Japanese fire drill

Today, we had an unexpected fire drill. I noticed an interesting difference between fire drills in Japan and one back in Philadelphia. When I was in Philly, when the fire alarm went off, everyone just sat at their desk, trying to ignore the annoying high pitched siren, and just suffering with a sign and people rolling their eyes giving the look, "When is this going to end?"

In Japan, we had a much pleasanter announcer giving us instructions over the PA system. In addition, I started to see people put on their helmets. My manager put his on but stayed a bit to finish up some work. I had to snap a photo of him at work with his helmet. Oh, and he has a yellow one because he's supposed to be a fire marshal.

Afterwards, we all went downstairs to listen to the fire chief tell us how wonderful we did. If you were anything like me, I was a little bit confused as to why we had to wear helmets during a fire drill. I later found out too that the helmets were for earthquakes in case of falling debris.

I enjoyed the nice break in the middle of my work day.

20061120 Japanese Firedrill

Fuji-san

People at work say that on a clear day, we can see Fuji-san (Mt. Fuji) from our building. One early morning right before Japanese class at work, I walked over to the window to do my usual daydreaming. It look small, but I actually managed to see Fuji-san from our building. I quickly jolted back to my desk to grab my camera to grab a picture. You can barely see it but I think it looks good. It's the tiny tiny white crest above all the trees....


I told my teacher about Fuji-san and she was happy I got a chance to see it. But she injected some reality when I told her I was planning on going with some friends in January. She explained to me that it's really pretty from far away, but when you get up close, it's not really worth the trip. She was saying how it's just rocks and tree stumps. A little bit sad to hear that, but her explanation reminded me of beer goggles when clubbing.

At least now, I'll will know what to expect when I go.

Karaoke with work!

This is the second time I've been to Karaoke with work. The first time was a nice department welcome by my manager, and that was quite an experience. The second time round, we had more people and out-of-town guests, the lovely internal auditors as well as finance folks from the business side. It's amazing what a couple of beers, sake, and a sound system can inspire in Japanese people.Picture of Shinjuku, the bright lights and the really wide cross walks.




There's me, singing James Blunt's "You're Beautiful"...

The videos are a little bit more hilarious and there one that is a must see!



I've included the photo album to check out from the night!

20061110 Karaoke with Work

Japanese Anime

My friend sent me this link and for all you Anime lovers or satirist, this is for you!

YouTube video: A tribute to Anime Japanese culture

Thought you would enjoy it. Manga/Anime is everywhere. On the train, you can find many men (in suits) reading anime. There are tons of shops dedicated to little figurines, entire Manga collections, and games to this fantasy world.

I'm trying to find an Anime series I can get into so I can be more Japanese. So far, I've really liked Miyazake's "Spirited Away."

Any suggestions?

Photos of Yokohama and Shinjuku

I promised to bring pictures so here they are!

Yokohama is very well known for the largest Chinatown in Japan. I visited an old friend from Beijing CET 2002 who was teaching down there. She actually just moved there not too long ago so we were both exploring the city together. The city is supposed to have great shopping, host the tallest building in Japan (Landmark Towers, #36 in the world), and great Dim Sum! We went to an all-you-can-eat Dim Sum in the late evening this past Friday and it was good (although not as good as HK, but it'll hold me over till I go back). Funny how I'm in Japan yet I still see my "family" everywhere.

We went out afterwards to drink in Yokohama and go to these bar/snack restaurants which are very popular in Japan. After missing our last train, we decided to take a break in the ever popular 24-hour Manga shops which give you all the access to Internet, video games, movies, and of course, the entire collection of Manga you want. For those who don't know what Manga is, it's basically Japanese anime comic books. We camped there for about 3 hours, and then I took the morning train back to Tokyo. It's actually really neat cause you get your own chair, computer, blanket, free drinks (non-alcoholic), and just lounge. I paid about $9 for about 3 hours which was cheaper than taking the taxi to our friend's home.

This Monday, I've asked a friend from work to help me look for some common items to supplement my home like a Mahjong set, tatamei tiles (Japanese floor tiles), and various other items. We went to Shinjuku which is one of the most crowded places in Tokyo. I love being in Shinjuku as it truly is the symbol of Tokyo. The mixed color lights, tall buildings, and lemming-like crossroads is unique and cannot be found anywhere else. Some of you might say HK, which I'm tempted to agree, but the specific colors and wide streets are like none other. While we were shopping for various items, we ran into a little food shopping area in which we got to try a lot of neat foods! What I'm eating now in the picture below was the raw wasabi octopus. (quite delicious actually). We went to Korea-town after our 3 hour shopping. Kubuki-cho (where Koreantown is located) is known for it's mafia and prostitution ring. Despite such, we still found amazing Korean food!

















More pictures are posted online: Visit in Yokohama, and Shopping in Shinjuku

Gomen nasai!

So it's been a while since I've updated my travels in Tokyo. I appreciate your concerns and comments...I've finally gotten a kick in the butt by my cousin who said something along the lines of "how am I supposed to keep up with you if you don't write..." and another friend who was a little bit more polite and just asked "how's it going in faraway Japan".

Well, Cecilia and Anna, thanks for your thoughts so I will write although I can't write much now. The company here is currently going through an internal audit and I've been asked to sit in to learn about the IT services here and how audits take place. Basically, my entire day gets sucked out and I'm having to stay later than I normally do.

But work aside, I'm starting to make friends which I couldn't say that as much a couple of weeks ago. I really felt like "Lost in Translation" where everywhere I went, I was shocked at how many people there were but still felt like such an outsider, especially by not being able to communicate at all with them. Two weeks ago, I made a decision to start taking Japanese courses at night (2x/week) to give myself more practice and it has helped. I've also combined with listening to JapanesePod101 via podcast on my brand new iPod (courtsey of friends in Philly) on the train to work and back that I'm definitely feeling more confident in speaking to shopkeepers, restaurant staff, and just people within my department.

So those are what consumes my life so far...which is not as exciting but I will write a more interesting entry about some of the cultural differences which I find so tantalizing and I've promised to show/tell you...but so far, it's work, Japanese lessons/courses, and then clubbing on the weekends in Shinjuku ni-chome!

Btw, I do have a digital camera now and I've just received my SD card so pics to come soon! I have some crazy ones of food which I bet you will never eat! ;-P

In the mean time, please look at a good friend of mine who posted amazing pictures of the "Sayonara to Chris" party in Philadelphia via the blog entries below. She made us all look *hot*!


http://www.xanga.com/DaYipsta/545183982/item.html

http://www.xanga.com/DaYipsta/539201613/item.html

http://www.xanga.com/DaYipsta/538609990/item.html

Oh, and gomen nasai means sorry!