Living in Japan

With the clock winding down on NY-time, I've been hastily getting my shit together in an effort to properly prepare for the trip....

....is what I'd like to say, however, I took a much needed "mental-health day" (as my Mother used to call them back in elementary school) yesterday and am feeling much more focused now. Amazing what a good nights sleep can do for you.

Today's topic: LIFE. IN. THE. COUNTRY. OF. JAPAAAAAAAAN.

Hmmm, not quite. Although you have to appreciate the incredibly fancy muwashi (that's the diaper-lookin' thing) that he's wearing.

Oh Bill Murray, how terrible that the Japanese can't appreciate the true greatness of your dead-pan humor. [From Lost in Translation if you were not aware, excellent film]






Ok, my life in Japan, really, is bound to look something more like this:














Yea-huh. Most likely I will be living in a complex of crowded apartments, although maybe I'll get lucky! It's also a big change-up for me in more ways than one, even besides the fact that I've never even been to Japan before, I am used to living in scenic, green and suburban Upstate New York. I mean I've been to New York City, and thank the good lord that Tokyo is supposed to be about 100x more clean and less crime-ridden.

In other words, I'll be going from this:
















(Ok, so this was taken in Potsdam, NY - But there are places this nice very close to where I live now)







To this:














(Shinjuku Prefecture, one of the many area of Tokyo I could end up in!)











In which case I should probably end up looking like this:




























Man, I loved that movie when I was a kid. Anyway, let's get a little more serious. What is the living situation going to be like for me, really?

• Either a single, small apartment like I requested, or
• Living with 2 other random teachers (eep) and sharing kitchen and bathroom facilities.

I have an icky feeling that the latter is more likely, although I know a girl who just this past Spring requested roommates and ended up on her own, so who knows. Either way the company is setting up living arrangements through a reputable housing company, but if I don't like where I end up I still have to live there anyway for at least 5 months. Yikes.

Which brings me to my lastest find, oh thank you Internet for all the added fear you bring into our lives on the daily. I got this one from Japan Probe, an interesting news blog I've been checking recently. Observe:




[Foreign Termites invade Japan] - Just watch until the end, the last 15 seconds show the inner-workings of a termite colony. Gross!

And that's just a taste of what is to come, for me and for you, the reader, who gets to laugh, cry, stand up and fall over with me as I bumble my way through a country full of people who are on average 6+ inches shorter than me. :)

But for now, I go on here in boring old East Greenbush, New York. Until next time folks.





Countdown to D-Day: 25 days.


"Inner city life, inner city pressure
The concrete world is starting to get ya
The city is alive, the city is expanding,
Living in the city can be demanding,
You've pawned everything, everything you own,
Your toothbrush, jar, and a camera phone
You don't know where you're going
You cross the street
You don't know why you did,
You walk back across the street."
-Flight of the Conchords, "Inner City Pressure"