Good byes and hellos.

Sayonara Nippon. :(

Sawatdee Khrab Bangkok & Koh Phangan!

Schedule for next few weeks

7 days in Japan to do mad shopping, packing, bonnenkai'ing (end of year parties) and soubetsukai'ing (good bye parties)

9 days in Thailand to go to Bangkok, Koh Samui, and Koh Phangan

2 days in Japan to do last minute gifts, visit favorite places, and say goodbye

4 days in Winston-Salem, NC to visit family, friends and drop off presents

2 days in New York City to visit friends, celebrate my 26th birthday

Jan. 6th - return to Philadelphia for work and officially repatriate back to USA

Let the race begin.

French music, Japanese McDonalds, American healthcare

This morning, I had a crazy dream in which I was held at gun point twice while with my friends. Not sure what caused me to dream such silly stuff, but I woke up at 6am terrified.

I couldn't sleep anymore and decided to get a head start on my day and study some Japanese at a McDonald's near my work. After some intense vocabulary practice, it dawned on me how surreal the environment was -- eating 'American' breakfast (sidebar: only McDonald's was open this early so that's why I went), looking up and being surrounded by Japanese salarymen and school kids, and on top, the sweetest French cafe music blanketed the entire scene. Aaah, only in Tokyo...

On another note, I have to subscribe to my health benefits by today and it is so frustrating to have to decide whether or not I will get sick or not for 2008. I have to plan whether or not I will go see the doctor, the dentist, the optometrist, or do any type of other health-related check-ups. The dental, medical, and health reimbursement accounts are all very nice to have but after watching the movie Sicko, it's ridiculous that I have to play fortune teller to my own health. I guess since I'm young now, I don't have to worry as much but it's a little bit ridiculous to have to guess if I will be sick or not. Damn insurance companies behind this scandal!

Hello and Goodbye Hong Kong!

This is the 7th time I've come to Hong Kong (including my birth period) and even though I know what to expect when I come here, I still lose myself under the hustle and frantic rush. I visited a newly opened gay bar, Volume which was pretty packed after midnight, and met a couple of interesting locals (courtesy of Wynne's introduction to her gay friend). It is always fascinating to find out how the gay community thrives in different regions of the world.

I am glad I got a chance to see the friends from college, my family, and the place again. I wonder if I could really live here again as a working boy - I guess I will find out soon after I complete a few interviews in the upcoming months.

Things I missed about HK (not necessarily in this order)
- food with immensely packed flavor
- shopping
- direct and colorful speech (in Cantonese)
- familiar friendly faces
- talking on the phone in the subway while underground and traveling
- stores open late

Things I could have lived without in HK
- 80% humidity in 32 degrees C heat
- water dripping on my head from air conditioners overhead
- conversations that revolve around food and $$$

This time around, I noticed that every street corner I turned to, always had some Japanese influence. If it wasn't the three sushi or sukiyaki restaurants lined up, it will be the Japanese clothing brands or actress. In my pictures to be posted later, you will see all the crazy influences from Japan in HK. Perhaps now, I just have a Japanese eye..

Ahh...I will miss you HK...again.

Hurricane's a'coming (or Typhoon)

Who wants to go surfing?

Copied from email received from US Embassy today--

Weather sources report that Typhoon Fitow (also known as Typhoon 10w) will make landfall in the Tokyo area around 7:00 p.m. Thursday. Winds up of 58 miles per hour with gusts up to 81 miles per hour are expected, along with heavy rains. Coastal areas may be dangerous due to heavy waves and flooding. There may also be delays in the mass transportation systems.

For the latest information about Typhoon Fitow, see Japan's Meteorological Agency's web site at http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/indexe.html and the NOAA National Weather Service for Japan's web site at http://weather.noaa.gov/weather/JP_cc.html.

For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department's Bureau of
Consular Affairs Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov, where the current Worldwide Caution, Public Announcements, Travel Warnings, and health-information resources can be found. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the United States, or, for callers outside the United States and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

The U.S. Embassy Tokyo is located at 1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 107-8420. If you are planning on visiting the embassy, you may wish to call ahead to American Citizen Services at 03-3224-5000. In case of emergency, you may contact American Citizens Services at this number at any time.

Wii soreness

Today, I now know what old age feels like. I played Wii tennis this past weekend. It was fun and I played doubles with some younger folks. Of course, I held my ground, with about a 2 - 1 win-lose streak. Any case, today, I woke up in immense pain. I felt like my whole upper body was grounded meat. I couldn't enjoy my hip hop class as much and had to get a massage at my gym after class.

This is the first time I've experienced muscle pain from playing Wii. :-(

Lost in Japan (things)

The great thing about Japan so far (this post belongs under the 'Why I love Japan') is that I've noticed people have this ingrained sense of belonging-ness that they very much respect. Some examples I've noticed are

- the people you work with are like family (belonging to a group)
- receiving a gift that once belonged to someone deserves the utmost gratitude

But the thing that makes me really excited to live in Japan is this one....

- things that don't belong to you should be returned to its owner

There has been three times I've lost my essentials and they have all been returned to me after a couple of days! This past weekend, after nomihodai (all you can drink) party to welcome our new colleagues, I found myself wandering around Roppongi, drinking more tequila, shopping in Don Quixote, eating at Almonds, and singing Karaoke until 4am. Sadly, I had left my lifeline keitai (mobile phone) in some Karaoke bar that I didn't know how to get back to. But the next day, my coworker told me where we went and sure enough, it was there at the front desk wrapped in a luxurious plastic bag!

Prior this past incident, I've lost my camera on the ski slopes in Nagano with all my pictures. It was a small Canon click-and-shoot, and worth a few hundred dollars, but after 3 days laster, it was returned to the Lost and Found!

Last year, after a crazy night of dancing at Arty Farty, I must have left my wallet sitting on the counter after ordering drinks for everyone. It still had about $200 dollars still inside when I left the club without it. The next day, I went back and everything was in tact, money, ID, and even my Suica card!

Aah, is it just luck? Or are Japanese morals wonderful?!

Tokyo v. NYC

So my friend from NYC and I have decided to take up a challenge to run the most miles in 30 days. Here's the graph so far...

Oh, updates over the past month will come soon. Friends from the States that came and made my two weeks amazing! I have pictures from traveling around most of Japan, my gym workout, and an volcanic island get-a-away!

Mt. Mitsutoge hike (upcoming)

This Saturday, I'm going hiking with my colleague and some friends (Char & Christina) from the States to Mt. Mitsutoge in Kawaguichiko, Yamanashi prefecture! Check out the details below but I can't wait! I love hiking and taking in beautiful views from summits. There's also onsen (hot spring) available on this trip.

Under the list of things to bring, there was a mini-Crampon suggested. I didn't know what a Crampon was and my friend, Christina, asked me what they were. I told her it was a crappy tampon...if you want to know what it is, check it out below.

What: Mt. Mitsutoge hike
When: April 21 (Saturday)
Where: Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi

A brief description of what will happen on the hike:
- Meet at Shinjuku at 7:15am or at Mitsutoge stationat 9:40am
Check meeting spot in Shinjuku here:http://www.tokyogai jins.com/ maps/shinjuku. html

- Group orientation/ safety briefing
- Start the hike at 10am
- Arrive at the summit at around 1:30pm
- Picnic lunch- Start the descend at 2pm
- Arrive at Kawaguchiko area at around 4:30pm
- Onsen (optional)
- Arrive back in Shinjuku at around 9pm

How much: FREE

Take note the following:- This is a fast paced hike so you have to bereasonably fit to join- Buddy-buddy system will be applied

- Mt. Mitsutoge peak is 1,785m high

- We will finish the hike near Kawaguchiko station

What to wear/bring:
- Food/snacks
- Soft drinks/water
- Hiking shoes or trainers with ankle protection
- Clothes appropriate for hiking & weather
- Comfortable socks
- Small backpack
- Mini crampons (if you have any!)
- Hat
- Sun cream
- Sunglasses
- Towel
- Raincoat (just in case it rains)
- Camera
- Cash

Cherry Blossoms and the Festival of the Steel Phallus

It's that time of year where the temperature starts getting warmer. And in Japan, when it gets warmer is when it's time to go out, watch the flowers bloom, and drink.

2 weeks ago, I was invited to a few hanami parties (cherry blossom viewing) where people go lay their blue tarp in the park (bought at the 100 yen store) and just eat, drink, and catch up. This ancient festival was taken from the Nara period, when the Chinese Tang dynasty had a lot of influence on Japan. (wikipedia.org). Now, it's evolved to an all out mid-afternoon drinking over food and flowers.

The pictures speak for themselves so please enjoy!

On Saturday, I went to Hanami with Joy and the Tokyo Gaijin club. They celebrated in Yoyogi park and I met a lot of other foreigners who were just as ready to dive into this Japanese tradition.

20070331 Hanami (Cherry Blossom viewing in Yoyogi Park)

On Sunday, I made a last minute decision to head to Kawasaki to attend the Festival of the Steel Phallus. This is one of the most famous festivals in Japan and my first memory of Japan watching this on the travel channel when I was back in the States. Here, the foreigners outnumbered the Japanese but it was good to see so many people. The Kanamara Matsuri was originally popular among prostitutes who wished to pray for protection against sexually transmitted diseases. They say that festival today is used to raise money for HIV research. (wikipedia.org) My friend Tomoko and I had a good time none the less and took our time to pray as well. :-)

20070401 Kanamara Matsuri (Festival of the Steel Phallus)

Afterwards, we went to Chidori ga fuchi, the largest moat in Tokyo to see the Cherry Blossoms there. The flowers so pretty but we had to stand in line to walk around the moat because there were so many people. Luckily for us, we inadvertently ran into the Indian embassy throwing a party. Afterwards, we hopped over to the Yasukuni shrine, the notorious one honoring the Japanese soldiers who fought in wars past.

20070401 Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing near Chidori ga fuchi)

I tried to make it to Shinjuku Gyoen (Shinjuku Park) to meet up with my other friends for Hanami party but the park closed at 4pm. So we decided to go to Korean restaurant and afterwards, drinks at Ni-chome and Karaoke afterwards. I met Saiko, who was a published recorded artist and has her own Japanese punk rock album. Karaoke is much more fun with musicians !

20070401 Karaoke after Ni-chome

Whew...it was a long weekend...but one that you cannot not do while in Japan, desho?

Japanese comedy

If you ever wonder what is Japanese comedy, it's like the following:



Almost all the TV I've seen so far in Japan (which is not much) resembles something not too far from what you have seen.

Oh, and if you ever get a chance, check out this place: www.tokyocomedy.com

I met some awesome up-and-coming comedians last Friday near Shibuya at a bar/pub where there were English comedy (mostly about Japan) and improv which I haven't seen since college. They were the funniest English teachers I've ever met on stage. I tried to make them laugh. Here's a tip: don't try to be funny to a comedian.

The comedians are really down to earth when you talk to them after and one even bought me a drink afterwards.

Upcoming this weekend: Hanami! Cherry Blossom viewing, otherwise known as get together with friends and get drunk under some beautiful sakura.

Exercpt from Wikipedia: "The custom was originally limited to the elite of the Imperial Court but soon spread to samurai society and by the Edo period to the common people as well. Tokugawa Yoshimune planted areas of cherry blossom trees to encourage this. Under the sakura trees, they had lunch and drank sake in cheerful feasts."

Earthquake?

Just a quick note to let you all know that I'm ok despite all the media attention about the earthquake.

I appreciate everyone's concern about the earthquake in Japan, but to be frank with you, I didn't even know we had an earthquake until I started getting emails from friends wondering if I was ok! Yea, earthquakes happen here all the time and according to the Washington Post, 20% of the worlds earthquakes magnitude 6 or higher take place in Japan!

Thanks again for your concerns.

For those who don't know read the following article below....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/26/AR2007032601004.html

Below is a land map of Japan and red circle is where the earthquake took place (Noto peninsula). My home, is in the blue circle far far away from the earthquake.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noto_Peninsula

Pictures from Tsukiji fish market

Tsukiji fish market

Tsukiji fish market

This past Friday, I went to Ageha which I think is the biggest club in Tokyo. It's pretty far away, about a 20 min ride from my station and close to Tokyo Disneyland. In preparation to go, it is advisable for one to:

1) wear comfortable shoes (a must!)
2) wear warm clothes
3) bring plenty of money
4) be ready to party until 5am

I brought my co-worker and her friend from the States there. It's amazing how many Japanese people who love techno/trance music! And the fashion definitely matched the music.

Afterwards, the point of going out (besides find good music to dance to) was to check out the Tsukiji fish market afterwards which opens around 5:30am. It's usually recommended that if you come to Tokyo, before you get over your jetlag, stop over to Tsukiji in the morning to see the Maguro (Tuna) auction. I have gone before but we couldn't find where the auction was so we just settled for eating the most amazing sushi at a restaurant. This time, I was trying to prevent my friend's disappointment by saying, it's closed to foreigners and not open anymore to the public. I even got a validation by one friend who read in the travel books it won't be opened anymore. As we were debating if it's even open, a nice older Japanese guy told us to just follow him and he'll take us there. It was quite hike from the station and actually, there were probably at that time 3 other groups of foreigners who exited the station looking just as puzzled as we were. But we found out guide and I felt like it was the "Amazing race" to find this Tuna auction. When we arrived, it was crazy. If you can imagine, frozen dead bodies lying around, that was basically it except the Tuna were HUGE! The bodies were frozen, marked with red paint, and had their heads & tails removed. In addition, they were all dragged around by fisherman's pick's as the auctioneer was twiddling his board and shouting prices (i think) . There were fish the size of my head to my knee caps. My friend, Joy, took pictures and will re-update this blog when I get them, but it's quite a site. After we decided we had enough of frozen tuna, we went to a sushi shop near by to chow down on really good sushi. We went to a shop which didn't have a long line cause it was cold and windy outside, but I suspect that the shops with the long lines would have even better sushi (that melts in your mouth) than what I ordered.

When it gets warmer and if you come visit, I'll take you!

What I found amusing:

Side track: the night before I went out, I was staying late at work cause of a teleconference with the UK. My colleague was with me and when we came back, I casually asked him if he was planning to go home soon. He said he would have to because of all the overtime he's worked this week. When we got back to our desk, the section manager wasn't there. As I was leaving, I asked him if he was going to retire now and he gleefully responded back, "Now that the managers gone, I can stay even later!"

:-)

Proud moment

I subscribed for a monthly pass at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. I took home a form to fill out (with the assistance with my colleagues) but I returned by myself to apply for it formally.

Yesterday was the first time I tackled a non-food type engagement with strangers completely in Japanese and walked out still having my dignity in tact! Usually, I would try to speak in Japanese with other people, perhaps asking for directions, or clarification on a product and they will give a weird look like, "Am I stupid or something?" But this time, the guy understood everything I said, and I understood 90% he said! These Japanese lessons are finally paying off!

After going on a high with actually being able to communicate with people in this country, I decided to brave another language engagement by taking a Hip Hop class at the gym. It was actually the most fun I've had at the gym. In fact, while the speakers were blasting Shakira, Snoop Dogg, and other hip hop artists (totally Americanized), I couldn't help but laugh in the inside that I'm in Tokyo, taking a Hip Hop class from a Japanese guy. The other funny thing is that there were 3 other people in the class around mid-30's or 40's (you can never tell age with Tokyoites) who were shaking their hips as well. But learning Hip Hop in Japanese is gonna be a trip. I've already learned how to say body parts now and the words to shake them, rotate them, and bounce them around. ;-)

I had a ridiculously good time at the Hip Hop class, I'm going to try to go more during the week.

Anna, Will, if you ever read this: you better watch out...

Things I don't like:
The Japanese are very bureaucratic and enjoy paper work. I think it gives them a sense of security. For example, the form I had to fill out for my monthly application took about 2 hours to fill out and asked all sorts of questions including my company, my position, how much I make, and that was only half of the form. The person was nice to say I didn't have to fill out the other half. In addition, I had to fill everything out in Kanji (Chinese characters), English, and Furikana (which is the writing system to pronounce in Japanese).

Japanese female robot

I came across this article as I catch up on my daily news from BBC every day. Thought this would remind you about how technologically advanced Japan is.

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Japanese develop 'female' android

Besides their development of Will Smith-like robots, I'd like to also highlight what makes Tokyo a great technological center. In no particular order....

1. As I was eating in a cafe yesterday, everyone had their kei tai (cell phones) flipped open and texting, sending pictures, surfing the internet, & doing laundry....

2. The TV that came in my apartment was a widescreen 29 inch flat screen with every input/output possible.

3. Most quick Japanese fast food restaurants have a self-service machine in the front to order ramen, soba, tonkatsu....

4. The smallest camera MegaPixel size on cell phones is a 3.2 MP.

5. The taxi doors open by themselves.

6. The toilet seats are all heated with integrated bide/water jet that you can control water temperature, degree of water pressure, and angle. In addition, you can push a button to emit a noise to cover up any other noises you might make.

7. My shower talks to me.

8. All the seats on the JR train are heated.

9. There is a place called Akihabara which is the mecca for geeks who love tech toys, Manga (comics), and girls who dress like maids.

10. At the sushi restaurants, the waitress uses a magic electronic wand to zap all the plates with you eat and calculate your total instantly.

Things I like about Japan:
I love all the technology here and the adoption rate is ridiculously high. Out of all the things I really enjoy here, it's the little thing that will make me miss Japan the most; especially the heated seats on the toilets and the trains.

Snow festival in Sapporo

Apologies for the disappearance. I've come out of the witness protection program and am now able to blog about Tokyo/Japan again. Also, I've decided to change the name of my blog from "Kam Pai" which is "Cheers" in Japanese to "Undercover Gaijin". I first heard this phrase hanging out with a bunch of friends who are English teachers and the title was given to us Asians who could pass for Japanese. FYI: Gaijin means foreigner or outside person.

I went to the Yuki Matsuri (Snow Festival) in Sapporo last weekend which was awesome. Tim, Melissa, and Phuong traveled with me to brave the freezing temperatures. Yes, they make Sapporo beer there but to be honest with you, I think Asahi is better. Actually, if it was up to me, I wouldn't drink Japanese beer. Their sake and shu's (like a Japanese vodka) are much better. While in Sapporo, I saw ice/snow sculptures which was the main delight of the Snow festival. It's not everyday you get to visit a house entirely out of snow or an Ice Bar serving Kahlua. I think my friends and I witnessed a "wedding" in front of one huge ice temple. One ice sculpture actually had fish and sea life frozen inside. I do have to say the funniest snow sculpture I saw was Canada's. In the International Snow Sculpture competition, Canada submitted a Klondike couple in a very skanky/interesting dance pose. My Canadian friends imitated them and it was very omoshiroi.

The other favorite part of Sapporo was going to Sato Land-o, a kids theme park which had a snow/ice maze. The boys won in a boys v. girls race. We rule!

The food is also pretty good. Soup curry was my favorite which is basically curry in a soup form and you pour it over a plate of rice. The hairy Crab mini kai seki (traditional Japanese gourmet set) also was oishii but was too much for me to handle. You can see pictures of us passed out after the 11-course meal of crab: crab sashimi, crab gratin, crab salad, crab hot pot, crab guts, steam crab, crab tempura...you get the point.

20070211 Sapporo for Yuki Matsuri

added after posting: http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2095363952

I got an idea from a friend of mine about the things she's keeping a track of while in Japan. She's a Chinese citizen who's assimilated well into American culture and proposed several categories to list her experiences in Japan: things she likes, things she hates, and things she doesn't understand. In the spirit of that, I'd like to introduce you to my first thought about Japan.

Things I don't understand:
I get obituary emails at work from anyone who's relative died. Not someone at the company who's passed away but their mother or their father or their grandfather. It is a mass email sent to everyone and about 1x/week, I know someone has died close to GSK. The only condolence I get is that our President and the director will send the family flowers in our name.