Upside Down Miffy

Upside Down Miffy, a photo by dtk_guy on Flickr.

AKA: "Dororia". James is quite proud of his idea of taking a Miffy plush doll, flipping it and giving it a new moniker. He uses it a lot in his kids classes. I'm not quite sure if it serves as a classroom "aid".

Oh yeah, in the foreground of the photo is the deck of vegetable and fruit flash cards. At the top of the pile is the infamous butternut squash. He's got most of his young students able to regurgitate that vegetable name but we all have doubts any of them will ever see a real one. I do think I remember seeing them back home. I think the Sunset Grill in Kits would sometimes make a butternut squash soup. But I can't say if I've ever eaten a dish using them.

The fun thing about that deck of flash cards is that it uses the British names for eggplant and zucchini. I know what an aubergine is if asked but "courgette"? That's the first time I've come across that word. ;-)

First Time on the Road

Tonight at work I mentioned that I wanted to head out for a bite to eat before teaching my last class. My coworker James piped out "Why don't we go for a drive?". At first I was a bit hesitant but once we headed out from the office I said "Sure". James' vehicle tonight was his second family car, a Subaru Stella which his wife usually drives. It's a small boxy little vehicle. I can't say there's anything like it in North America.

So, once behind the wheel I managed to pull the usual trick of trying to turn on the blinkers and ending up turning on the windshield wipers. That was before I got out of the parkade. I didn't make that mistake again once we were on the road since it's raining tonight.

As far as the car goes I didn't quite get used to how its braking goes. I'm used to the power brakes and ABS system on my former vehicle, a Subaru Legacy Outback wagon. If I pressed on the brakes of the Stella it seemed like we were going to stop on a dime. I couldn't quite find the point where I could step on the brakes without the car coming to a lurching halt, or worse yet, seem to be on the verge of locking up.

One thing I had noticed a while back is how much darker the roads are over here. They're not using sodium street lamps over here. That took some getting used to when behind the wheel. The other thing was that the lane markers seemed to vanish in the rainy conditions. Anyways, I was quite happy to putz around the city at 40kmh as that is the speed limit in most of the city.

It was nice to be able to get out on the road again. I've seen enough crazy stuff on the road here while walking around or cycling so I'll certainly be very careful and defensive whenever I get behind the wheel of a car.

A Big Shopping Trip...Of Sorts

My big shopping trip, a photo by dtk_guy on Flickr.

First off... I've noticed a pattern of sorts with the precipitation here: It usually falls heavily in the morning and then lets off in the afternoon. That isn't always the case but it happens enough to make it worth one's while to sit out the morning rainfall and then head out in the afternoon.

So I didn't get out and about today until after I had lunch. First I picked up a few items to fill out a package I'm going to ship home. Then I looked, unsuccessfully for brown kraft paper to cover the box. I guess I'll just send it without that detail. One thing I picked up along the way, well, two actually, are a couple of packages of Kit-Kats which have "Otoshidama" envelopes attached to the packaging. "Otoshidama" are the Japanese version of the famous red envelopes which are used to distribute money to the little ones. I also tried to find a pair of boots but didn't come across any I liked.

After I got home I changed into clothes suitable for bicycling and headed out once more. At the bike parking area I met my co-worker Michael. I told him what my plans were and he mentioned a couple of shops which sold boots. One is called "Workplace" or "Workman" and is on the way from our place up to city hall. The other place he recommended is called Shoe Plaza and he said it was quite far off. I told him I was planning on heading up to Uniqlo. Turns out that Shoe Plaza is almost next door to there. He also mentioned that Yamaya, a liquour store with some imported foodstuffs, was next to Uniqlo and was worth checking out. So off I went.

The second I walked into Uniqlo I tossed a pair of gloves into my shopping basket. I've only brought a pair of leather gloves from Canada so I wanted something else less fancy. Next I came across some nice lined water resistant jackets. But they were kind of pricy at ¥9800 or so. On a rack around the corner I came across similar but not as heavy jackets for about ¥5600. Next I picked up a flannel shirt, pair of winter socks and a fleece sweater. That all added up to more than ¥11,000. I managed to squeeze that all into my backpack.

I suppose I was a man on a mission when I walked into Shoe Plaza. I quickly found the corner for men's boots and started pricing them out. The tall ones which come up to under your knees generally run about ¥4200 and up. My buddy James had suggested that I not pay more than ¥3000 but the ones in that price range weren't all that great fitting and the treads didn't look all that hot. Anyways, I bought a pair of boots for about ¥4500 and managed to squeeze that purchase into my backpack.

The last stop was Yamaya. That's where I picked up the made in America pasta sauce, made in Malaysia curry sauce and the Japanese micro-brew pale ales. I saw that they had cheese but balked at buying any after looking at the prices. ¥398 for 150g of French Brie. I told Michael that it was a bit dear and he commented that he's probably been here too long. To him that price was reasonable. He once picked up some Stilton for another co-worker for ¥1500. Ouch.

So there you have it. The genesis and execution of my "shopping spree". If my finances look good near the end of the month then I'll probably get myself measured for a "winter suit". That's a suit, made to measure, with a bit heavier lining in the jacket and thicker material for the slacks. Unlike Canada, made to measure suits are reasonably inexpensive. Suits are still pretty well de rigueur in a lot of company offices here so there's a bigger market to serve.

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Random thoughts and observations:
1) The signal stop line often isn't right up close to the cross walk. Often it's about two car lengths back. The reason for that is simple: the streets are generally narrow, the corners tight and thus they have to figure in the extra space necessary to allow large vehicles to be able to make a left turn. I watched a JR bus today take a corner and just barely squeeze past a car stopped 2-3 car lengths from the intersection.
2) In Canada the post office used to make it a policy not to feature any living person on their stamps other than the living monarch. That has changed in the past few years. In Japan that policy obviously isn't in place. They're taking orders for AKB48 premium edition stamps. These are not cheap things at ¥5700 a pop (the sets contain two sheets of ten ¥50 stamps). What is AKB48? They're basically a conglomerate of 48 idol singers (all female) arranged into 3 teams of 16 girls each. Each team corresponding to the letters in the group's name. Plus I've read that there are sub-teams associated with the numbers. Yup. Marketing is a wonderful thing.
3) Getting a driver's licence in Japan is not an inexpensive process. A friend says that Japanese ex-pats will come back to Japan for the purpose of renewing their licences. Otherwise one could be looking at paying up to the equivalent of $3000 in driver training to get a new licence.

Takatama Station

Takatama Station, a photo by dtk_guy on Flickr.

Looking at this photo you'd think this place is in the middle of nowhere. Actually, it sort of is. But not that much. Takadama/Takatama is south of Tendo and this station is the nearest JR station to the Yamagata Traffic Safety Centre (Koutsu Anzen Senta-). I made my second trip out there today in order to write my driver's licence test. My goal being to obtain a Japanese driver's licence.

The trip out there was relatively uneventful. I took the 0911h train from Yonezawa to Yamagata instead of the 1041h train because the latter one would give me a five minute margin on catching a bus. I figured I'd take it easy and grab a bite to eat and a cup of coffee at the Yamagata station.

One thing I forgot about and which I got a good reminder of at the Starbucks in the Yamagata station...In Japan, Christmas season starts the second the Hallowe'en decorations come down. At the Starbucks they had removed their Colombia blend VIA instant coffee and replaced them with 12 packs of Christmas blend. Plus their music selection consisted entirely of Christmas songs and carols. I think I caught a version of "Hark the Herald Angels" done to a reggae beat. I wasn't subjected to the same thing at the Lotteria downstairs where I had their bacon and egg sandwich. I like that particular item: they use a mustard mayonnaise sauce which is quite tasty. Their place mats were advertising a couple of upcoming anime movies and their tie-in products. One of titles is the "K-ON!" movie. I wonder if that thing will get screened in Yonezawa. Maybe not.

Things went relatively smoothly at the Traffic Safety Centre even though I hadn't taken my passport with me. I figured since the fellow there had photocopied it last week then I wouldn't need it. Turned out he wanted it. Nonetheless we managed to get by without it. For some odd reason he asked questions about all the visa stamps I had in my passport. So I ended up answering questions about each one (and my somewhat wanderlust ways). Then he had to ask why there were no Canadian entry stamps. He got the gist of my explanation that Canada Customs reads our passports electronically via the code on the photo page. After that there was another round of questions pertaining to Canadian driver licencing, road tests, written tests and driver training. The last bit involved an eye exam and my forking out some money to get the actual licence. The best part of the process: as someone possessing a Canadian driver's licence I don't have to write a test or take a road test. I had the option of writing a test and I gracefully declined. The reason for this is that the Japanese view Canadian licence requirements as being strict enough to warrant allowing a straight transfer from a Canadian licence to a Japanese one. The Americans aren't as fortunate. I'm not sure if I have this right but my American co-worker said that he's never heard of an American pass the test on the first try. Though I have a vague recollection he was referring to the times when a road test was part of the process for Americans. I think today they just do the written component.

So at the end of the day I went out for dinner and ordered a self-celebratory beer. The next question will be whether I can snare a credit card issued by a Japanese bank. My American friend suspects I might have a better chance if I put my Japanese driver's licence particulars on a credit card application form rather than an alien registration card number. Unlike North America there is no such thing as a credit rating in Japan. It all boils down to how much money you make, how much money you have and whether or not you have some semblance of being a permanent residence. One of the other teachers, who has been here for 10 years, has yet to succeed in getting a Japanese credit card...but he doesn't have a Japanese driver's licence. We shall see how it goes.

Other stuff... I taught my first "Bunny class" on Saturday. I think I've gained a small amount of appreciation for what a kindergarten teacher has to go through. Mind you, my class was made up of 2-3 year-olds and their mothers. They weren't as gung-ho zany as the class of 3-5 year-olds two doors over. My youngest "student" hasn't turned two yet. I think his birthday is next month. It goes without saying that the really little ones cling to their mothers.

That's it for now....'til later!

All for Naught...

First thing in the morning..., a photo by dtk_guy on Flickr.

I've been thinking I'd get a Japanese driver's licence since prior to my arrival here. I reviewed the instructions on how to do it and found that the information on the Canadian web sites was out of date. It no longer is possible to exchange an international driver's permit for a Japanese driver's licence. One has to get a translation of their foreign driver's licence made and then go in to write a short test.

I got the translation made up a few weeks ago. That involved a trip to Yamagata which was a bit of an adventure in finding the Yamagata office of the Japan Auto Federation. All said and done I managed to get the translation.

Last week I got all my stuff ready to head out to the Yamagata Koutsu Anzen (Traffic Safety) Centre which is the equivalent of the Motor Vehicle Branch back home. It's located north of Yamagata in a city called Tendo. On Saturday we sussed out I could get there via Yamagata. There's a bus which runs out there three times a day from Yamagata station. Earliest departure time is 7:22 AM. Catching that bus entailed getting up early enough (5:00 AM) to catch the 6:09 AM train from Yonezawa to Yamagata. Hence the photograph.

So I trekked out to the centre. Got there just as it opened. Asked for directions to where to get a driver's licence transfer done. When I got there I was asked if I had an appointment. Oops. That was one thing we had missed when my friends and I had looked at the web page. So all I managed to get done was have my documentation photocopied and make an appointment for this coming Monday. Luckily it didn't take too long so I was able to catch the bus heading back to Yamagata station...the next bus would've been at 12:42 PM.

The fun part about this process...if I pass the test then I still have to make a return trip to collect my driver's licence. They don't send them out in the mail... (x.x)

Cheese Mentaiko Rice

Cheese Mentaiko Rice, a photo by dtk_guy on Flickr.

I had this dish last week at a local restaurant. The owner of the place shares the same given name as me, including the kanji it is written with. I see him every now and then at a darts and pool bar he used to own. We go down there with the thought of shooting a few games of pool and having a drink or two. The last two times that has turned into "nomihodai" (all you can drink) sessions which suspiciously seemed longer than the actual 90 minutes they're supposed to be.

Oh yeah, I finally have a home Internet connection. The NTT guy checked the phone line and said it was okay. Yes, that's all he did. Then I waited for the modem to get delivered. I gave up and went shopping. Of course the delivery guy had come by 15 minutes before I got home. So I called in to reschedule the delivery. That was at around 3:50pm. At around 9pm I called in again and set up a request for a delivery tomorrow morning. A few minutes later I got a knock on the door and there was the delivery guy with my modem.

Anyways, it's 12:21am and I'm off to catch some sleep....

Things I Meant to Mention

Just thought I'd jot down a few small things which might be worth sharing:

1) Yes, I have seen a woman in this city taking her cat out for a walk on a leash.
2) Urban revitalization in small cities is probably next to impossible to accomplish in Japan. I've been told that the city governments can't place a lien on a property on account of unpaid property taxes.
3) The above may explain why the old downtown core of Yonezawa is in decline. Most of the new businesses have set up shop on the main road which runs about 7 blocks north of the old downtown. That's where one will find Book-Off, the Aeon(sic) department store, Yamada Denki, the movie cineplex and other businesses which have set up shop in the last 10 years or so.
4) There is no Starbucks in Yonezawa. There are at least two Mr. Donut shops though.
5) Public transportation in the city is a haphazard affair. There are buses but they tend to run quite infrequently. Walking, cycling or driving are the main methods of getting around here.
6) One can get home ADSL service as long as there is a phone line coming into the premises. You don't need to get home telephone service to get internet service. I actually haven't asked if cable TV companies here offer home internet service. I know my internet provider offers TV service as part of their package. I suspect they offer IP phone service...or at least home phone service.
7) For some odd reason the city won't set up automatic payment of city taxes from one's post office bank account. They'll only set it up to work with an account held with a private bank.
8) I had to purchase an extra pair of training runners to wear at the gym I joined. You're not supposed to wear shoes in the gym which have been worn outdoors.

That's it for now...