Quietly I see: Some thoughts

Different things I note about Tokyo....

The people (mainly guys) are mad about Pachinko. It is like pinball with metal balls. People actually queue up before the place open to get their favourite seats. The metal balls they win are used to echange for goods. This is done to get around the law as exchanging for money is illegal. The goods are usually sold for cash at some shops. The place is loud and smoky. Hmm, I want to learn and try it once.

They are not as efficient as I thought they will be. Applying for internet will prob take at least 2 weeks for it to be activated. Handphone process will take abt 2-3 hours.The forms to fill up is very tedious, you even have to write your working address. Applying for internet / credit cards is through the mail, and if you made a mistake, it will be sent back to you and you have to correct it and send it back. This is come and go a few times before it is approved. Banks don’t even give you the atm card immediately. You have to wait for a about 1 week and find your card in the mailbox.

I recalled the last time I came over here for interview, they have really cool handphones. But now, I don't see one which wows me. They currently have digital tv live streaming and good internet surfing, that is about it, nothing really mind blowing. The big difference is that they have a huge range of phones to choose from. The most innovative phone I see is Casio 5.1mp phone. One other thing is that they are not big for PDA phones at all. The choices for such phones are limited to abt 5-8. And the operators which hold them are usually the small players with smaller coverage.

Phone plans over here sucks. They have only abt 60mins of free minutes. They cannot send sms to different providers; as such they email each other instead. They charge by 30sec blocks which actually adds up to alot. They have very complicated signing up system and 3 times more types of plans (does not help it is all in jap). Another thing is the phone models are exclusive to providers. As such, it is actually better to decide the providers then choose a phone they have.

The japs don't really slow down their speaking or use simpler terms even when they know you do not know the language well. I end up nodding my head and saying ' hai hai' often. It is really a difficult language to learn.

Recycling is a big thing over in Japan. Infact, it is the only way to throw your rubbish. It is a pain; you have to carefully seperate your thrash, which also means you have at least 2 bins. Everytime I go to bins, I will have to take some time to figure out which one is the proper one to throw my rubbish. Till now, I still have not figure out the correct procedure. An irritating thing is that there are not many bins along the road. I have to lug the rubbish till I find one after some time.

There is abundant walking. 20mins to the train from my dorm and another 20mins from the train station to the training center. The heat just makes is worst. I hate to arrive at a place already dripping and the whole day you feel sticky and gross. There is a bus, but it cost about $2.50 per ride. Taxis here are insane; flag down rate is about $8.50.

They are not very big on the NETS and Credit card culture. The banks even charge you for drawing out money when it is not working hours. But you can link your transport farecard and payment method to your handphone.

All in all, life over here is pretty good. I have not much complains. The biggest disappointment is that the dormitory rules are even stricter then hall in uni days. I have no idea why they are being such a pain. 30% of the people here are middle aged and the rest are all adults. I understand they are alittle more vigilant due to a case of a drunken man stalking a girl back to her room. But now there are extreme, no access to the girls rooms unless you sign a book. No visitors after 10pm. Security cameras everywhere. Plus the person in charge looks as if he is constipated every single second of the day. It is not as if we are kids, we are all adults here. Oh well, sorry guys…no free accommodation when you come over (not that my room is very big). Anyway, this place is probably not convenient for tourist.

Here are some photos of my dorm...