The Salary Man experience

Today I had my first real experience as a Japanese salary man. Working normal hours until 18.30 (well, actually 1 hour of overtime) then going out for a dinner with my department. 15 ladies (yes actually 6 of the girls joined) and gents in suits going to a restaurant, followed by a couple of beers at a pub. With a lot of bowing, "Oyasuminasaaai" and "otukaresamaaaa!" the night ended at around 23pm. Can it be more Japanese style? Anyway, everyone is really nice and my boss is great, and my team seems to have a great fun together. They all have their favorite restaurants and pubs they want to go to, so the next couple of weeks are going to be very busy. =) A couple of them play golf so I have to get clubs. Better go to Kanda (the golf shop district) soon. =)

Last week I went to the Drivers License Center in Shinagawa to change my Swedish License into a Japanese version. Of course it took a couple of hours, having to run between different windows, one for every step (Photo, Eye exam, Paying, getting a bunch of stamps, etc.). Well, you know Japan. Everything takes time and you need 25 different documents. But I think I was lucky. Since I have a Japanese name and a Child of Japanese Citizen-visa, I didn't have to take the driving test or the written test for car (although I have to take the driving test for bike next week). Everybody else had these green little books with a lot of questions about traffic rules in Japan. I was asked if I'd been to Japan before, where I'd been, for how long, etc. but not a single question if I'd driven in Japan before (Which would have been more suitable maybe?). But the lady was satisfied when I mentioned that I'd been in Japan a couple of times so she said that I didn´t have to take tests for the car. Nice! So, now I am looking for a cheap bike to use during weekends and when going to the floorball training. Actually, a car would have been more suitable but the parking lot costs 45000Yen (400US$)per month here. Plus, it is easier to get through the traffic with a bike, and you don´t have to have a parking lot for it. And the most important reason, riding a bike has the same satisfactory level as the "toe dipping in onsen"-thing mentioned before. And for all of you claiming that it is dangerous to ride a bike: I've been crossing streets in Shanghai for 10 months risking my life everyday. That! my friends, is to face the true danger. Emiko, Martin and everybody else in Shanghai, be careful out there!

Before I go to bed. Again, it is about the bureaucracy (I'll never learn how to write that word) in Japan. Even when signing up for the fitness club close by, I had to fill in this enourmosly detailed application form, stamp 3 copies of the form in 4 different places with my hanko, read this, sign that, take a photo (of course) and go trough this long procedure before it was all finished. And after all that work I haven't had time to go there once yet (in two weeks). Tomorrow will be the big day!

The LIT Karaoke place

Martin's new girlfriend

The best thing about Japan, putting the food, the people, the technology, (even) the Tigers and the language aside is, without any doubt and not even in the same league but instead hovering above everything else like almighty Mt. Fuji, is to gradually lower your body down into an outdoor onsen (hot spring) at midnight, surrounded by a bamboo forest (and well, a bunch of naked guys) in the mountains and feel your dead tired feet go numb in the almost too hot water. Soak in the fresh mountain air and just go aaaaahhhh.


From left: Mariko, Me, Emiko, Martin, Arata, Haruka

Golden week came and passed too quickly. It was a perfect brake after two weeks of intensive training at TP. Ehum.... Emiko and Martin came to visit from Shanghai, and we spent a couple of days in Tokyo, Kyoto, Kobe, Himeji and Kamakura. The onsen up in the mountains is the biggest rotenburo (Outdoor Onsen) in western Japan, and about 10 minutes driving from Emiko's parents home. Early Tuesday morning leaving Tokyo for Kyoto, a lot of walking, arriving late night in Kobe, early Wednesday morning going to Himeji, returning in the evening all lead to a perfect round up at the onsen at around midnight. We also met Haruka, Arata and Keiko, (all former exchange students at Linkoping University) Mariko (Haruka´s friend whom I last met Sept. 2003 when I together with Kuma, Haruka and Mariko went to Akihabara to buy a camera and a stereo =) ) and Shouko (Martin's friend from junior school in the Netherlands).


A certain scene from a Hollywood movie has been shot at this spot. Recognize it?

Yesterday I attended a floorball training with Petter (From Linkoping) in Kita-Toda. Micke (Blog)is also playing in the team but seems to be busy working at a bank Tuesdays so he will only star in the matches. I never thought I could play floorball in Japan, especially not together with two former team mates from one of the best (ehum) teams at Linkoping University, Alla Talar Skanska.

My office is close to the Yotsuya station in the center of Tokyo. 5 minutes to Shinjuku. Around 10 minutes to Tokyo station. Even better is the location of my apartment. I stay at an apartment hotel less than 1 km from my office and around 500 meters from Yotuya station. It is not a 120 square meter 3 room and kitchen at the 23rd floor in Shanghai, but a good 20 square meters with a small kitchen and a washing machine at the 7th floor at Yotsuya Stay... and only 3 times more expensive. =)

According to the gps in my mobile phone, I have 3 convenience stores (CVS) within 100 meters (actually I noticed that before checking the gps) from my place. If you stretch out a little furter, to 300 meters, there are 9 CVS. 600 meters get you 16, 900 meters 34, 1500 meters 94 and so on. A little too convenient maybe? Japan has 11,282 (febr 2006) Seven Eleven stores (The biggest CVS chain followed by Lawson, Family Mart and Sunkus). Comp. Sweden, 74, or the world, around 34,000.

To finish with, I´ll post a picture of Martin and his new girlfriend. =)


Naah. Just kidding. =) It's one of the goth kids in Harajuku at Jingubashi. Their main event is to gather at Sundays dressed like.... ehh.. that... and then... ehhh.. just be.