I’m more amused by it than anything, and I know kids the age of mine tend to cling to mom more, but when it’s just me with them, it’s like they have an NES, and than mom comes home and **boom** it’s a PS5.
(And they run to greet me when I come home too, so it balances out.)
The new eigo de asobo is awful. I hate it but my daughter seems to like it…. Can’t stand kyary.
Also I thought the last generation Cook Rn Rn graduated but it seems they came back after like a week? This isn’t a complaint as the new generation seemed as bland as stale bread but I’m just wondering what happened.
On trains, we need to push a button to open the door again.
Another nail in the Covid coffin.
Always makes me chuckle a bit how much seasonal stuff is delayed in my neck of the woods. Been doing a lot of zoom interviews/phone calls whilst job hunting and everyone from (not Hokkaido) is always like “… you’re *just* getting sakura now?!?”
It is pretty nice that it lines up almost perfectly with Golden Week. Definitely not going on any kind of big trip this year, but the weather has been absolutely lovely so I might just take a few day trips, maybe go see if there’s any banei happening down in Obihiro or something.
We’ve had a COVID-related WFH policy at work for the last couple of years. Now those policies are ending. After a bit of internal turmoil (with some good points made by the anti-WFH side), I’m happy to say our WFH policy will officially become permanent, with the explicit goal of improving work-life balance.
We can WFH 8 days a month (so 2 days a week) subject to manager approval. Combine that with flextime and complete lack of overtime in our section, and we can effectively decide on our own schedules as long as we get our work done.
There’s certainly drawbacks with living in Okinawa. Our work environment is not one of them.
Weather forecast improved significantly for the next couple of days so I can go hiking in the alps (yarigatake). Very excited already! Might even do a detour through kamikochi and mingle with the masses on the way down.
I don’t know who needs to hear this but having and showing off sleeve tattoos is not a personality.
Has anyone ever used a daiko 代行 service?
The services that will drive out with two people, and have one of them drive you to your destination in your own car with the other one following you.
I’ve used them quite a bit, but I’m really curious how this business is profitable at all. They all don’t open until like 7PM and don’t take reservations, and the end cost is always at least 1/2 the cost of a regular cab. It seems like it requires 2 employees and a car anyway, so I don’t comprehend how its so much cheaper.
I guess just licensing insurance and vehicle upkeep is cheaper for them?
I passed N2, but sometimes still have troubles in writing long emails, because of keigo. So yesterday I tried writing in simple Japanese and then give it to ChatGPT asking to make it polite. Some tweaks are sometimes needed, but surprisingly works very well.
Any update on that missing hiker in Wakayama?? 🙁
What can I put in my whey powder to make it more palatable?
For the non-native ALTs under us…
Officially you need an instructor visa to work as ALT and as a non-native, you need proof of 12 years of being educated in English. But in my mind, I believe that I read somewhere on the internet a few years ago that if you have a certain amount of experience (3 years?) you can also be eligible for an instructor visa…
Does anyone know if this is true or does anyone have actual experience going this route?
I’ve found thumbtacks in my mailbox twice now. It’s so childish and low effort that I’m not particularly bothered by it, but I also have no interaction with any of my neighbors, and I’m not noisy or otherwise unpleasant, so I can only assume the obvious foreign name in the mailbox is an idiot magnet.
So, uh, ideas?
This might sound strange but I just realized that one of the benefits of becoming older is no longer being nampa-ed. I can go out alone and not have anxiety about someone hitting on me, saying something creepy, or just plain following me.
A coworker asked me if I get weird looks when I go into a shop without a mask on now and was shocked to hear that I often get weird looks when I go into a shop because of my glaringly white face. He’d apparently forgotten I was not Japanese.
Tokyo definitely feels crowded these days.
As someone who’s helping a friend look for a new place, what would be the condition/s for you in terms of ‘this place is the one!’?
I need to do an Antigen Rapid Test for upcoming travel and a home test kit will do fine, but have never done a test other than PCR so have no idea where to even buy one. Are “legit” ones available at pharmacies here? Or is ordering one off amazon fine too?
Has anyone here taken the IT パスポート exam? I have been studying for it and hoping to take it next month. How did you find it? Did the certification actually help you get a new job?
I an using it to help out my resume and help me escape from ALTing to something entry level in the IT field. Also any ideas? I want to use Japanese and English at my job. Help desk seems like a good place to start.
Do I need a PCR test to leave/return to Japan? Finding some conflicting (possibly outdated?) info online.
When people talk about “mandatory overtime,” what exactly do they mean? Are you disciplined or penalized in some way for leaving at the end of your shift? Is it a peer pressure thing? Do you expect your boss to pipe up and say “oi, sit back down”?
I guess I’ve been fortunate because when my shift ends I leave and nobody bats an eye. Sure I feel like the odd one out sometimes and that’s a bit awkward, but that’s the extent of it.
I can get staying longer because you’ve got a project or something that needs more time, but I don’t understand what makes people commit overtime simply as a matter of course. Like I see job postings mentioning things like “average overtime” and I think, is this just a culture thing, or are you literally mandated to commit a certain number of hours of overtime each month?
Anyone else getting dry hands from this low humidity? Google says it’s 22% today
I tried multiple types of tattoo cover stickers. I’m allergic to the adhesive in most, and the cost for what I need sucks (I need multiple 1000-yen-each packs for a single visit to the pool). The concealer I bought came, but is worse than my wife’s concealer. Neither will fully cover even my lighter-colored tattoos. I tried finding silicon sleeves but, aside from one sus hit on Amazon, I only find full prosthetics companies.
I’m at a loss. Tattoo removal is not an option. Getting thrown out of my gym for breaking the rules is not an option. The two taiikukan near me have no tattoo rules (even though this seems legally suspect) and thus are not an option.
It seems like trying to get some prosthetics made or maaaaaaybe liquid latex are my only options.
Can anyone think of anything else?
Not the complaint thread but not having a credit card here is driving me insane. The amount of times my debit has been declined for no reason on purchases is driving me insane. Never mind all the credit card only sites. Was trying to buy a pixel from the sale and it just won’t take my card. Same with most concerts here. I’ll gladly pay the 200 yen fee for conbini pay, just let me give you money.
There are those touts on the street who randomly approach and harass women, I think trying to recruit them to work in sex shops…? It’s absolutely awful and I’ve seen guys chase after women for entire blocks.
But if there are so many guys who are always out there…does that mean that sometimes it actually works?
How do you all feel about people telling their stories of the ridiculous things they do in Japan and then pose it as a ‘word of caution,’ like we would do the same thing ever?
How full is everyone’s city?
NHK keeps mailing me the new notices. Does it cost them if I were to drop their empty prepaid envelopes in the post for some petty revenge?
does anyone know of some super sentou in the Kagurazaka area?
I was once recommended one that looked great (sub 3k for a full day of fun) but lost the Google maps link and can’t find it anymore and don’t know what to search 🥲
Took the plane for hospitalization abroad and won’t be back for a whole month. I already miss Japan!
Today I got called “ojisan” by some girls giggling in the corner of a konbini. It made me realize I’m getting old, but it also made me sort of happy. Being referred to as ojisan instead of gaijin sort of feels like I’m starting to assimilate into Japanese society.
Just got a letter from the Pension office that I have some pension dues even tho the deduction already happens from my salary. Talked with my manager at my office and apparently some of my colleagues have got the same too. Apparently the reason is I need to pay the Welfare Insurance amount for the time period between my entry to Japan and joining the company (when I wasn’t even salaried in Japan). It’s several thousand Yen and I don’t even understand the point of it 🙁
32 comments
I’m more amused by it than anything, and I know kids the age of mine tend to cling to mom more, but when it’s just me with them, it’s like they have an NES, and than mom comes home and **boom** it’s a PS5.
(And they run to greet me when I come home too, so it balances out.)
The new eigo de asobo is awful. I hate it but my daughter seems to like it…. Can’t stand kyary.
Also I thought the last generation Cook Rn Rn graduated but it seems they came back after like a week? This isn’t a complaint as the new generation seemed as bland as stale bread but I’m just wondering what happened.
On trains, we need to push a button to open the door again.
Another nail in the Covid coffin.
Always makes me chuckle a bit how much seasonal stuff is delayed in my neck of the woods. Been doing a lot of zoom interviews/phone calls whilst job hunting and everyone from (not Hokkaido) is always like “… you’re *just* getting sakura now?!?”
It is pretty nice that it lines up almost perfectly with Golden Week. Definitely not going on any kind of big trip this year, but the weather has been absolutely lovely so I might just take a few day trips, maybe go see if there’s any banei happening down in Obihiro or something.
We’ve had a COVID-related WFH policy at work for the last couple of years. Now those policies are ending. After a bit of internal turmoil (with some good points made by the anti-WFH side), I’m happy to say our WFH policy will officially become permanent, with the explicit goal of improving work-life balance.
We can WFH 8 days a month (so 2 days a week) subject to manager approval. Combine that with flextime and complete lack of overtime in our section, and we can effectively decide on our own schedules as long as we get our work done.
There’s certainly drawbacks with living in Okinawa. Our work environment is not one of them.
Weather forecast improved significantly for the next couple of days so I can go hiking in the alps (yarigatake). Very excited already! Might even do a detour through kamikochi and mingle with the masses on the way down.
I don’t know who needs to hear this but having and showing off sleeve tattoos is not a personality.
Has anyone ever used a daiko 代行 service?
The services that will drive out with two people, and have one of them drive you to your destination in your own car with the other one following you.
I’ve used them quite a bit, but I’m really curious how this business is profitable at all. They all don’t open until like 7PM and don’t take reservations, and the end cost is always at least 1/2 the cost of a regular cab. It seems like it requires 2 employees and a car anyway, so I don’t comprehend how its so much cheaper.
I guess just licensing insurance and vehicle upkeep is cheaper for them?
I passed N2, but sometimes still have troubles in writing long emails, because of keigo. So yesterday I tried writing in simple Japanese and then give it to ChatGPT asking to make it polite. Some tweaks are sometimes needed, but surprisingly works very well.
Any update on that missing hiker in Wakayama?? 🙁
What can I put in my whey powder to make it more palatable?
For the non-native ALTs under us…
Officially you need an instructor visa to work as ALT and as a non-native, you need proof of 12 years of being educated in English. But in my mind, I believe that I read somewhere on the internet a few years ago that if you have a certain amount of experience (3 years?) you can also be eligible for an instructor visa…
Does anyone know if this is true or does anyone have actual experience going this route?
I’ve found thumbtacks in my mailbox twice now. It’s so childish and low effort that I’m not particularly bothered by it, but I also have no interaction with any of my neighbors, and I’m not noisy or otherwise unpleasant, so I can only assume the obvious foreign name in the mailbox is an idiot magnet.
So, uh, ideas?
This might sound strange but I just realized that one of the benefits of becoming older is no longer being nampa-ed. I can go out alone and not have anxiety about someone hitting on me, saying something creepy, or just plain following me.
A coworker asked me if I get weird looks when I go into a shop without a mask on now and was shocked to hear that I often get weird looks when I go into a shop because of my glaringly white face. He’d apparently forgotten I was not Japanese.
Tokyo definitely feels crowded these days.
As someone who’s helping a friend look for a new place, what would be the condition/s for you in terms of ‘this place is the one!’?
I need to do an Antigen Rapid Test for upcoming travel and a home test kit will do fine, but have never done a test other than PCR so have no idea where to even buy one. Are “legit” ones available at pharmacies here? Or is ordering one off amazon fine too?
Has anyone here taken the IT パスポート exam? I have been studying for it and hoping to take it next month. How did you find it? Did the certification actually help you get a new job?
I an using it to help out my resume and help me escape from ALTing to something entry level in the IT field. Also any ideas? I want to use Japanese and English at my job. Help desk seems like a good place to start.
Do I need a PCR test to leave/return to Japan? Finding some conflicting (possibly outdated?) info online.
When people talk about “mandatory overtime,” what exactly do they mean? Are you disciplined or penalized in some way for leaving at the end of your shift? Is it a peer pressure thing? Do you expect your boss to pipe up and say “oi, sit back down”?
I guess I’ve been fortunate because when my shift ends I leave and nobody bats an eye. Sure I feel like the odd one out sometimes and that’s a bit awkward, but that’s the extent of it.
I can get staying longer because you’ve got a project or something that needs more time, but I don’t understand what makes people commit overtime simply as a matter of course. Like I see job postings mentioning things like “average overtime” and I think, is this just a culture thing, or are you literally mandated to commit a certain number of hours of overtime each month?
Anyone else getting dry hands from this low humidity? Google says it’s 22% today
I tried multiple types of tattoo cover stickers. I’m allergic to the adhesive in most, and the cost for what I need sucks (I need multiple 1000-yen-each packs for a single visit to the pool). The concealer I bought came, but is worse than my wife’s concealer. Neither will fully cover even my lighter-colored tattoos. I tried finding silicon sleeves but, aside from one sus hit on Amazon, I only find full prosthetics companies.
I’m at a loss. Tattoo removal is not an option. Getting thrown out of my gym for breaking the rules is not an option. The two taiikukan near me have no tattoo rules (even though this seems legally suspect) and thus are not an option.
It seems like trying to get some prosthetics made or maaaaaaybe liquid latex are my only options.
Can anyone think of anything else?
Not the complaint thread but not having a credit card here is driving me insane. The amount of times my debit has been declined for no reason on purchases is driving me insane. Never mind all the credit card only sites. Was trying to buy a pixel from the sale and it just won’t take my card. Same with most concerts here. I’ll gladly pay the 200 yen fee for conbini pay, just let me give you money.
There are those touts on the street who randomly approach and harass women, I think trying to recruit them to work in sex shops…? It’s absolutely awful and I’ve seen guys chase after women for entire blocks.
But if there are so many guys who are always out there…does that mean that sometimes it actually works?
How do you all feel about people telling their stories of the ridiculous things they do in Japan and then pose it as a ‘word of caution,’ like we would do the same thing ever?
How full is everyone’s city?
NHK keeps mailing me the new notices. Does it cost them if I were to drop their empty prepaid envelopes in the post for some petty revenge?
does anyone know of some super sentou in the Kagurazaka area?
I was once recommended one that looked great (sub 3k for a full day of fun) but lost the Google maps link and can’t find it anymore and don’t know what to search 🥲
Took the plane for hospitalization abroad and won’t be back for a whole month. I already miss Japan!
Today I got called “ojisan” by some girls giggling in the corner of a konbini. It made me realize I’m getting old, but it also made me sort of happy. Being referred to as ojisan instead of gaijin sort of feels like I’m starting to assimilate into Japanese society.
Just got a letter from the Pension office that I have some pension dues even tho the deduction already happens from my salary. Talked with my manager at my office and apparently some of my colleagues have got the same too. Apparently the reason is I need to pay the Welfare Insurance amount for the time period between my entry to Japan and joining the company (when I wasn’t even salaried in Japan). It’s several thousand Yen and I don’t even understand the point of it 🙁