if you can or cannot do it? (I read something like that on one of your blog entries - was that with Gaba or your own private teaching?)
That system works for my private students. The way Gaba works is that I submit the schedule I want to work in, for example, March, on February 10th and then students book lessons online. The students do choose their teachers but I've already said that I'm okay to work that lesson, so no confirmation is needed.
3. Also, you said you aim to do 20 lessons a week. Does this mean that you get the opportunity to do more lessons? How many do you think on average you could do each week?
I can do as little or as much work as I want to. I could put myself down for every available lesson under the sun - although that would be stupid. I work the busiest times, weekday evenings and weekends, and that adds up to around 15 a week. If I worked longer hours at these times, or worked during weekdays (not much chance of getting booked here because everyone's at work!) then I could work 50-60 lessons a week. You would have to be pretty lucky to actually get booked for these times though, as you only get paid for the lessons you teach.
4. Is it completely random where a student contacts Gaba and is assigned to a random teacher, or can they choose? - can a student 'pick you' in the sense that once you teach them, they can decide if they want to have future lessons with you?
Most of the time they choose, but sometimes they are assigned to a particular teacher because the managers think they would work well together, and sometimes they say 'I don't mind' and they get put with whoever's available. And yes, in order to become popular with students at Gaba, you need to do good lessons so students come back and book your lessons!
Friday, January 25, 2008
We Have Heat!
Up til now, I haven't used the air conditioner in my room (all Sakura House rooms come with an air conditioner) but I was just so cold and tired of shivering in the mornings and evenings, that I've used the remote control and turned the heat up.
The air conditioner is controlled by the remote control, and it only has buttons with Japanese written on them so they gave me a sheet with the English translation on when I first checked-in. How useful!
And now it's blissfully warm in my room. For the first time since I arrived! It's always been lovely to step out into the kitchen and horrible to come back into my room!
I'm going to watch another episode of Family Guy (Family Guy Now.com is a lifesaver!) and go to bed for an early start tomorrow. I'm going to try to see Sumo! I'll let you know if I can get a ticket, and how it goes.
Miles
The air conditioner is controlled by the remote control, and it only has buttons with Japanese written on them so they gave me a sheet with the English translation on when I first checked-in. How useful!
And now it's blissfully warm in my room. For the first time since I arrived! It's always been lovely to step out into the kitchen and horrible to come back into my room!
I'm going to watch another episode of Family Guy (Family Guy Now.com is a lifesaver!) and go to bed for an early start tomorrow. I'm going to try to see Sumo! I'll let you know if I can get a ticket, and how it goes.
Miles
Friday, January 18, 2008
Shopping & Cooking
I was tired of shopping at 7-11s and am-pms and other convenience stores across the road from me and I had heard from a housemate that there was a proper supermarket nearby somewhere. So I asked one of them for directions and set off with high hopes.
Got lost and did a full circle back to the guesthouse... Hmm... So I went to the neighbourhood Koban (police boxes which are manned 24 hours; there's one in every neighbourhood) and asked them for directions. One of them spoke a bit of English so I followed "Straight... right.... straight" and got lost again. I decided to give up searching and go back and ask at my guesthouse again. But everyone was out! I tried to find a map on the internet, but none to be found!
Then I found the map Sakura House gave me to find my guesthouse. Aha! It wasn't labelled on there but I took it back to the Koban and they pointed it out to me. By this time it was dark but I finally found it! Daimaru Peacock. I bought loads of stuff - including my favourite cereal, which was really expensive but I didn't care! I love it! I got lots of stuff I'd needed for a while, like water and milk, and other things like fruit and meat, which aren't available in the convenience stores.
Then I totally destroyed my arm muscles on the walk back to the guesthouse. It's only about 10 minutes walk, and it's a nice route past Suitengu Shrine, but ow! It was cold too so my hands were red with white lines across them.
I wanted to cook my first proper meal, it wasn't going to be Japanese (we'll get to that!) but I wanted something that you don't pierce and cook for 2 minutes on full power. I made myself a beef casserole with rice and bread. It was a struggle, as we only have one saucepan and two hobs. So I had to cook the rice in a bowl in the microwave and keep topping it up with water from the kettle (which took up one of the hobs). But it went beautifully after the initial difficulty. I made far too much, of course, so I was absolutely stuffed by the time I finished it, but pleased.
It settles you in to a place, I think, shopping and cooking. A nice activity to try to make yourself feel like you fit into an area.
Still got to sort my bank account and phone, but it will come.
Got lost and did a full circle back to the guesthouse... Hmm... So I went to the neighbourhood Koban (police boxes which are manned 24 hours; there's one in every neighbourhood) and asked them for directions. One of them spoke a bit of English so I followed "Straight... right.... straight" and got lost again. I decided to give up searching and go back and ask at my guesthouse again. But everyone was out! I tried to find a map on the internet, but none to be found!
Then I found the map Sakura House gave me to find my guesthouse. Aha! It wasn't labelled on there but I took it back to the Koban and they pointed it out to me. By this time it was dark but I finally found it! Daimaru Peacock. I bought loads of stuff - including my favourite cereal, which was really expensive but I didn't care! I love it! I got lots of stuff I'd needed for a while, like water and milk, and other things like fruit and meat, which aren't available in the convenience stores.
Then I totally destroyed my arm muscles on the walk back to the guesthouse. It's only about 10 minutes walk, and it's a nice route past Suitengu Shrine, but ow! It was cold too so my hands were red with white lines across them.
I wanted to cook my first proper meal, it wasn't going to be Japanese (we'll get to that!) but I wanted something that you don't pierce and cook for 2 minutes on full power. I made myself a beef casserole with rice and bread. It was a struggle, as we only have one saucepan and two hobs. So I had to cook the rice in a bowl in the microwave and keep topping it up with water from the kettle (which took up one of the hobs). But it went beautifully after the initial difficulty. I made far too much, of course, so I was absolutely stuffed by the time I finished it, but pleased.
It settles you in to a place, I think, shopping and cooking. A nice activity to try to make yourself feel like you fit into an area.
Still got to sort my bank account and phone, but it will come.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Softbank update
Well I rang Softbank phone company today from a payphone at the Tokyo City Air Terminal (TCAT) to find out if there was any way that I, being 18, and a foreigner, could buy a pre-paid (Pay-as-you-go in the UK) phone from them. And they said yes!
These are the views from my window. They look nice in the sun, and when spring comes and those trees blossom and bloom, I bet they will look spectacular!
Apparently if I take someone over 20 with me (if they are foreign they need an Alien Registration card and a passport, if Japanese just a passport) and they can buy the handset and first pre-paid card for me. Then I can continue buying the top-up pre-paid cards from normal convenience stores! Sounds good right?
Now all I need to do is find someone willing to help me out... Unfortunately the Japanese friend I went out with on Monday is moving to Osaka tomorrow so that's a no! So I will ask some of my housemates and see if any of them can spare a couple of hours soon. Maybe I'll offer to buy them a meal or something...
In other news, it's a lovely day in Tokyo. Chilly but bright. I cooked my first meal for brunch this morning - fried egg and sausage sandwich. Okay, so it's not very Japanese... but I've never cooked Japanese food before! (Besides rice and noodles before anyone interjects there!)
My room was looking a little dusty so I opened the window and gave it a vacuum (supplied by Sakura House) and now it's sparkling. 
These are the views from my window. They look nice in the sun, and when spring comes and those trees blossom and bloom, I bet they will look spectacular! Hope you have a nice day, whatever you do.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Kamera!
Well, after a couple of scares and "I'll have to take this back tomorrow"s and my new camera is working beautifully!
This is just a random shot of my bed in my room. A bit messy, but hey... I was sorting things out at the time.
Yay! Camera!
Be prepared for floods of photos now.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Settling in
Waking up on Tuesday evening was such a shock to my system. It didn't help that when I turned my laptop on to check emails and everything, as I had set both the time and the time-zone to Japan it told me that it was Wednesday evening! So I thought I had lost an entire day and a half to sleep!
My inbox was full of emails wondering how I was getting on, including some worried ones, so I quickly replied and said that I was fine, just had been sleeping!!
So, having worked out that it was Tuesday, not Wednesday, I realised that the last thing I had eaten was on the plane on Monday morning. But I was too tired still (plus I hadn't showered since Saturday) to go out and find food. And of course I only had emergency chocolate with me so I just replied to my emails and went back to sleep.
If there was a Pursuit of Happyness style chapter system to my life, then this part would be called, "Sleeping".
I woke up at 5am and checked my emails again, then forced myself to go back to bed. I then woke up 11.45 and decided that enough was enough. It was time to get myself sorted. Three days without food is not good.
So I showered (thankfully the shower wasn't confusing and didn't cut out halfway through, or fluctuate between hot and cold, or anything like that) and got dressed. Then I ventured outside. It was warm enough for just a T-shirt and top but I was trembling, probably I was a bit apprehensive of what I might find out in the big bad world of Japan. But I found an am-pm convenience store round the corner and bought some supplies. I got a sandwich, a bottle of mineral water, a chocolate bar (they have Mars and Nestle products like Snickers and M&Ms but not Cadbury) and some bread rolls.
Then I went straight back to my room for lunch. But my system was so unused to food that I could only eat a couple of bites of this lovely big sandwich I'd bought! So I saved the rest for dinner and started applying for jobs on Gaijin Pot.com (a brilliant website devoted to foreigners in Japan, particularly ones looking for work). After applying for about 9 jobs, I decided it was time for dinner. So I ate more of the sandwich (I still couldn't finish it all!) and half of the chocolate bar.
I had arranged to talk to my brother Dominic on MSN when he got home from school so I had to burn some time until 10:30pm. A perfect opportunity for some sightseeing! So I found my way to the nearby bank of the Sumida River, which runs straight through Northern and Central Tokyo (through areas like Asakusa, Nihonbashi and Tokyo Bay) and wound my way through the far-too-confusing walkways to the pedestrian bridge. The view was absolutely amazing. It was dark, but warm, and the river was smooth and peaceful. I could see right down the river, past colourful bridges to the high-rise skyline of Nihonbashi. The skyscrapers were all lit up in yellow and orange and it was truly amazing. Tokyo is a city to be seen at night!
When I get a camera, I'll take a photo of this sight and post it because it's definitely worth seeing. The photos are now up and you can see them here.
Then I walked to Suitengu shrine, the nearest one to me. It was all closed up for the night but it was still impressive with its red-painted wood and high, multi-layered storeys. The streets were almost deserted, it was nice to see parts of Tokyo are quiet!
This pleasant evening was highlighted by the fact that I had been invited to an Information Seminar at one school and a job interview with another!
I was starting to settle in, starting to get used to things, starting to enjoy myself...
My inbox was full of emails wondering how I was getting on, including some worried ones, so I quickly replied and said that I was fine, just had been sleeping!!
So, having worked out that it was Tuesday, not Wednesday, I realised that the last thing I had eaten was on the plane on Monday morning. But I was too tired still (plus I hadn't showered since Saturday) to go out and find food. And of course I only had emergency chocolate with me so I just replied to my emails and went back to sleep.
If there was a Pursuit of Happyness style chapter system to my life, then this part would be called, "Sleeping".
I woke up at 5am and checked my emails again, then forced myself to go back to bed. I then woke up 11.45 and decided that enough was enough. It was time to get myself sorted. Three days without food is not good.
So I showered (thankfully the shower wasn't confusing and didn't cut out halfway through, or fluctuate between hot and cold, or anything like that) and got dressed. Then I ventured outside. It was warm enough for just a T-shirt and top but I was trembling, probably I was a bit apprehensive of what I might find out in the big bad world of Japan. But I found an am-pm convenience store round the corner and bought some supplies. I got a sandwich, a bottle of mineral water, a chocolate bar (they have Mars and Nestle products like Snickers and M&Ms but not Cadbury) and some bread rolls.
Then I went straight back to my room for lunch. But my system was so unused to food that I could only eat a couple of bites of this lovely big sandwich I'd bought! So I saved the rest for dinner and started applying for jobs on Gaijin Pot.com (a brilliant website devoted to foreigners in Japan, particularly ones looking for work). After applying for about 9 jobs, I decided it was time for dinner. So I ate more of the sandwich (I still couldn't finish it all!) and half of the chocolate bar.
I had arranged to talk to my brother Dominic on MSN when he got home from school so I had to burn some time until 10:30pm. A perfect opportunity for some sightseeing! So I found my way to the nearby bank of the Sumida River, which runs straight through Northern and Central Tokyo (through areas like Asakusa, Nihonbashi and Tokyo Bay) and wound my way through the far-too-confusing walkways to the pedestrian bridge. The view was absolutely amazing. It was dark, but warm, and the river was smooth and peaceful. I could see right down the river, past colourful bridges to the high-rise skyline of Nihonbashi. The skyscrapers were all lit up in yellow and orange and it was truly amazing. Tokyo is a city to be seen at night!
When I get a camera, I'll take a photo of this sight and post it because it's definitely worth seeing. The photos are now up and you can see them here.
Then I walked to Suitengu shrine, the nearest one to me. It was all closed up for the night but it was still impressive with its red-painted wood and high, multi-layered storeys. The streets were almost deserted, it was nice to see parts of Tokyo are quiet!
This pleasant evening was highlighted by the fact that I had been invited to an Information Seminar at one school and a job interview with another!
I was starting to settle in, starting to get used to things, starting to enjoy myself...
Saturday, January 12, 2008
My First Day
So I was standing, with all my luggage, in the Arrivals Lounge of Narita Airport. I located the Limousine bus counter, which offers great services from and to Tokyo's two airports, Narita and Haneda (mainly domestic), from and to major stations, hotels and areas. The leaflet I had said that the counter was orange-coloured but it was white, with a bit of orange behind it. Very disappointing! The woman spoke English and I bought a 12.30 ticket to Shinjuku station for Y3,000 (£15). I asked for some small change, I'm sure that was rude but I needed it for the phone!
I found a green-coloured phone (green = international calls are okay) and followed the instructions (written in both English and Japanese) to call home. It was very long number but it worked. It ate my Y100 coins like a hungry child. I ended up spending Y500 (£2.50) on a call that lasted about a minute and a half or so. But it was great to get in touch and know that everything was okay at home (it was about 3am).
My bus left five minutes later so I left the airport and found the bus stop directly to the left of the front door. I joined the orderly queue people were making and made sure I had everything with me. The bus arrived and the screen on the side clearly proclaimed 'Shinjuku Park Hyatt', via Shinjuku station, and then a lot of other hotel names. Great! A man took my suitcase and put it into the bus. They do have restrictions on baggage, see the website in case they change but I was well within them. It was something like two bags, each measuring 120cm x 60cm x 50cm, weighing no more than 30kg each. So it's definitely a good option if you have lots of baggage.
With my luggage receipt in hand, and my rucksack, I found a window seat (it was quite empty, no one sat next to me and the back was basically free of people). As we left, I was struck by how... normal, Japan looked. It looked like a cross-breed between suburban UK and USA. The trees lining the road out of the airport were bare and scary-looking but I'm sure they'd look lovely in spring, summer or autumn.
I almost forgot that I was in Japan so when the top of a pagoda appeared over the trees in a nearby wood, I was taken completely off-guard. From this point on, to about three days later, when I finally ventured out of my room, everything felt completely surreal, like I was in a dream world. I couldn't be in Japan. I couldn't have just flown halfway round the world. It couldn't be 7th January. That's the day after I leave for Japan! So it's impossible that it's that date today.
Then the bus left the rural area and made its way into suburban Tokyo. Narita Airport is about 60km east of central Tokyo because there's more space out there. So even surburban Tokyo (places in Chiba prefecture like Myoden, Funabashi and Ichikawa) are quite far from the centre. There were nice Japanese-style houses, fields and then the more usual tower blocks and the start of the urban sprawl. I wondered why the houses didn't spread further out - surely they need the space? And if it's there, why not use it? I don't think Japan has the same greenfield or greenbelt laws that the UK does - again, Geography geek!
Before I knew it, we were driving over Rainbow Bridge and I could see Tokyo bay and signs to places like Ginza, Shinjuku and Nihonbashi. Am I actually here? It must just be a dream...
We passed Tokyo Disneyland, with its quintessential fairytale castle with lots of towers. Don't think I'll make it there, probably expensive. Besides, if you've seen one, it's probable you've seen them all. Might be fun though.
Then we passed a building saying 'Yokoso' (Welcome) and I knew we were in the Tokyo Metropolitan area. The very first tall buildings I saw over the river put central Birmingham to shame. I thought, is this Shinjuku already? I thought it was an 85 minutes trip? But they were just apartment buildings and tower blocks. Wow.
Sorry I don't have photos by the way. I didn't have a camera, I plan to buy one from Akihabara (discount electronics district) before I do any of the big sights.
Then came Tokyo Tower, and then, far too soon for my liking (I was very nervous), we were passing the Tokyo Park Hyatt's three-tiered skyscraper and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building next to it. Then we were in Shinjuku and outside the station. I collected my suitcase with my receipt and retrieved the map from my pocket. I had to go and check-in with Sakura House, pay my first month's rent and collect the keys. Using the map I'd printed off from their website, and my Tourist Map of Tokyo, I navigated my way up past the huge blocks that claimed to be buildings with people inside, and found the Sunkus building. I felt like a little Lego man staring up at a three-storey house with all the enormous structures around me. That scale may not be too far off reality actually. One of things that struck me, and still strikes me as I walk around, is how clean it is. There's hardly any litter, if there's any at all. I thought that was pretty amazing, considering the state of some of the streets in the UK.
Sakura House's main office was on the second floor so I took the lift up and entered the boiling hot room. I was dehydrated from the flight and then the bus journey, and Japanese buildings are apparently over-heated in winter and over-cooled in summer. The Japanese actually have a word for the sickness caused by fluctuating temperatures between outside and inside - natsubate. Apparently it's healthy to have a difference of 5C at the most, otherwise your body gets confused about what it's meant to be doing.
As I hadn't slept, I signed everything they shoved under my nose, trying to read it but my vision blurring. I got a copy of it so I know it's legitimate. I gave them my debit card to take the Y80,000 (around £400) first month's rent. I don't know how they got the money without me entering my PIN but I've Internet banked and know how much left my account. They gave me a receipt too.
Thankfully they had a water cooler so I helped myself to liberal amounts of that.
Next it was time to make my way back across the city the way I had come to actually get into my room and SLEEEEEP!
So I took the subway Toei Oedo line (the maroon one that goes in a big circle. I think it serves a similar purpose underground to the JR Yamanote train line (green or black and white on maps), linking major stations in the central area) from Shinjuku Nishiguchi. Thankfully, it wasn't crowded at all and I could sit down with my bags. I changed once at Kiyosumi-shirakawa for the Hanzomon line (purple) and got off at my nearest station. It wasn't expensive. Although sometimes the machine swallows your ticket when you change lines if the money on it has been used up on the previous journey so that's annoying. But I'll do a full post on subways and hopefully have pictures up and running.
I left the station via the exit labelled on the map Sakura House gave me (mine is a tiny station, not even on some subway maps and it's 300 metres long and has 9 separate exits!) and followed the route. It only took me two minutes, even with my suitcase constantly knocking my right shoe off. Then I saw the parking sign I had taken note of from the picture on the website and went in. There's parking space at the front of the building, under the shelter, and washing machines and tumble-dryers (I'm gonna have to figure them out soon!) and a lift and stairs up to the rooms at the back.
I took the lift because the stairs were steep and narrow, and my bags were heavy. I went up to my floor and opened the front door to the living room. I took my shoes off and left them in the shoe rack and stepped up into the room (how Japanese!). The living room/ kitchen looked nice, all cramped in but what could I expect? I found my room down the corridor and opened it.
My first thought was "Where's the bed?" but then I realised that I really needed some sleep as it was to the left, whereas most of the other things were to the right. I put my bags down, locked the door behind me and lay on the bed.
I woke up the next evening.
I found a green-coloured phone (green = international calls are okay) and followed the instructions (written in both English and Japanese) to call home. It was very long number but it worked. It ate my Y100 coins like a hungry child. I ended up spending Y500 (£2.50) on a call that lasted about a minute and a half or so. But it was great to get in touch and know that everything was okay at home (it was about 3am).
My bus left five minutes later so I left the airport and found the bus stop directly to the left of the front door. I joined the orderly queue people were making and made sure I had everything with me. The bus arrived and the screen on the side clearly proclaimed 'Shinjuku Park Hyatt', via Shinjuku station, and then a lot of other hotel names. Great! A man took my suitcase and put it into the bus. They do have restrictions on baggage, see the website in case they change but I was well within them. It was something like two bags, each measuring 120cm x 60cm x 50cm, weighing no more than 30kg each. So it's definitely a good option if you have lots of baggage.
With my luggage receipt in hand, and my rucksack, I found a window seat (it was quite empty, no one sat next to me and the back was basically free of people). As we left, I was struck by how... normal, Japan looked. It looked like a cross-breed between suburban UK and USA. The trees lining the road out of the airport were bare and scary-looking but I'm sure they'd look lovely in spring, summer or autumn.
I almost forgot that I was in Japan so when the top of a pagoda appeared over the trees in a nearby wood, I was taken completely off-guard. From this point on, to about three days later, when I finally ventured out of my room, everything felt completely surreal, like I was in a dream world. I couldn't be in Japan. I couldn't have just flown halfway round the world. It couldn't be 7th January. That's the day after I leave for Japan! So it's impossible that it's that date today.
Then the bus left the rural area and made its way into suburban Tokyo. Narita Airport is about 60km east of central Tokyo because there's more space out there. So even surburban Tokyo (places in Chiba prefecture like Myoden, Funabashi and Ichikawa) are quite far from the centre. There were nice Japanese-style houses, fields and then the more usual tower blocks and the start of the urban sprawl. I wondered why the houses didn't spread further out - surely they need the space? And if it's there, why not use it? I don't think Japan has the same greenfield or greenbelt laws that the UK does - again, Geography geek!
Before I knew it, we were driving over Rainbow Bridge and I could see Tokyo bay and signs to places like Ginza, Shinjuku and Nihonbashi. Am I actually here? It must just be a dream...
We passed Tokyo Disneyland, with its quintessential fairytale castle with lots of towers. Don't think I'll make it there, probably expensive. Besides, if you've seen one, it's probable you've seen them all. Might be fun though.
Then we passed a building saying 'Yokoso' (Welcome) and I knew we were in the Tokyo Metropolitan area. The very first tall buildings I saw over the river put central Birmingham to shame. I thought, is this Shinjuku already? I thought it was an 85 minutes trip? But they were just apartment buildings and tower blocks. Wow.
Sorry I don't have photos by the way. I didn't have a camera, I plan to buy one from Akihabara (discount electronics district) before I do any of the big sights.
Then came Tokyo Tower, and then, far too soon for my liking (I was very nervous), we were passing the Tokyo Park Hyatt's three-tiered skyscraper and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building next to it. Then we were in Shinjuku and outside the station. I collected my suitcase with my receipt and retrieved the map from my pocket. I had to go and check-in with Sakura House, pay my first month's rent and collect the keys. Using the map I'd printed off from their website, and my Tourist Map of Tokyo, I navigated my way up past the huge blocks that claimed to be buildings with people inside, and found the Sunkus building. I felt like a little Lego man staring up at a three-storey house with all the enormous structures around me. That scale may not be too far off reality actually. One of things that struck me, and still strikes me as I walk around, is how clean it is. There's hardly any litter, if there's any at all. I thought that was pretty amazing, considering the state of some of the streets in the UK.
Sakura House's main office was on the second floor so I took the lift up and entered the boiling hot room. I was dehydrated from the flight and then the bus journey, and Japanese buildings are apparently over-heated in winter and over-cooled in summer. The Japanese actually have a word for the sickness caused by fluctuating temperatures between outside and inside - natsubate. Apparently it's healthy to have a difference of 5C at the most, otherwise your body gets confused about what it's meant to be doing.
As I hadn't slept, I signed everything they shoved under my nose, trying to read it but my vision blurring. I got a copy of it so I know it's legitimate. I gave them my debit card to take the Y80,000 (around £400) first month's rent. I don't know how they got the money without me entering my PIN but I've Internet banked and know how much left my account. They gave me a receipt too.
Thankfully they had a water cooler so I helped myself to liberal amounts of that.
Next it was time to make my way back across the city the way I had come to actually get into my room and SLEEEEEP!
So I took the subway Toei Oedo line (the maroon one that goes in a big circle. I think it serves a similar purpose underground to the JR Yamanote train line (green or black and white on maps), linking major stations in the central area) from Shinjuku Nishiguchi. Thankfully, it wasn't crowded at all and I could sit down with my bags. I changed once at Kiyosumi-shirakawa for the Hanzomon line (purple) and got off at my nearest station. It wasn't expensive. Although sometimes the machine swallows your ticket when you change lines if the money on it has been used up on the previous journey so that's annoying. But I'll do a full post on subways and hopefully have pictures up and running.
I left the station via the exit labelled on the map Sakura House gave me (mine is a tiny station, not even on some subway maps and it's 300 metres long and has 9 separate exits!) and followed the route. It only took me two minutes, even with my suitcase constantly knocking my right shoe off. Then I saw the parking sign I had taken note of from the picture on the website and went in. There's parking space at the front of the building, under the shelter, and washing machines and tumble-dryers (I'm gonna have to figure them out soon!) and a lift and stairs up to the rooms at the back.
I took the lift because the stairs were steep and narrow, and my bags were heavy. I went up to my floor and opened the front door to the living room. I took my shoes off and left them in the shoe rack and stepped up into the room (how Japanese!). The living room/ kitchen looked nice, all cramped in but what could I expect? I found my room down the corridor and opened it.
My first thought was "Where's the bed?" but then I realised that I really needed some sleep as it was to the left, whereas most of the other things were to the right. I put my bags down, locked the door behind me and lay on the bed.
I woke up the next evening.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Japan, five years in the making
Sorry for the lack of the posting over the past few weeks. It's just been absolutely manic! The last five days before I left especially were crazy. So much to do and so little time to do it in!
But I can confirm that I am now sitting in my guesthouse in Tokyo. And if there's one word to sum up today, then it would be... surreal. Just like a dream, it's not actually happening, I'm just imagining it.
Anyway, jetlag is catching up with me and my bed looks so cosy...
I promise I'll post properly soon and write about my flying experiences and first day's adventures in Japan.
But I can confirm that I am now sitting in my guesthouse in Tokyo. And if there's one word to sum up today, then it would be... surreal. Just like a dream, it's not actually happening, I'm just imagining it.
Anyway, jetlag is catching up with me and my bed looks so cosy...
I promise I'll post properly soon and write about my flying experiences and first day's adventures in Japan.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Accommodation
There are loads of options for where to stay in Japan. It ranges from the relatively cheap to the immensely expensive, depending on where you want to live, what condition the place is in, and how large the room(s) are/is.
1. You could do it the Japanese way and get a proper apartment
The size of an apartment is judged by how many rooms there are, and what facilities are included. For example, a 1LDK apartment will have one room with a living area, dining area and kitchen, with a separate bathroom. A 2LDK will have two rooms with a living area, dining area and kitchen etc.
This is how you will see apartments advertised.
Pros:
- you get a permanent place to stay
- you can furnish it how you like
Cons:
- it's expensive (key money is everything you pay your landlord before you even move in - can be up to 6 months' rent)
- it's a complicated process (competent knowledge of Japanese would be required!)
- there may be discrimination against dealing with a foreigner
- you will have to get your own furniture etc.
2. You could stay in a hotel
This is only a really viable option if you plan to stay there for a short time, as your bill at the end of it could be astronomical. But you don't have to stay in the Tokyo Park Hyatt, you could find cheaper options, for example, Sakura House's Sakura Hotel in Jimbocho, Tokyo. Of course, there are even cheaper hotels outside of the major cities, Tokyo is bound to have the most pricey. There is also a new hostel (Tokyo's largest) in Asakusa with 162 beds.
Osaka - http://www.asiarooms.com/japan/osaka.html, http://www.travellerspoint.com/budget-hotels-en-ci-921.html
Kyoto - http://www.travellerspoint.com/budget-hotels-en-ci-645.html, http://www.hotelclub.net/hotel.reservations/Kyoto.htm
Pros:
- all utilities paid for
- furnished rooms
Cons:
- expensive!
3. You could stay in a guesthouse, or gaijinhouse (foreigner house)
There are several different types of guesthouse. You could stay in a dormitory, where you share a room with other people. This is probably the cheapest accommodation you will find from ¥35,000. Sakura House seems to be a good choice.
Or, the one that I chose, Sakura House's guesthouse. You rent a room for a month at a time (all utilities etc. included) and share your kitchen, bathroom and toilet with the other occupants of the house. The actual houses can range from tiny old-style Japanese houses in the suburbs to towering high-rise blocks in central Tokyo. The rent can range from ¥48,000 to over ¥100,000 plus a deposit of ¥30,000 when you move in, ¥20,000 of which is refundable when you move out.
You can search by location, price and availability to find accommodation but this seems to be a more difficult way to it.
The easiest way to book a room, at least from what I can see, is using Sakura House's Advance Reservation form where you can ask for a particular date and specify location and your personal requirements if you want and they find available accommodation that suits you. One fault with this system is that you are meant to be able to say 'Other, or anywhere is ok' in relation to where you would like to stay. However, when I tried to submit my application it said that I hadn't specified a location. So I rang them up and asked what I should do. Very helpful man in Shinjuku told me that I just tick any box and then use the requests/ comments box at the end of the form to say that anywhere is fine.
Earlier today, I got an email with an offer of a very nice looking room in central Tokyo to which I replied "Yes! Yes, I'll take it!" They should send me another email asking for my card details (you can only use Visa or MasterCard) to send my deposit and make the reservation official.
You can contact them at info@sakura-house.com or on +81-3-5330-5250 (remember that the + stands for different things in different countries, in the UK it is 00) but remember about the time difference! Tokyo is 9 hours ahead of London and they are open from 8.50am til 5.50pm.
Pros:
- huge variety of choice with Sakura House
- relatively cheap
- good way to meet people
- widespread across Japan
- easy for travelling, especially for people on Working Holiday visas, like me
- fully furnished and utilities are included
Cons:
- usually booked for whole months at a time
- based mainly in major cities
- less privacy than apartments, shared kitchen and bathroom facilities
Sakura House is only based in Tokyo but there are other companies for different cities.
Osaka - http://www11.ocn.ne.jp/~otomari/oig/, http://www.learn4good.com/hostels/budget_accommodations/japan/osaka_international_guesthouse.htm, http://www.u-en.net/english.html
Kyoto - http://www.budgetinnjp.com/, http://www.gojo-guest-house.com/, http://www.kyotojp.com/kyotoguesthouse.html
Nagoya - http://www.freebell.co.jp/GH/
Fukuoka - http://www.a1tourism.com/japan/fukuoka.html, http://www.hostelscentral.com/city-1620.html
Sapporo - http://www.plaza-sapporo.or.jp/sgh/, http://coe.math.sci.hokudai.ac.jp/sympo/venue_g.html
There are others of course, if in doubt, consult google!
1. You could do it the Japanese way and get a proper apartment
The size of an apartment is judged by how many rooms there are, and what facilities are included. For example, a 1LDK apartment will have one room with a living area, dining area and kitchen, with a separate bathroom. A 2LDK will have two rooms with a living area, dining area and kitchen etc.
This is how you will see apartments advertised.
Pros:
- you get a permanent place to stay
- you can furnish it how you like
Cons:
- it's expensive (key money is everything you pay your landlord before you even move in - can be up to 6 months' rent)
- it's a complicated process (competent knowledge of Japanese would be required!)
- there may be discrimination against dealing with a foreigner
- you will have to get your own furniture etc.
2. You could stay in a hotel
This is only a really viable option if you plan to stay there for a short time, as your bill at the end of it could be astronomical. But you don't have to stay in the Tokyo Park Hyatt, you could find cheaper options, for example, Sakura House's Sakura Hotel in Jimbocho, Tokyo. Of course, there are even cheaper hotels outside of the major cities, Tokyo is bound to have the most pricey. There is also a new hostel (Tokyo's largest) in Asakusa with 162 beds.
Osaka - http://www.asiarooms.com/japan/osaka.html, http://www.travellerspoint.com/budget-hotels-en-ci-921.html
Kyoto - http://www.travellerspoint.com/budget-hotels-en-ci-645.html, http://www.hotelclub.net/hotel.reservations/Kyoto.htm
Pros:
- all utilities paid for
- furnished rooms
Cons:
- expensive!
3. You could stay in a guesthouse, or gaijinhouse (foreigner house)
There are several different types of guesthouse. You could stay in a dormitory, where you share a room with other people. This is probably the cheapest accommodation you will find from ¥35,000. Sakura House seems to be a good choice.
Or, the one that I chose, Sakura House's guesthouse. You rent a room for a month at a time (all utilities etc. included) and share your kitchen, bathroom and toilet with the other occupants of the house. The actual houses can range from tiny old-style Japanese houses in the suburbs to towering high-rise blocks in central Tokyo. The rent can range from ¥48,000 to over ¥100,000 plus a deposit of ¥30,000 when you move in, ¥20,000 of which is refundable when you move out.
You can search by location, price and availability to find accommodation but this seems to be a more difficult way to it.
The easiest way to book a room, at least from what I can see, is using Sakura House's Advance Reservation form where you can ask for a particular date and specify location and your personal requirements if you want and they find available accommodation that suits you. One fault with this system is that you are meant to be able to say 'Other, or anywhere is ok' in relation to where you would like to stay. However, when I tried to submit my application it said that I hadn't specified a location. So I rang them up and asked what I should do. Very helpful man in Shinjuku told me that I just tick any box and then use the requests/ comments box at the end of the form to say that anywhere is fine.
Earlier today, I got an email with an offer of a very nice looking room in central Tokyo to which I replied "Yes! Yes, I'll take it!" They should send me another email asking for my card details (you can only use Visa or MasterCard) to send my deposit and make the reservation official.
You can contact them at info@sakura-house.com or on +81-3-5330-5250 (remember that the + stands for different things in different countries, in the UK it is 00) but remember about the time difference! Tokyo is 9 hours ahead of London and they are open from 8.50am til 5.50pm.
Pros:
- huge variety of choice with Sakura House
- relatively cheap
- good way to meet people
- widespread across Japan
- easy for travelling, especially for people on Working Holiday visas, like me
- fully furnished and utilities are included
Cons:
- usually booked for whole months at a time
- based mainly in major cities
- less privacy than apartments, shared kitchen and bathroom facilities
Sakura House is only based in Tokyo but there are other companies for different cities.
Osaka - http://www11.ocn.ne.jp/~otomari/oig/, http://www.learn4good.com/hostels/budget_accommodations/japan/osaka_international_guesthouse.htm, http://www.u-en.net/english.html
Kyoto - http://www.budgetinnjp.com/, http://www.gojo-guest-house.com/, http://www.kyotojp.com/kyotoguesthouse.html
Nagoya - http://www.freebell.co.jp/GH/
Fukuoka - http://www.a1tourism.com/japan/fukuoka.html, http://www.hostelscentral.com/city-1620.html
Sapporo - http://www.plaza-sapporo.or.jp/sgh/, http://coe.math.sci.hokudai.ac.jp/sympo/venue_g.html
There are others of course, if in doubt, consult google!
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