I know by posting this I’m sure to run over by a truck soon, but this article is an interesting perspective on what luck really might be. Luckily, I’ve already been doing most of these things for years. I guess I was influenced by just the right people.
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Bryan
Crazy Train
Last night on the way home I saw one of those weird situations that makes you wonder about the passivity of the Japanese. So, let me share it here.
Riding the train every day is one of the things I love the most about living in Japan. There are a lot of advantages, and they far outweigh the disadvantages, but when a disadvantage comes along it is pretty glaring. One of the problems with sharing a train with thousands of people is that sooner or later you will run across a crazy person. Usually they are harmless (or they wouldn’t be walking around unsupervised) but sometimes they are not quite ready for the public. To be fair, the guy last night wasn’t actually crazy I think, just probably stressed out and not so intelligent.
As we got on the train at Hyogo station last night there was the usual cramming into the train car. Hyogo station is near several big businesses, and so the ride home is often crowded. I always take the fast train home – it skips several stops and gets me home sooner – but the downside is that it is always packed. Luckily I’m getting used to things and I can find a good spot out of the center of the aisle where most of the cramming takes place.
So I was safely to the side as people kept jamming into the train, pushing the people ahead of them to make room, and also being pushed by the people behind them, creating a kind of chain of pushing/pushed people. This is normal, but what wasn’t was when a guy took offense as someone was pushed into him, and started yelling complaints to the poor guy.
As the door closed and the train left, the two guys were standing right next to each other, just one person away from me. Everyone in the train was watching as the loud guy demanded an apology from the other guy, who stared silently out the window wishing he was somewhere else. It is crazy to ask for an apology – that guy was pushed by someone else, and it was no more his fault than the 20 guys behind him. But crazy guy had singled this guy out and was demanding an apology.
The bad news for the poor guy that was pushed into crazy guy was that the next stop was 10 minutes away, so everyone on the train had to endure crazy guy losing it until the next station. Crazy guy received a phone call and told the caller to meet him at the next station so they both could beat up this guy. Then he started saying he was going to take the guy to the police, and then he started complaining that his back hurt because of the push. He started to lose steam after that, and still the quiet guy stared out the window hoping it would all just go away.
This whole time I was standing by ready to separate them if crazy guy got violent, but he was just talking. Incidentally I thought that quiet guy was taking the right approach – crazy guy would probably just feed off of anything he would say.
As we were pulling into the station crazy guy started saying that at least quiet guy should give him some money for the injury, and that is when I finally figured out the motive here. Probably everyone else (including quiet guy) had already figured this out, but it took me a while.
Then the doors opened, and crazy guy grabbed quiet guy and literally started dragging him out the door. Everybody cleared the floor, the people outside who didn’t know anything about the situation ran for another way to get on the train, and quiet guy was reaching for the handrail to try to stay on the train.
So I stepped up gently pried crazy guy’s hand off of quiet guy. Crazy guy turned and looked at me, and the sudden appearance of a big foreign guy was evidently far beyond any development he was ready for. He looked at me for full ten seconds or so in total confusion, and I just smiled, and pointed out the door. He asked me in Japanese if I could speak Japanese, and I just smiled again and motioned him to the door. Quiet guy was running for the far corner of the train behind me, and so crazy guy decided to leave it alone. He turned and walked out.
Unfortunately it wasn’t over for quiet guy. Crazy guy happened to walk past the part of the car where quiet guy was hiding, and he saw him and got back on the train. Just as crazy guy got back on the train the doors shut, and everyone around made this kind of sighing noise – knowing they would have to endure more craziness for another stop.
As for me, this was in another part of the train far from me, and I saw no reason to put the “S” on my chest and go down there and save quiet guy again. Let someone else deal with it. I was two stops away from a hot dinner at home and I didn’t need any more drama in one day. I looked over once, and there seemed to be some sort of peaceful agreement being worked out between the two guys, but I didn’t see any money changing hands. The crazy guy got off at the next stop, and the story ended. Quiet guy was at least consistent and ignored me as we got off the train together at the same stop. I guess next time I’ll have to let him get dragged to crazy guy’s house.
This kind of thing rarely happens, but it was interesting that I was the only person to do anything on the train. Would you just stand by and let some guy get pulled off a train against his will? Is it better to not get involved and hope that someone in authority will solve the problem?
A Bad Month for Authors
And more specifically, for authors that I like. I read yesterday that British author Dick Francis passed away. Although not coming as much of a surprise as Robert B. Parker, Dick Francis was another author whose books I had squirreled away over time, and now come back to re-read whenever I can.
I liked his style of writing because it was always written in the first person, and so the progression of the plot and most of the major developments happened right in front of the main character, and you could see how he would respond to things. The main character was essentially the same guy, with a different job, skills, or life experience, but you could count on liking him.
I first started reading Dick Francis after buying a used paperback somewhere years ago, and right away I knew that he was a favorite. Looking back now I realize that I picked a tough book to start with – Hot Money, which included a huge amount of characters and relationships that you (and the main character) are left to sort out. Still, the ending was classic, and I went on to read the other 40+ novels over the next year or so. For the record, my favorites:
The Edge – The main character is an undercover horse racing official who tracks down villains on the race track, but is challenged to go undercover on a train trip across Canada to catch a particularly sneaky bad guy. Orient Express with a modern tilt – great fun.
For Kicks – Again a character swallows his pride and goes undercover to catch the bad guys – this time as a stable boy in some of the scariest horse stables in the country. Good fun and a classic Dick Francis finish.
There are lots more, and I had better get my collection in order and start going through them again. Towards the end Dick Francis was co-writing with one of his sons, so it remains to be seen whether his son will continue writing on his own. It is always interesting to see just how much of these books were written by the author and how much by others.
Deer Meat, Fake Underwear and Two Watches
On Saturday I spent the entire day at home puttering around the house. The plan was to take care of my errands and do some baking, and I got both done pretty early on, so I had time to catch up on Lost and Survivor. The baking was this recipe, and it turned out quite well. I made two pies, cherry and peach, and of the two the peach was better. The cherry still needed a little more sugar, and there was altogether too much juice in both, but pretty good for a first try.
Saturday evening I went over to Junpu, which is the teppanyaki place next to Red Spanky that is owned by the same lady (Miyuki). She was working over at Junpu, and there were enough customers to keep her and the three part time workers busy. I had garlic Caesar salad, Thailand-style shrimp and chile saute, and some edamame beans to go with my beer. I was just about finished with dinner and saw that she had deer meat on the menu, which is pretty unusual in Japan. Turns out a friend of hers is a hunter and gave her about half a deer to sell at the restaurant. I ordered some served in a yakiniku style, and it was really good. It has been a long time since I’ve eaten deer.
I chatted for a while with Miyuki and we talked about business this days (February and March are the slowest of the year for her stores) and about the other foreigners in the neighborhood. She really enjoys talking with the two workers over at a local kids English school, and she had some interesting insights into the contrast of their behavior. One likes to study Japanese, and the other is more interested in the dirty words.
After Junpu I headed over to Red Spanky for some drinks while I waited for Kuniko to get back. The gang was all there, and we talked about their recent trip to Vietnam. They even brought back some omiyage for me – a tin of salted pork and some fake Calvin Klein underwear. Excellent choice of omiyage – I love that kind of stuff. Finally after a few hours of drinking at Red Spanky, Kuniko showed up (a little drunk) and we walked home (a little drunk) together. Good times.
Sunday was Valentine’s Day, and that meant sleeping in, doing just about nothing, and eating too much. We did take a two hour hike to the grocery store way north of here, and perhaps that would offset some of the calories taken in later. Kuniko made hamburg for me, topped with cheese cut into the shape of hearts, and served with veggies on the side (also cut into heart shapes). After dinner she presented me with some dark chocolates, and not one but two wristwatches. Turns out she wasn’t sure which one to get so she got both, and now I have a cool watch for casual and for work. Monday I’ll go in to Daimaru in Kobe and get it adjusted to my size.
We had a very good Valentine’s Day, and I couldn’t resist urging Kuniko to open her birthday present on Sunday. I got her a new Nintendo DS, and a new game that she had been craving – Dragon’s Quest VI. Since we had so much free time on Sunday it was give her something fun to do. I think it was a big hit – hopefully she’ll continue to enjoy it.
Extend The Experience
It is looking like things will continue at Kawasaki as they are for the time being. The other day I got an email from my company saying that the contract had been extended, but it is not quite clear how long that extension is. What it does mean is that at least through summer I’ll be working in the same place.
One of the things I need to do next is plan my holidays/vacations, and it has to be based on the factory calendar (as well as Kuniko’s school calendar). Very tricky.
Yesterday Kuniko had the day off, so she spent most of it baking and making a big dinner for us when we got home. It was nice to have a hot meal upon arrival, especially considering the cold wind and rain that we’ve had lately. Now I just have to stay away from all the delicious cookies and chocolates she made.
Tonight we’re staying in – I might make some phad thai for dinner, and listen to music and relax. Saturday Kuniko will be out and about, so I’ll be the lonely single guy at least for one day.
Mission Accomplished
The shopping trip last night went extraordinarily well, and I even scored a small container of shortening for some baking this weekend. Turns out that shortening is a hard to find item in Japan.
I’m on the train to work on a holiday. The company where I am working doesn’t like to shutdown production on midweek holidays, so they have taken all the midweek holidays in the year and have arranged them in a row during summer and spring. That means while I am bummed to go in on a holiday today, I will have a big long holiday later on. Also a bonus is that the train is nearly empty today and I was able to sit down on the train ride. Nice!
Should be similarly empty on the way home, so I can look forward to an easy commute today.
Operation B-Day Shopping
Tonight Kuniko is off on a work assignment and so it is my big chance to do some birthday shopping for her. Usually I’m a little too busy to stop in Kobe for some shopping on the way home – I need to hustle back and get dinner going. Tonight is my chance to leisurely do some shopping and then head home.
The weather is gradually warming up, thanks in part to rain and some thick fog that has been rolling in every once in a while. After freezing every morning and bundling up in gloves, scarf and heavy coat, it feels strange to go barehanded into work. But soon enough, I’ll be going in wiping the sweat from my brow at 7 a.m., so I better enjoy the cool weather while it lasts.
The other day the Superbowl was played in the USA, but since I was working I had no chance to see (or download) the broadcast. I’m considering downloading it this week and watching it this weekend, but it just isn’t the same since it is hard to avoid knowing the result – even in Japan. To download or not to download… the commercials might be worth it, though.
Off to work now – and looking forward to the shopping trip tonight. I may pick up dinner in Chinatown, but we’ll see if something else grabs me on the way…
Beans and Rice ARE Nice
Last night we had some very healthy Japanese food for the first time in a while. We were trying to kill the remainder of the beans from setsubun, and so Kuniko mixed them with some konbu and nori in the ricecooker and it came out great. I added some Chinese peppers in mine to punch up the heat – nice match.
I’ve been messing around with the website recently, trying to get it exported off Blogger and moved over to something more convenient to use. So far WordPress is working out fine. I’ll try to get pictures up and running, but I have to figure out whether to continue hosting pics myself our move them to the cloud. Maybe by the end of the month I’ll have things a little more in order around here.
Welcome To The New Site
Same as the old site.
Awaji Birthday Party
We’re back from a weekend in Awaji. The trip was organized by Kuniko’s sister, and she and Atsushi drove us all over the tiny island seeing greenhouses, bridges, and taking in the natural scenery. On Saturday evening we pulled into a tiny town near the southern part of the island and checked into a Japanese-style inn that is a favorite of Tomoko and Atsushi’s.
The place was very 1970’s – but comfortable and the service was quite good. Dinner was very good – lots of blowfish to be eaten as sashimi, in a nabe soup, and on sushi rice. Maybe the best was shirako – which is described in wikipedia as “referring to the male genitalia of fish when they contain sperm, used as food.”
Yeah, I ate that.
In other potentially homosexual behavior news, the next morning our shower had no hot water, so I was left with no choice but to brave the public bath, for some bathing with a bunch of naked strangers. Good times. Luckily the steam in the bath made my glasses inoperational, so I couldn’t wear them, and everything was blurry. Sometimes my vision problems are a blessing.
Beyond that the dinner was a big success, and it was kind of the purpose of the trip, since nobody could get free closer to Niro’s actual birthday in April. It was his 60th birthday, and in Japan that means the theme is red and black. We gave him red wine, champagne, a black wallet, and a red scarf as a gift, and since it was so far in advance of his birthday he had no idea. I was surprised to see some tears in his eyes after opening all the gifts. We also worked hard to pay the bills before he got to them, and that was the real trick. He is quick getting at the bills usually.
Yesterday we drove back in the early evening, and after saying farewell to everyone we did some shopping for the week and then went home to relax and take a long (private) bath. It was a good weekend all around.
Finished
Today’s classes are over and I’m heading home for a relaxing evening at home, followed by a relaxing weekend on Awaji island. Lots of fun ahead on the schedule (and lots of drinking I’d bet). It’ll be nice to get away for the weekend and do some extended family bonding. I hope everyone can handle it. Stories (and maybe pics) to follow…
A Mobile Post
Just for fun I am sneaking in a blog entry from the train ride into work. Using my new phone makes this much easier, but I thought I’d try it to see if it is practical or not. I can already tell it won’t happen every day.
This morning I had a chance to watch the first hour of the Lost premiere, and I’ll watch the second half tomorrow. In my old age I’m trying to appreciate the impermanence of things (like Robert Parker novels) and spread out the enjoyment as long as possible. So far, so good.
Last night I brought home some delicious sushi for setsubun, and Kuniko brought some goodies from work. It was a big meal, but reasonably healthy, I guess. I’ve got some yummy sushi leftovers for lunch today, as well.
That’s all for my mobile post. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow!
Away From The Hype Machine
I was happy to find out that three of the American TV shows that I watch will start this month. Another bonus for living in a foreign country – no commercials promoting (and spoiling) the TV shows I like. The only way I know about whether a show is going to be on is when I go out and look for broadcast dates on the internet, so I’m very pleased to say that I have no idea what will happen until the episode actually starts. And for me, that is a good thing.
Today is setsubun in Japan – which involves beans, demons and sushi. Clearly an awesome occasion for a holiday. We’ll have two of the three elements going tonight after work.
On this news this morning the weather today was forecast as being “severely” cold. I put on the long underwear for my journey in to work today, and I’m hoping that I survive the arctic temperatures walking to the office. Unfortunately most of my walk takes place in the shade before the sun comes out, so it will be damn cold.
A Taste of Success
I make it a point not to blog about my experiences and stories from work (mainly because I am legally prevented from doing so), but I can discuss this story in vague enough terms to get my point across.
Recently a student of mine was directed to travel to New York and make a presentation in English. The tricky part was that this student had never been to mainland USA, had never made a presentation in English, and the client was a particularly challenging one. Luckily, this guy has some pull within the company and has two subordinates assigned to the trip to help him out.
So we worked for a couple of classes before the trip preparing his presentation, practicing Q&A sessions and getting him ready for the small talk before and after the meeting. The customer had previously been concerned with the quality of the presentations by the company, so there was a lot of pressure on my student to do a good job. In addition, he was personally requested to make the presentation by the president of the company, so there was some internal pressure as well.
But my student practiced hard in class, worked on his presentation during the 13 hour flight, and ended up making a very successful presentation in front of 50 native speakers of English. When he came back to my class after the trip there was not only relief in his eyes but also something else – renewed motivation to study English, I think. He said he would redouble his efforts in class and on the homework assignments, and he is requesting to join additional lessons if they become available. In short, he has gotten a taste of success, and he wants more of it.
Looking at the pictures he took of the statue of liberty and the celebration dinner afterwards (at Benjamin’s steakhouse) you could see that everything went really well on the trip.
For me it was some tangible feedback that all these hours I’m putting in teaching English at this company are bearing fruit, and that the students see that this is a skill that can really help them in dramatic ways. It is times like these when it feels great to be a teacher.
Sushi, Costco, and The Fall of Carrefour
On Friday night after work Kuniko and I met to have sushi at a local sushi bar. We weren’t sure what to expect of this place, since it is a local place that we’ve never tried, but it came on the recommendation of one of the neighbors. Earlier in the day I made a reservation, just to be safe, but as it turned out we were the only customers at the time. It was a tiny little place, just six seats at the bar, and you really were face to face with the chef. He was pleased to have customers, and it sounded like he was going to close after we left, so I got the impression that he was open mainly just for us that night.
The sushi was good. A little more wasabi than Kuniko was comfortable with, although I didn’t mind. We had the usual fare – maguro, hirame, ebi, tamago, hotate, mushianago, and ika. He also made a special makizushi called shinkoumaki that was based on hot egg and eel that was good. The price was very reasonable – we got out of there for less than 6000 yen for two people. Not bad.
The next day is was off to Costco and Carrefour on an early morning run. Since we arrived a little early we started at Carrefour. Carrefour is a French megastore chain that tried several years ago to make it in Japan, but they ultimately failed (wine and cheese aren’t so popular as day to day items here). After they failed they sold some of their stores to the Japanese-owned Aeon food group, who have been selling Carrefour goods in their stores under contract, but mainly have normal Japanese products for sale. In the newspapers I found out that Carrefour isn’t renewing Aeon’s contract to use their name and products this year, so our shopping trip was the last chance for us to buy some of the rare stuff that even Japanese-owned Carrefour sells. We spent a little more than we usually do on French jams, wines from Europe, Thai and Malaysian spices, French sauces and mushrooms, and their last six pack of Negra Modelo beer. This is all stuff that will be gone next time we come.
After Carrefour it was over to Costco just as they opened, and we bought plenty over there – wine, pork ribs, towels, tortillas, etc. While shopping I was surprised to find that they were selling a gas grill. It was a little different from the one my folks shipped to me by sea, and it was pretty expensive (68000 yen!) but there it was, for sale in Japan. I don’t know if it will be a big seller, but I’m definitely letting my expat friends know about it.
We came back with loads of food and were completely exhausted after putting it all away. I reorganized the pantry to handle all the new goods we purchased, talked with my folks on the phone, and from that afternoon until late last night we really just lounged around the house. We did some chores, did some class preparation, but mainly just worked on a couple of bottles of champagne along with a couple bottles of wine.
This week is a little more lively than the last one, with a couple of events during the week and a weekend away with Kuniko’s family eating blowfish on Awaji island to celebrate Kuniko’s father’s sixtieth birthday. More on that later…