I have a few new classes as well as a couple of substitution classes these days keeping me busy. This week I go almost every morning to Wadamisaki to teach classes at different departments of Mitsubishi. One class is for high skill level executives working on a project that is apparently top secret. For a top secret project, however, they sure do talk about it a lot.
Some of these classes are morning classes, which means that I arrive with everyone else working for Mitsubishi, and it is a pretty amazing sight to see everyone walking in from the nearest train station like ants on a mission. The people are Mitsubishi that I work with are really friendly, and so I am always looking forward to working there despite the crowded commute.
This weekend we spent some time at the office of the real estate company reviewing the loan details. Not only have I never bought a house before, I’ve never bought one in Japan, so there are plenty of surprises. The crazy market doesn’t really help clear things up much. Kuniko and I are automatically insured through the loan so that if Kuniko (as everything is in her name) should die before finishing paying off the loan, the bank eats the rest of the loan and I (or any remaining family members) aren’t stuck with a house payment.
One of the benefits of a “one job for life” culture is that getting loans once you have a job is pretty easy. Kuniko was given a “lifetime contract” at her school, which means that she is a pretty stable bet for a bank. Compare this to the job-hopping reality of working in the United States and you can start to see the importance of culture in things like banking and finance. The loans we can choose from are low rates from large banks, and that made things pretty easy for everyone.
We didn’t pick a loan yet – we want to consult with a few people first, but things are looking good. We don’t start paying on the loan until they hand over the house key, maybe sometime in March or April.
As for the house itself, the foundation is pretty much done – they are giving it a good long time to dry out before continuing on to the building. We took a few pictures of “the shoebox” while we there. It is going to be a tiny little place, very much “Japan-sized”, but Kuniko and I both are not hung up on having big stuff – living in Japan I’ve become a little more functional-focused I guess.
I’ve got a very busy week this week – actually I’ll be busy right up until next Monday, and then I should have a little down time. Antoine’s wedding is coming up – something to look forward to during the year end break.
