Miss/Won't Miss #11

Things I'll Miss About Japan #11: Summer Sales

Japan is a nation of conformity and routine. There are strict rules for every social interaction one makes and things are they way they are because that's how they've been since the beginning of time. Or whatever.

In the endless list of rules that are rules only because they are rules, everyone gets paid two bonuses every year in June/July and December. I was told this might also be partially attributed to those pesky conniving yakuza*, but I am not Jake Adelstein so I really wouldn't know.

Since everyone gets a little extra in their paychecks around this time of year, EVERYTHING GOES ON SALE! EVERYWHERE! FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF JULY! YAY!

7 Days Bargain at the original Shibuya 109 has since ended,

but the shops usually keep sales going even without official advertising.

One of the other 109s.

Of course, the one thing I bought for myself today wasn't on sale but I did get a Christmas present taken care of at 50% off! THAT'S HOW YOU DO IT.


Things I Won't Miss About Japan #11: Not Finding Pants in My Size

I was not given the petite little hips that so many Japanese women have. I have wide child-bearing hips and a large bottom, which means I will never find shorts or pants that fit me in this country.

I'm not even that big! I'm a size six in American brands, but that's like XXL in Japanese brands. The only bottoms I've bought here were skirts or very loose shorts, like my super awesome ice cream cone ones from LDS that I totally cannot get away with back home.

Bought the sweater after it got cold.
My outfit was cute until then!

I'll be perfectly honest that I'd give up being able to find nice shorts if it meant Shibuya 109 could still be a 45 minute train ride away from me in three weeks. UGH.

*According to a salaryman friend of mine, 30-40 years ago the yaks were really into corporate racketeering. The Japanese fiscal calendar runs from April until March and many companies have shareholder meetings in June. Yaks would show up, disrupt the meetings or threaten people, and demand some sort of payment to go away. Companies started holding these meetings all on the exact same day in June to make the yaks spread themselves thin and cut down on the costs for everyone.


No one gets paid bonuses until after the companies crunch all their numbers from the previous fiscal year and present their profits or losses at these meetings. Though the yaks no longer engage in such tactics (they're probably running the meetings anyway), it's something that's still done in Japanese business. According to my salaryman friend who, again, is not an expert on this in any way.

Miss/Won't Miss #10

Things I'll Miss About Japan #10: Arashi and EXILE on TV

I don't watch a whole lot of TV in Japan, but I do try to watch Himitsu no Arashi-chan, Arashi ni Shiyagare, and EXILE Tamashii. Pretty Japanese men who sing and dance and are rather entertaining! On my TV! And I don't have to download it off some streaming site or anything super mendokusai! Why would I ever say no?

EXILE is especially wonderful in all their matching suits~ 

I tried joining a community on LJ dedicated to providing subbed versions of Arashi shows. They opened membership for a little while and you had to write some long dribbling fangirl essay on why you love Arashi. If they didn't like your essay they didn't let you join. So dumb.

The forums also make you jump through a billion hoops just to watch subbed programs. "Sign up and earn points for each posts! Once you earn a billion points fangirling on stuff you don't care about then you can watch the 30 subbed clips!" Really? Sorry for just being a casual fan and not dedicating every waking moment to thinking about a group of five guys I'll never meet or even see in person.

I suppose now I don't really *need* subs and could download raw files. I can follow along ok, especially since Japanese TV shows provide funny Japanese subs when the guests say something interesting.


Things I Won't Miss About Japan #10: My Apartment

I'm not even going to post a freaking picture of the place. I did a before and after a few days ago, you can scroll to find that.

Manager has been such a bitch about telling me what to do and what's happening in regards to me leaving that I'm thankful just to be out of the apartment.

I'll miss the independence and freedom that came with living on my own, but screw that place. It was small, lacked any storage space, and the utilities were insane. I paid more than 6000 yen for three weeks' worth of gas and another 6,000 yen between electricity and water.

It helps that my hotel is SUPER swanky and I can't believe my company is paying for it.

Conversations with My Students: Last Class Shenannigans

This past week was my last with the kids on my own. I thought I'd do something a little special for my two oldest girls, namely spending 100 yen on a stupid candy and make it with them in class.

I thought I'd have to do a repeat of a previous candy, but I lucked out at the supermarket with this super kakko ii looking Nazo Nazo Neru Neru! You get two flavors and mix it to create a third one. Added sprinkle bonus for teh lulz.

I like that he's saying YOISHO!

We had fun for like 10 minutes and they ate it all. Uhn, on the right, said, "I DON'T LIKE BANANA OR MELON SODA," but she still ate all of it.

I'll miss these two. Not in a OMG CRYING SO SAD way, but they're funny and well-adjusted young ladies that I know won't fail at life. I hope my replacement will have fun with them.

Daily Blogging is Hard, Part 2

FML.

Still haven't had time to get photos ready for a few more posts.

It is 2:48am and I just finished cleaning my stove area, bathroom, bathroom drain, and threw out as much as I could for my last burnable trash day. I'm tired!

About two months ago.

Tonight.

It's a bit upsetting seeing the apartment like this. It isn't mine anymore.

If I can somehow throw a proper post together tomorrow night, I will. But in case I don't, OOPS. It was a good daily blogging effort while it lasted!

Conversations with My Students: Hitler and Other Things

It's been a while since I've had one of these posted, eh? Early in the term, I concluded that my kids this year are TOTALLY lame. Last year I had at least one class a day I could look forward to, and now I'm lucky if I manage to crack a genuine smile in class.

One of the few classes I like this term is my Saturday afternoon class with two middle school girls. They became friends very quickly and I can usually understand the things they blabber about in Japanese. I should be harder on them when it comes to speaking English, but they're my second to the last class every week and I'm running on fumes by then.

For whatever reason, we were talking about famous old white people in the textbook. There was one very interesting person in there we had to cover:

Less offensive than the real thing!

Me: OK, who was Adolf Hitler?
Girls: *Blank stares*

Me: OMG really? World War 2? He killed all the Jews? WHAT DO THEY TEACH YOU IN SCHOOL THESE DAYS???
Uhn: (so nicknamed for her favorite one-word response) AH I know! I know! He was very bad man!
Me: Yes, I suppose that is the absolute nicest way to put it.

Uhn: *explaining in Japanese to classmate* He killed all the Jewish people. They believe in God or something. Wasn't he French?
Me: NO HE WAS NOT FRENCH.

Another sometimes funny class is a group of elementary schoolers. We were playing Hangman and they had to spell "diaper." Each person gets a turn to guess a letter and the letters up on the board were I, A, and E.

Crayon Shinchan: (only because he looks like Shinosuke) *looking confused and uncertain*

Bad Comedian: (he thinks he's funny) T. T!!!

Shinchan: T? *looks at BC*

BC: Yes! T!

Shinchan: T? *looks at classmates* T?

Everyone else: *giving knowing smiles and giggles*

Shinchan: T!

Me: WRONG.

Everyone else and BC: BWAHAHAHAHAHA.

A week and a half left at the job! I can't say I'll miss more than a handful of them, in part because manager gave away all my favorites this term because she is an awful person. Yay!