The little observations...

[Raelene]

I'm here to fill my saddle bags with gold and then get the fuck out ASAP before the brain rot infects me and mine.

It pains me to say this, but I think this is excellent advice. You are not doing the wrong thing at all and you are certainly not wrong for having the foresight to rescue your family from a sinking ship. I only wish that Japanese men were so pro-active.

As for me, contrary to popular belief, I really do love and respect my students/friends in Japan. They are the reason that I stay on. Sometimes I even think that I'll be happy to go down with the ship, just as long as I can be with my loved ones.

[SamhainP8]

I'm here to fill my saddle bags with gold and then get the fuck out ASAP before the brain rot infects me and mine.

It pains me to say this, but I think this is excellent advice. You are not doing the wrong thing at all and you are certainly not wrong for having the foresight to rescue your family from a sinking ship. I only wish that Japanese men were so pro-active.

As for me, contrary to popular belief, I really do love and respect my students/friends in Japan. They are the reason that I stay on. Sometimes I even think that I'll be happy to go down with the ship, just as long as I can be with my loved ones.

My wife and I talked it over extensively and planned to come back for approximately 5 years and to start our own thing. There we're several reasons why, but the major one was that we were planning on having another kid and I wanted to get into a situation where we could both spend the absolute maximum amount of time at home together with our kids before they started school. In Australia I'd have to work full time 40+ hours and my wife would have to work part time ~15 hours a week in order to live reasonably comfortably. So basically we'd tag-team looking after the kids and hardly see each other or spend time together as a family. Here and now we both work a very light schedule from home and haven't had to sacrifice income to gain time with the kids. I wake up, eat breakfast, go shopping, eat lunch, play around, eat dinner, have a bath and go to bed with my wife and kids every single day. As much as things build up and get to me here, this kind of lifestyle with our kids would be absolutely impossible for us in Aus, so I do and always will appreciate Japan for giving that to us. Of course having an exit plan already in place before we even touched down here is ensuring that we're filling those saddle bags just as fast and as fat as we can

p.s. Obviously you'll go down with the sinking ship as you're clearly suffering from a severe case of brain rot.

[SamhainP8]

The sun visors in cars are all 1 inch too short.

[SamhainP8]

4 seasons my arse!
Heaters away and fans out.

[Wage Slave]

Snap! Wondering about the bamboo screens.

[mandangaman]

Don't forget Melbourne
4 Seasons In One Day
And USA had Frankie Valli AND The Four Seasons

So it's not only Japan

[Langslave]

There seems to have been a culling of vending machines round my way. On the 10 minute walk back from the shopping centre I was feeling a bit warm and wanted a drink, but at 3 places that previously had vending machines there was nothing. Saving electricity/money?

[Raelene]

Here and now we both work a very light schedule from home and haven't had to sacrifice income to gain time with the kids. I wake up, eat breakfast, go shopping, eat lunch, play around, eat dinner, have a bath and go to bed with my wife and kids every single day. As much as things build up and get to me here, this kind of lifestyle with our kids would be absolutely impossible for us in Aus, so I do and always will appreciate Japan for giving that to us.

And you're leaving because, why exactly?

Don't forget that you'll not be cutting off ties completely with Japan (it will be impossible anyway, considering that half your family is Japanese). You have a myriad ways of thanking Japan for the hospitality. For example, if you manage to wangle a decent home with a couple of spare rooms, you can put up some paying guests a few times a year. Japanese baby boomers are especially willing to pay top dollar just for the privilege of staying in a sympathetic and homey environment for a couple of weeks. Ditto Mum-and-kid pairs (they are starting to catch up to the Koreans in this respect).

Keep getting connected as much as you can, as long as you're in Japan. "Word of mouth" is everything in this country. You'll do great, even after you leave.

[Raelene]

Bring up whaling with anti-whalers, and the topic of WW2 always comes up. I don't get the connection.

[SamhainP8]

Here and now we both work a very light schedule from home and haven't had to sacrifice income to gain time with the kids. I wake up, eat breakfast, go shopping, eat lunch, play around, eat dinner, have a bath and go to bed with my wife and kids every single day. As much as things build up and get to me here, this kind of lifestyle with our kids would be absolutely impossible for us in Aus, so I do and always will appreciate Japan for giving that to us.

And you're leaving because, why exactly? .

Same reason we came back here.

[Langslave]

Bring up whaling with anti-whalers, and the topic of WW2 always comes up. I don't get the connection.

Im anti-whaling but I never link it to WWII, thats a whole other kettle of sea life.

[steki47]

Bring up whaling with anti-whalers, and the topic of WW2 always comes up. I don't get the connection.

Im anti-whaling but I never link it to WWII, thats a whole other kettle of sea life.

Maybe I'm a bit dull here, but who brings up WWII? Do anti-whalers make the connection to the war or do anti-whalers? I could see some Japanese reacting to criticism of their whaling by bringing atrocities committed against Japan during the war. Curious about other "defenses".

[Wage Slave]

I'm baffled as well. The only connection with WWII I have heard has been from the pro whalers. They say that whalemeat is uniquely nostalgic as it was an important staple during the war and the hard times that followed. It's those unique delicate emotions again.

If fact, it was still a school lunch staple well into the 70's cubed and pan fried with tomato sauce of all things. The reason not many people are nostalgic for it is that it doesn't taste very nice even with lots of tomato sauce. Hence, they have have tons of the stuff unsold.

[steki47]

If fact, it was still a school lunch staple well into the 70's

My wife remembers eating it for school lunch. One whale fed a lot of people.

I'm still guessing here, but I remember some Japanese saying that criticism of Japan's whaling practices was racist. Essentially, white people were criticizing Asian, hence it was a racist attack. (The Japanese may have missed Greenpeace, et al, criticizing Scandinavians for whaling. Whites attacking Whites, as it were.)

[Wage Slave]

I was fed it in the first month I was here courtesy of an elementary school in Yokkaichi. I didn't find out what it was until after the event. It didn't taste very nice - a mild but very odd taste actually. Sort of like chicken, sort of like fish and something else again all at the same time. It certainly benefited from the tomato sauce. Not something I would go looking for and nor were the kids very impressed either.

Norwegians on the other hand are really keen on it. Lots of restaurants in Oslo serving steaks and they couldn't care less what other people think about it. Far more hardline that the average Japanese person and no pretence of conducting research at all.

[MacGyver]

What's the story with the boy band Exile? They always have serious expressions on their faces in photos trying to look hard but then they have immaculate hair, facial hair, etc, and wear black suits with white shirts and black ties, and have fake tans. Are they trying to be Japan's version of gangsta rock even though they sing mostly love songs and ballads??? I just don't get their image at all.....

[Raelene]

I could see some Japanese reacting to criticism of their whaling by bringing atrocities committed against Japan during the war. Curious about other "defenses".

What I meant was that some mad old floggers in the western world bring up WW2 atrocities committed by the Japanese as unique evidence of Japanese cruelty towards all living creatures. Trust me, on certain UK and Australian sites it never fails to come up. I'm actually surprised you guys haven't encountered it yet.

By the way, in middle-class circles in Japan, it's becoming a very downmarket thing to openly support whaling and the consumption of whalemeat. They are starting to catch on that it looks like the dog-eating thing in China and Korea. Go whitey!

[Langslave]

Actually I find it a little difficult to imagine that catching whales is cost effective. Sending ships all the way down to the South Pole to HOPEFULLY catch some whales, then cart them all the way back here. Cant help but think its a bit of a waste.

[inflames]

That's why it's for "research."

[Wage Slave]

It's nuts. They've allowed themselves to get trapped by the industry in a situation where it has become a matter of face. They really should do as the Norwegians do and just say they are going to go and catch what the market demands subject to sensible conservation.

That would allow for a couple of years moratorium for starters while the existing stockpile of meat is used up. How long does it keep in deep deep freeze anyway? After that, and having given Sea Shepherd a nice long break to find something useful to do, they should just go catch what the market really wants - ie not very much. Sea Shepherd and the rest are perfectly at liberty to campaign against the eating of whale meat and they are almost certainly pushing at an unlocked door as Raelene says. If it actually tasted good, I could see the worry but as it doesn't I don't see much future growth unless it becomes a matter of national pride.

No Norwegian ever said to me that they insisted on hunting whale because it tasted good and I never saw anyone actually order it. The surprisingly passionate defence was couched entirely in terms of "our history and culture" and "we are not going to be told what to do by anyone".

[inflames]

The surprisingly passionate defence was couched entirely in terms of "our history and culture" and "we are not going to be told what to do by anyone".

You should see how pissed off they get when you point out traveling thousands of kilometers in modern boats isn't a traditional part of culture. It is a part of Eskimo culture and they manage to do it the old-fashioned way.

[Raelene]

You should see how pissed off they get when you point out traveling thousands of kilometers in modern boats isn't a traditional part of culture.

Okay, that's brilliant. I'm so using that.

[Raelene]

There seems to have been a culling of vending machines round my way.

I noticed that too, but could it be more tied to the closure of small businesses in the area? They are the ones who tend to install the vending machines. Anyway, I decided to take a more positive stance and think of all the money I was saving by not buying "flavoured water" twice a day. According to my calculations, I'm now saving about 7,000 yen a month, or 84,000 yen a year!

Just rinse out an old 500-ml PET bottle and fill it with tap water before you go out. You can top it up at work. Water is clean and abundant in this land, take advantage of it.

[Boogaloo]

Women here, at least the older ones, still mount their bikes like people from a 1930s Ealing Studios comedy, you know...left foot on left pedal, hop on right foot four times, then mount.

Awesome observation! I have been waiting to see this for real, and then today, I saw one. Exactly rigght. 4 uncomfortable-looking hops then mount. I was delighted when my unsuspecting observation specimen had to stop at the lights a second time, and did exactly the same little dance. It must have been taught at school in the past for soe many to adhere to it. You know, everything has to be just as it is and that's what you do no matter what.

Very funny observation, Langslave. I want to see more of this just for my amusement!

[Langslave]

Just keep your eyes peeled for the Miss Marple types Boogaloo, they never fail.
My observation, 100 yens worth of 10 yen coins weighs 45 gms. 1,000 yens worth 450 gms, give or take a gm. An old large Pringles tube holds roughly 7,400 yen, a new one roughly 6,300. I have 3 old tubes and 7 new, all full of ten yen coins. Together they should yield around 66,000 yen. I predict the teller at the bank will not be happy to see me.

[angryboy]

I think I`ve got it , 25 or below is samui,above 25 is atsui.
Unless it is cloudy,then it is samui and you wear a coat and scarf no matter the temperature.

[allblacks]

Just keep your eyes peeled for the Miss Marple types Boogaloo, they never fail.
My observation, 100 yens worth of 10 yen coins weighs 45 gms. 1,000 yens worth 450 gms, give or take a gm. An old large Pringles tube holds roughly 7,400 yen, a new one roughly 6,300. I have 3 old tubes and 7 new, all full of ten yen coins. Together they should yield around 66,000 yen. I predict the teller at the bank will not be happy to see me.

There will be a fee to count it. Even though all they do is feed it into a machine. You are better off hogging an atm for an hour. Been there done that!

By the way people...Has anyone seen the shops in Namba etc selling USD$. Im VERY tempted to go down there and start buying USD$ 100 at a time. Benefit is you cant spend it and dont want to exchange it. Some time in the future when things get better you will have some USD to cash in at hopefully a better rate.

[Langslave]

Ive done it before and dont recall being hit with a fee. It was quite some time ago though. I hate doing it at the ATM, it takes forever and the machine often reaches a limit and shuts down on me. I'd much rather pester one of the 97 staff who seem to be doing something or nothing behind the counter all the time.

[allblacks]

Ive done it before and dont recall being hit with a fee. It was quite some time ago though. I hate doing it at the ATM, it takes forever and the machine often reaches a limit and shuts down on me. I'd much rather pester one of the 97 staff who seem to be doing something or nothing behind the counter all the time.

Never heard of that. What you could do is separate them in piles of roughly 50 before you go. Then just feed them in as you deposit. I think the limits 50 coins at a time?

[Langslave]

I think its maybe 100. But yeah, on a couple of occasions the machines just shut down on me and the floor staff said it was full. Had two in a row do it one day