23 Sep 2009
Japan
This post is long overdue, I’m in Japan now so my life has taken a turn off towards something a little different to what the other 20 years of my life has become accustom to. I’m in Japan and already I’ve had my share of ups and downs. Ups being.. well I’m in Japan, all my new friends (especially Angie ^^) and general Japanese life and language learning. Downs being.. well, until this moment the 1.23 million yen bill I had hanging over my head.. and that’s that.
From the top then! Japan.. Japan is a very cool place. Beer comes out of vending machines, people speak Japanese and are actually really really nice at all times. There are trains going everywhere and the situation I have at my seminar house absolutely kicks mega super ass.
Friends? all these new friends are absolutely amazing, what’s more amazing is that they come from all different parts from around the world and that just makes everyday conversation super super cool. Like, the Americans say ‘leisure’ in a messed up way and some Canadians really do say ‘about’ funny. The English don’t know simple words like ’stacked’ and the Australians are just super awesome 25/7. I love my friends.
Angie? ohh she’s a little stubborn gem whom I seem to really like.
Half of our family, we're too big to fit in one picture.
Japanese life and language? ohhh it kicks ass. I have a pink bike and I ride it on the road, I almost get hit by cars daily it’s such a chore but it’s Japanese life so I live with it. Language is improving tooo, as a side effect of living in Japan.. uhh I’m out of sync now someone just dropped an egg onto a tatami mat.. it’s not my room but they’re making a fuss about it.
Oh the down! yeah so I signed up for a contract with Softbank because I was going to be here for a year and I wanted to use internet on my HTC Dream! the phone I absolutely adore and love. I made sure to get the unlimited packet fixed price plan, and the guy said I’d only have to pay 6000 yen at the end of the day if I downloaded a shit load.. annyway, I got an email from my bank back home and they told me when I called them that Softbank tried to push through a near 16 thousand dollar transaction.. twice! so yeah, turns out the Softbank guy put me on the wrong plan for my phone and I was using the internet heaps thinking I was okay and before I know it I’ve got somebody from Softbank calling me spewing shitty English trying to tell me to stop using my phone.
Thankfully one of the Residential Assistants (Akane) had my back and was able to explain the situation and whatnot.. it took some talking and even a discussion at some Softbank headquarters but we managed to work out that I’ll pay 13, 400 yen and I’ll get switched over to the plan I was supposed to be on in the first place. I’m happy because it’s not 1.23 million yen and I don’t have to worry about bad things like ninjas coming to get me cos I wouldn’t pay.
Annnd, I think that is that. I will try to keep most of my Kansai Gaidai posts on my Kansai Gaidai blog but this part of my blog looked like it was getting a bit dusty so here we are.
Hello there!
I’m off to KG spring 2010, and since you say the situation at the seminar house is brilliant, might I ask what seminar house it is? I haven’t chosen yet, you see.
Cheers!
// Camilla
Camilla
December 11th, 2009 at 12:54 pmpermalink
Seminar House 3!
It’s worth the extra 30,000 yen.
Mitch
December 11th, 2009 at 4:43 pmpermalink
Aha!
Thank you for your quick reply. ^^
Actually my friends and I are considering 1 & 2, since they seem small and cozy and especially 1 seems to have a really nice okaasan, which definitely maks our opinions sway.
Do you happen to know what other people have said about 1/2/4? (please forgive me for shamelessly using you as a source of info here XD)
Camilla
December 11th, 2009 at 9:50 pmpermalink
It’s generally well known that Seminar House 4 is the party place with the okaasan and otousan being very young and fun.
1 and 2 as the numbers suggest were the first two seminar houses built meaning they are oldest. But 1 and 2 are basically next to each other and number 3, with number 4 being a 5 minute walk away.
I don’t know much about 1 and 2’s okaasan and otousans.
Mitch
December 13th, 2009 at 4:49 pmpermalink
Aha! Thanks for the info.
Hm, do you think any of the houses would let in a boyfriend (during daytime, of course)? Mine will come visit now and then, and it would be nice if he would be allowed to be spend time with me and my friends in our room. 2 seems to have this weird split of floors, where floor 3 is boys only and floor 4 girls only – no one of opposite sex allowed! :O NOT promising. (Hm, maybe 4’s young okaasan/otousan would be more permitting there…)
And I read somewhere that someone’s girlfriend was allowed to enter 3 after she had been made to read all the rules and the very strict okaasan decided that she was worthy of entering her house, which seems… quite promising. ;D And this strict okaasan that is being spoken of all over the internetz when seminar houses is the subject; is she really a problem?
Oh, and the apartments in house 3 – are they girls’ only or boys’ only apartments?
Camilla
December 13th, 2009 at 8:20 pmpermalink
Email email. xD
Mitch
December 14th, 2009 at 1:41 ampermalink