Iris – Page 128 – goinggaijin.com

Forty-Two

I have been packing all week. Choosing and packing and throwing away and choosing again. It was very exhausting, especially making the choices of what will come and what will go was difficult. Interestingly, I could let go of many things that two months ago – when I was doing the same in the old house in Austria – or even last week, I found indispensable.

The weekend before last, I met a Canadian who has done the same thing as I am doing – he left everything because he wanted to live in Germany. He also got rid of lots of things and describes the feeling as cathartic, and yes, it truly is.

So, this morning the moving company came to pick up what I could not leave behind. In the end it turned out that all possessions of my life, accumulated in its thirty-eight years (including a few random bits and pieces of my family), all of the things I apparently need to feel a sense of home and belonging, amount to eight cubic meters. Recall that what I brought from Austria a couple of months ago measured twelve cubic meters, and that was not counting anything I had in my apartment here. So I think I did a good job of letting go, for now at least, and it does feel liberating.

Somewhat at least.

Thinking that all my life for what it’s worth fits into 41 boxes and a suitcase…

I’m either a hero or a loser. Take your pick.

Flea Market

Today I have another flea market at my place.

This is the fourth I have in five months – two of them were in Austria. It’s not so much about the money – I don’t expect making a fortune, but it’s about lightening the load somewhat. I hate throwing things away that are still “perfectly useful”.

Yet another one of those habits learnt in childhood that are not always useful…

Vacation

Friday, April 12th was my last working day. We had the obligatory office party in the late afternoon and we talked and laughed and I had bought cake and they had bought farewell presents…

I received the obligatory coffee mug – nobody can leave the institute without one – and a large number of carefully chosen further presents (with obvious input from our former secretary). Then there was the obligatory farewell card – nobody can leave the institute without one – written by our most creative colleague who always take care to write something special. The atmosphere was lighthearted, but I did ask them beforehand not to make me cry, so maybe they were extra careful.

The best present, however, was a very big and very unexpected hug from Mr. Attractive downstairs… While it was certainly worth it (mmmh… can I go back for more?) I’m somewhat glad I’m leaving – he has the potential to turn into a very serious and very dangerous addiction…

So, I’m now officially without job. Or between jobs. Or simply unemployed. So far it feels like I’m on vacation, with a big surprise trip awaiting me – and in a sense this is exactly what’s going to happen.

It is strange somehow though what a difference choice makes. Two years ago I was also unemployed – and I panicked. It came rather unexpectedly and I didn’t have any contingency plans, so I fell into a big hole. The funny thing is that at that point already I had considered to take six months off and go to Japan to learn the language – but I was too scared and rather took the safe option in Germany. I wonder what… oh well, spilt milk…

And now? No idea, I’m pretty open. I have found three rather interesting job ads online, both within and without my field of expertise, and with a bit of help from my tandem partner Tomoko I’ll apply for all of them. We’ll see what’s happening.

Until then, I’ll enjoy my vacation.

Money Matters

The Japanese legal tender is the Japanese Yen, written as ¥ or, in Japan, with the Kanji 円, which also means “round”. The Japanese pronunciation is “en”.

There are coins for 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, and 500 yen, and banknotes for 1000, 5000, and 10.000 yen (thanks to Tokyoship for the image). Technically, there are banknotes for 2000 yen as well, but during all my stays in Japan, I have never come across any of those.

Although Japan is a thoroughly modern industrialized country, it is still pretty much a cash society. Credit cards are not readily accepted, but you can pay your Shinkansen tickets with one, online bookings in general of course, and large chain stores or hotels usually accept them also. I did have a problem in one of the smaller hotels I stayed in though, where my card didn’t work for some reason or other – so it’s a good idea to bring enough cash for these types of emergencies. In general I’d say as long as you are out and about in the bigger cities, credit cards in major venues should work fine, but for smaller towns or places you should bring enough cash – which is usually more than you thought you’d need.

Naturally, running around with huge wads of cash is not everybody’s cup of tea, so there must be a way of getting some in Japan, right? Well, there is… but it’s unusually bothersome – for a modern country at least. Thanks goodness ATM’s are common, but then again, you will need the special animal called “international ATM”, and those are a comparatively rare species. Usually they can be hunted down in larger post offices (which is good because post offices are more numerous than banks), but caveat emptor! I recall that in the main post office in Fukuoka, there were about 10 ATM’s, but only a single one accepted my bank card… Also, there is one chain of convenience stores (I think it’s 7-11, but I’m not sure anymore) that have international ATM’s as well. They are easy to spot though – either it says somewhere “International” or the Maestro sign is prominently displayed. If you’re card is rejected, it was the wrong machine…

On my first trip to Japan in 2007, I had the luck of losing my bank card… I still had my credit card, so I thought it should be easy to get a cash advance on it. Well yes, but I had to try out three banks until I found one that would do something like that. Thinking back, I am wondering what the problem was – that nobody would speak English well enough? That they were not ready to deal with that so early on a Monday morning? In any case, getting a cash advance on your credit card is another way of getting cash in Japan. And I hope that in all those years the banks are more ready to hand you your own money.

Japan is a wonderful place to spend lots of money – be it on travelling, food, gifts… The only thing you don’t have to worry about is tipping. As with most Asian countries, tipping is unheard of, in fact, some people may even find it offensive if you tried. Well, at least one thing to be cheap.

Takeoff

I booked my ticket. One way only. The flight is on May 4th, 11:20 and I will arrive in Japan on May 5th, 12:00.

It is very exciting and I feel exhilarated. Finally I’m moving forward.

There are so many little things to still take care of though. Sometimes, when I look at those and the pile of boxes in my apartment, I wish I could just get up, close the door and leave everything behind.

And then I remember that unresolved issues have the tendency to return and haunt you when you least expect it…

Homebound

The last two days I spent in Austria. I visited the old house, some family and friends. I didn’t really want to go, and the experience met my expectations.

First thing I went to our old house. It feels cold and abandoned. Some furniture is still there, some random bits and pieces, but it appears like a shell thrown aside, unneeded, unwanted. I took a few of the things left over from the move with me, tidied a bit here and there, but in the end it made me feel too depressed to be there alone, so I called a friend to pick me up.

Meeting members of my family was not too pleasant either. So far, everybody I have told about my plans was encouraging. Of course I got some tough questions and the occasional blank stare, but the vast majority of responses was of a positive “you go girl” fashion.
Not so my family. It’s not that I was surprising them with my decision out of the blue. I started talking of going to Japan for good about 6 months ago. And for some 10 years already it has been clear that the chances of me returning to Austria are minuscule.
And still, now that I go there to bid farewell, what do I get?
Thinly veiled accusations of “you’re leaving me behind alone – how dare you”, not even an attempt to understand what I’m up to, topped up with tears that may or may not have conveyed a genuine feeling, and hugs that were all but suffocating. The general sentiment was one of “I cannot possibly understand why anyone would want to do something as crazy as that, so I think it’s better if you don’t do it either”.
Where other people have their families as support- and safety network, I got a spider’s web controlling me with ought to be’s and do’s and cannot’s. Fascinating what is visible once you take a step back.
I’m done there. No more.
No more coulda/woulda/shoulda, no more supposed to do, no more pretend to be to pacify others.
No more.

Only my life with people I choose to have part in it.

Speaking of such people – and to end this post on a positive note – I had most amazing time with my friend. As she knew this would be my last time in Austria for quite a while, she decided to pamper me.
It was wonderful: We made my favourite sweets – in perfect division of labour she did most of the cooking and I did most of the eating. We went shopping in case there is nothing to buy in Japan. And we both drooled over McDreamy of Grey’s Anatomy with a bottle of sparkling wine and ended up talking until 2 am.

That part of my trip was perfect.
I’m glad I went.

Japan Rail Pass

If you’re going to Japan and are planning to see more than just Tokyo or Kyoto, you should definitely get a Japan Rail Pass. It allows you to take any JR train – which includes the Shinkansen and even some overland buses – with a minimum amount of hassle within a specified time period for a lump sum payment upfront.

Note that a Japan Rail Pass is available only for people who enter Japan on a tourist visa and can only be bought abroad. It is not available for sale in Japan.

The procedure to get one is as follows: Go to the Japan Rail Pass site and find a local travel agency that sells exchange orders. You pay upfront for your exchange order – depending on whether you need one for adults/children, for ordinary travel or green cars (those are first class) and on the amount of days you want to travel (7, 14, or 21) – and after your payment has been received, you will get the exchange order for your rail pass.

Once you have landed in Japan, you can go to a JR ticket counter (the one at the airport is best, imo) and get the real pass for your exchange order. You need to show your tourist visa and can indicate the starting day of your Rail Pass.

From there, it’s travelling bliss… All you need to do is to go to a manned ticket gate (the pass won’t fit through the normal slots of the machines), show the pass and go through. Sometimes there are different gates for going in and out the paid zone, but unless you come at a very busy time, the staff will be friendly about it. If you travel by high speed Shinkansen, it’s better to reserve a seat – just go to a ticket counter, show the pass and get a reservation, they are always free!

When I go to Japan this time, I will not get a Rail Pass, as I am not planning to travel, but I did buy one for 21 days last year. It was rather expensive (the exchange rates were bad), but as I was travelling up and down Honshu, it was worth it nonetheless. Enjoy!

Here is the Japan Rail Pass homepage with all info you may need.

Explorations

I am involved in a conference at work, so I have no time for a long post right now.

However, today is the social event – a city tour – which I am curious to attend. I wonder how many new things I’ll see, after the two years I’ve lived here.

Fishy Fish

I was terribly sick yesterday – which I blame on the fish sandwich I ate the evening before. It took all night sitting in my stomach deciding whether to move up or down. I spent a sleepless night, only to be relieved yesterday morning when the vote came in for “up”. I felt groggy all day, with a very strong desire of avoiding any food for a while. I did eat a small pretzel even though I wasn’t really hungry. Finally, I cancelled the last meeting yesterday and went to bed at 5:30 pm, with raised temperature and chills… However, after sleeping for 14 hours, I woke up all right this morning, but let me note here for all posterity: Fish poisoning is not a recommendable pastime!

In any case, it did get me thinking. After all, the Japanese are among the biggest consumers of fish on the planet: They eat about 70 kg of fish per year, that amounts to some 12 % of the world’s consumption of fish – and that despite them only having 2 % of the world’s population!

So, the question is: how often do people suffer from fish poisoning in Japan, given the huge quantities they eat there? Of course, there are no numbers to be found on this…

Personally, I have been to Japan 9 times now, and on my very first trip – to Kyoto in summer 2007 – I ate sushi every single day. I never had any stomach problems in Japan, but the fish there is usually well prepared and very fresh. And I mean very. With slight discomfort I recall the sashimi I had in that bar in Fukuoka: decoratively laid out along the spine of the fish it was carved from – which started twitching at some point…

So yes, Japanese like their fish fresh – which is good, but also poses the problem of parasites. Raw fish as in sushi and sashimi is usually seafish, and they are less likely to carry bacteria, worms and other assorted parasites than freshwater fish. And even so, most fish is frozen (yes, even the one you’d eat “raw”), as freezing below -20 degrees or so for an appropriate length of time will kill the parasites.

Of course, there are other ways of dying from fish poisoning in Japan. In fact, if you google this phrase, you’ll get articles about – Fugu. Fugu is the blowfish famous for its poison, mostly contained in its liver. When properly prepared, i.e., the poisonous body parts are removed, it can be eaten like any other kind of fish. If not … then the poison contained in the fish will paralyze your muscles – while you remain fully conscious. In the end, you will die from asphyxiation. There is no antidote known, so pumping out your stomach and putting you on life support until the poison wears off is the only way of dealing with such a poisoning. There are several incidents every year in Japan, but I guess overall the probability of dying from fugu-poisoning is negligible.

Not so, however, is mercury poisoning. Seafish can contain high levels of mercury, especially tuna, which is highly prized in Japan. Consumed over time, the mercury will accumulate in the body and will affect the nervous system. The metal is apparently hard to excrete from the body, so the best cause of action is to stop ingesting it – by stopping to eat fish.

Hmmm… I love fish, always did… Well, I guess you’ll have to die from something anyway (old age is no excuse), so you can just as well have a bit of fun on the way there…

Language Tandem

I have just started a langage tandem for Japanese! This is a pair of people, where one is a native (or at least fluent) in the language the other wants to learn.The idea is to meet and to spend half the time speaking one language, the other half of the time the other language.

According to wikipedia, the tandem idea was developed in the 1970s. It is used at universities for incoming foreign students for example, but with the new possibilities of the internet, a personal meeting is not necessary any more, and people can also do their tandems by skype or online chats, or simply per email.

My tandem partner is Tomoko san from Nagoya who has been living in Germany for about 5 years now, and who has recently moved to my town. Although she says she only speaks English with her (German) husband, her German is much better than my Japanese. Tomoko san is a great person, and as we are the same age, we have lots of things to talk about. And we do so – mostly in German (and some English, I confess), but sometimes in Japanese too.

And I think this is ecactly what such a tandem is about: speaking. And listening comprehension of course. At least I don’t think I could seriously teach German grammar to anyone, my knowledge of that comes mainly from the comparisons I drew when learning English.

In any case, I’m very glad I’ve met her and we have agreed to meet twice a week for now. When I told her I wanted to permanently move to Japan soon, she promised to help me getting up to speek. I’m looking forward to it!

There are a number of sites – not affiliated to any universities – where you can try to find a tandem partner. (Hint: google for “tandem + language you want to learn”, for example “tandem Japanese”) It’s possible and preferrable to meet in person, or on the internet. Unfortunately, some of the websites you’ll find will allow you to post your tandem request for free – but you can only contact people if at least one of you pays additional fees… Very annoying!