Video Blog: Japanese Home Appliances

Wow, I took a bit of a break from my last post, and right when I had a nice streak going too, huh? I've been rather busy these past couple weeks jumping head first back into my Japanese studies. I sort of re-discovered the site AllJapaneseAllTheTime.com, after reading this article a while back. For those familiar with the site, maybe it's self-explanatory what happened. I felt motivated to take Japanese to the next step, dropped hobbies relating to English, and immersed myself in it, I daresay more than I did even in Japan. lol It was a magical thing. Perhaps I'll make a post in the future to do justice to this site and what I'm doing now.

But for now, I want to get back on track to Japan documenting. :p

And do I have a treat for you! Today I will cover two of my most popular videos on YouTube. They'll take a closer look at some things that are considered perfectly ordinary parts of everyday life in Japan, which from a gaijin (foreigner) perspective might actually, possibly, sort of be kind of cool. If you watched the first video of my house in Japan, you will have seen both of these briefly. I do apologize for the sound, my camera is not good at picking it up even from a foot away apparently.

Japanese Washing Machine

Video notes:

• Like I said in the video, "washing machine" is sentakki, but it can also be sentakuki.
• There are various reasons that Japanese don't own dryers. First and foremost, they're rare and expensive, so if you see one in a home you know that the family is pretty well-off. Another reason is that the Japanese don't want to waste electricity needlessly (which can be seen in bringing hand towels everywhere instead of having hand dryers in bathrooms), and better still is that over a period of time dryers will wear down colors and fabric. Either way, from much of the world's perspective Americans are weird for having them. lol
• The rest is self-explanatory.

Japanese Showers

Video notes:

• I was going to say that the reason this one had so many hits was probably because people thought I was taking a video in a public shower. However, the washing machine video had even more hits so I don't know WTF is going on.
• The shower room is called ohuroba.
  
• I say shower specifically and not bath because I never actually took a bath while I was there, unfortunately. Wish I had that time to relax, but the most I did was plug it up one time while taking a shower to make sure that I wasn't wasting as much water as a bath anyway, and it was pretty clear that a shower was the way to go.
• It got annoying at times having to turn off the shower while lathering up, but through the cold nights it certainly built up discipline and reminded me how I was saving water. haha
• Someone on YouTube asked why I didn't wash myself outside the bathtub and then soak in it afterward. Obviously there's the water issue, but I told the person that when my host parents explained how to use it, it sounded to me like if I was going to use the shower I should do it in the tub and keep the water from getting on the floor. So I did that and they never mentioned anything else about it the rest of the four months I was there. In hot springs however, which I'll cover in a later post, that person would certainly be correct.
  
• As I mentioned in the other video blog, privacy was a matter of closing two curtains and shutting an unlocked door. But as I covered, the Japanese have a high respect for said privacy, so no problems.

A short post, enjoy.

21st Birthday Karaoke

Seeing as I turn 22 next month, I figure I'll go ahead and cover this event from Japan before I'm over a year late. haha


While the 21st birthday has special significance in the states, the golden age in Japan is 20, when people can drink sake, smoke, vote, buy a car, buy a phone, etc. All the same, my host parents went out of their way to make sure I had a great birthday, beginning with a candle at breakfast, and including a present (a Japanese board game called Reversi) and going out to dinner. We went to an all-you-can-eat (tabehodai) bread restaurant, where the waiters and waitresses come around with baskets of various types of bread and offer them as a side to the main meal. Since I like bread and LOVE Japanese bread this was a dream come true, and I owe it to my host parents for everything they did for me. お世話になりました！

I was subtle about telling my new friends that it was my birthday, since I didn't want to make a fuss about doing something for it and making them feel obligated. On the day of my birthday in Japanese class, though, the topic happened to be "when is your birthday and what do you want" to practice the word hoshii, meaning "want." When they found out my birthday was that day, they all sung me happy birthday. lol

After class, I sat around by the bookstore on the second floor of the student union (Copain) and studied old Japanese notes. We gathered friends and waited to hear about the weather report, which was predicting a vicious typhoon that would hit sometime that night and probably last until the morning. Deciding to risk it, at around 6 I went with Van, Joel, and my other friends through the rain, first to eat at a department store and then to go to karaoke.


Growing up, my view of karaoke like many people in the states was of a bar-setting where people were singing off a teleprompter in front of a crowd of strangers. Not for me, no thanks. Before leaving for Japan, however, my friends had dragged me to karaoke at a Korean-owned establishment, which provided a completely different experience. A group of friends would be given their own room, and they would choose songs and sing together.


Japan karaoke turned out to be very similar, except to the extreme because Japan is, afterall, the king of karaoke. Not only were there separate rooms depending on the group, but there were tons of rooms packed on multiple floors, each complete with at least two mics, song books, and electronic song choosers (for lack of a better name). I went that night with the intention of having a good time; not necessarily singing, but hanging with friends and experiencing another side of Japan. It soon became apparent that the power of the situation gets everyone singing. This is how a lot of people have fun in Japan, and no matter what your aversion before coming, after a while it's bound to happen - you're going to enjoy karaoke. :p My friends and I eventually started going every week or two, once going THREE TIMES in one week. How can we afford it you ask, Japan being so expensive? In fact, with a student discount we could go to our favorite karaoke joint (Karaoke Yuubou) during the day for only 100 yen every half an hour. That includes bottomless soft drinks, so after 2 in that half hour you're already saving money. It got to the point were I had a pretty sizable playlist on my iPod, devoted to songs I chose ahead of time to sing at karaoke. If anyone from Nanzan wants to trade playlists, let me know!


Someone had decided that it would be cool to organize a big group to go to karaoke on Friday, the 19th of September, for all-you-can-drink (nomihodai). This was a bit more expensive, around 3700 yen for the whole night from 7:30 pm to 5:00 am. Sugoi, ne? And so it happened that my first time going to karaoke in Japan landed on my birthday purely by coincidence. Not only that, but it turned out to be a great way of forming deeper bonds of friendship, and those who went became some of my best friends for the remaining 3 months. I sang only about 10 songs, but the machines were literally going nonstop till the end. I do regret running off to sing one song while in the middle of a phone call with my girlfriend wishing me happy birthday. She does so much for me, I wonder why she puts up with my stupidity a lot of the time. I love you so much, honey!! At around 1:30 I tried to get some sleep, but ended up getting only about an hour.


So we left karaoke at 5 and went home, noticing a fallen tree branch and sign as the only visible effects of the typhoon, only to meet up later with friends at Ossu Kannon at 1 pm. One of my friends passed the time by riding the train in circles and taking a nap. XD

Pictures on Facebook
Pictures on Photobucket
Videos on YouTube

Japan Checklist

UPDATE 3/26/10: Turns out JapanesePod101 decided to do the same sort of blog post that I did in August. It covers a lot of what I mentioned below, but in greater detail for those really interested in getting to Japan. The blog post is called Valuable Information on Getting Starting Living in Japan and the second part is here. Part 3: click. This is really good stuff!

Those going to any country for a substantial period of time are going to want to be sure they've covered their bases. Passport? Check. Visa? Check. Clean pair of underwear? Working on it. Depending on where you're going and for how long the specifics will change, but before I forget I wanted to set out and create a very general list of things to keep in mind when going to Japan. Obviously if you're sponsored by a school or program you're going to be filling out all their paperwork as well, and that's a huge pain by itself, so you shouldn't have to worry about forgetting to tie up the odds and ends. Syk3 has got you covered. (image heavy)

DO BEFORE LEAVING:

• Passport [ryoken/pasupooto | for everyone] - if you're thinking about going, get one or make sure yours is up-to-date. It's a no-brainer.
  
  
  
• Pictures [everyone] - if you're getting a new passport anyway, take extra photos because you're going to need them later for official forms.
  
  
  
• Get a job, a school, or a friend [everyone] - you need something to do when you get over there.
  
  
  
• Certificate of Eligibility [those who need a visa] - unless you have an organization that takes care of this for you, you need to fill out a form and wait for them to send you this certificate, which can take around 6 weeks but makes obtaining a VISA a LOT easier.
• VISA [sashou/biza | staying longer than 90 days] - required to do things like take classes, earn money, and basically anything that isn't strictly related to visiting Japan. If you don't have one, you can stay up to 90 days. If you do have one, then you're limited by the type of VISA, such as Student, Instructor, Journalist, etc.
  
  
  
• Power of Attorney [staying for a while] - a legal document that puts control of your home country assets in the hands of someone trustworthy while your away, in case something needs to be signed on your behalf, etc.
  
  
  
• Credit Cards [everyone] - some people forget to do this, but make sure you call your credit card company if you plan on using it in Japan. Otherwise they may not be able to get in contact with you, and end up blocking all the charges. And you don't want this to happen just when you're about to buy that brand new color tamagotchi, do you?
  
  
  
• Guidebook [everyone] - always a good idea for things to do, or referencing hotels and such in the area. I recommend the Lonely Planet series, which I didn't use as much as I would have liked but it had a ton of useful information.
  
  
  

DO UPON ARRIVING:

• Alien Registration Card [gaikokujin tourokushou | staying for a while] - the most important form of identification while you're away, and should be taken care of immediately. After visiting your local city hall [shiakusho], they'll give you a temporary certificate until your card is finalized.
  
  
  
  
• Insurance Card [hokensyou | staying for a while] - national health insurance is required for anyone hoping to receive treatment in Japan. Often times programs will require you buy separate insurance, but this becomes null and void when you arrive, so apply for a refund if this is the case. Insurance is around 40,000 yen/month.
  
  
  
• Cell Phone [keitai denwa | staying for a while] - extremely cheap, and extremely necessary in Japan. The cheapest plans are for 2-year contracts, but even for 1 semester I was only paying around 1,500 yen/month. Phones themselves may set you back around 20,000 yen for something that the states won't see for another few years at least. More on phones in a later post.
  
  
  
• Name Stamp [inkan | staying for a while] - this is the replacement of signatures in Japan, used most often (almost exclusively, in fact) by banks to sign forms. A cheap one goes for around 1,000 yen, and can include up to 4 characters. I had three: 愚令倶 or gu-rei-gu. The first kanji means foolish or stupid, the second means cold, and the third means group; all-in-all it gives off a yakuza kind of feeling, and when people in Japan read it they're like, "Oooh, cool! Scary, but cool!" Thanks goes out to my host parents for helping me come up with the kanji!!
  
  
  
• Bank Account and Cash Card [kouza and kyasshu kaado | staying for a while] - unless you plan on paying an international transaction fee every time you access your American bank from the local 7-11 ATM, you're going to need to open a bank account in Japan. This is required if your program needs to deposit money into your account, or if you rent housing. Otherwise, Japan is a cash economy and you'll need your cash card for ATMs, plus you won't have to worry about conversion rates if you exchange a lot of money into your bank account up front. In my experience, places that accept American credit cards are rare.
  
  
  
• Commuter Pass [eikiken | staying for a while] - if you find yourself using public transportation every day to commute to school or work, you won't want to buy individual tickets, and you can purchase a pass up front. It's valid for unlimited trips between your stations, but you need to buy separate ones for the train, subway, and anything that's owned by separate companies. If you're part of an organization they may give you a form to receive a discount, but you'll probably still be paying around 10,000 yen/month.
  
  
  
  
• Phone Cards and Postcards [tereka and hagaki | everyone] - keep in touch with family and friends back home, but don't pay too much to do it. The postcards should be relatively cheap, but if you aren't careful the phone cards could run you 10,000 yen in a week (I'm not kidding). Your best bet is getting a card that can be refilled with minutes, like Brastel.
  
  
  

REMINDERS:

• Clothes [staying for a while] - people in Japan are smaller than in the states, so keep this in mind if you plan to buy clothes over there. Stock up, or you just might have to search for an expensive specialty store.
  
  
  
• Gifts [everyone] - Japan is a society that revolves around exchanging gifts as expressions of gratitude. This should not be underestimated. Don't forgot to bring something for your Japanese friends or host parents if you have them, preferably of something that highlights your home town.
  
  
  
• No Tissues [everyone] - if you walk around for a half an hour in a busy commute area, I guarantee that someone will offer you free tissues with advertisements on them. These are substitutes in Japan for napkins, and there are TONS of them, so leave yours at home.
  
  
  
• No Manga [everyone who can read Japanese] - if you can read, or are practicing reading, Japanese manga, leave yours at home and save room in your luggage for when you buy it in Japan. It's dirt cheap, ranging from 100-400 yen.
  
  
  

Any questions? Good, let's go to Japan.

Maid Cafes

One thing that you (probably) won't find in America, but is quite common in Japan, is a maid cafe. Yes, the place often associated with smelly otaku and every type of fanboy. Where girls dress up as maids and work to serve you hand and foot, sometimes literally cutting up your food and putting it in your mouth. Many outsiders may look at this scene as fulfilling some sort of sick fetish. To the Japanese, however, it's just another theme restaurant that happens to be popular, like ones with ninjas or prisoners. Sure, your friends might laugh when you mention that you're going (as some of my Japanese friends did), but they would go too... if you invited them.

So Jasmin and Erin mentioned their intentions of possibly opening a maid or cosplay cafe of some sort in the states, to bring a little Japanese love back home. And based on that, I decided to do my own hands-on research to help them out, and while I was at it invite a friend along for the ride. When I met up with him, however, he was with 2 other friends already, and I met another one at the train station, so that made 5 of us. Onward to the maid cafe!


I'd only been to a cafe like this one other time in my life, and that was with Jasmin, her cousin, and her cousin's boyfriend at a cat-themed maid cafe in Akihabara, Tokyo (which we found no thanks to the maids handing out flyers by the train station). Perhaps we didn't get the full service because we were with our partners, while most customers were guys who came in alone and looked depressed. The good part was that we were able to get away with one forbidden photo of our parfait before we were told to put our camera away. So to make sure Jasmin would be okay with this trip, I taped a picture of her to my shirt, right above a note card that read "I'm with her." XD


Maid Cafes consist of 2 main areas - an entrance/waiting area, and the dining area. When you first enter the doorway, the waitresses bow very deeply and say "irasshaimase, okyakusama, goshujinsama," which translates as "welcome, honorable guest, honorable master." The waiting area is actually a must, in order to welcome guests this way. These waitresses were dressed in cute maid costumes, long and modest to match the Victorian theme. The dining area continued this theme as a house, complete with fake window and nice curtains, and dressers where frames held pictures of waitresses in assorted costumes.

We were initially seated in separate areas (2 & 3 people), but when another couple left the maids pushed the tables together. Looking at the table provided a lot of insight into what kind of restaurant we were dealing with. There were bells with red ribbons for when we wanted something or were ready to place our orders. Next to the bells were cups of sugar to add to tea or other drinks, inside of which were cute colorful stars served with a heart-shaped spoon. The other silverware was lined with fancy embroidery, placed with the utmost care and delicacy. Hand wipes are also provided, but this isn't anything fancy as it's done virtually everywhere in Japan (no point to hand sanitizers ~_^). For those opening a Japanese-theme cafe, however, this point should be acknowledged and is a must do.

Which brings me to the food. As per usual in Japanese restaurants, water is brought out right away (another good idea for the US), but here there is a strong lemon flavor despite there being no actual lemon (it's poured from a large pitcher). The waitresses bring out a menu and initially hold it up and turn pages for you, then give it to you to look through yourself more carefully. Being a themed cafe, there's more emphasis on dessert than real food, but they have that too. On the menu their categories include: Regular Food, Hot Drinks, Cold Drinks, Daily Tea, Flavor Tea, Cake Set, Parfait, and Dessert. Their regular food includes things like curry, hamburgers, and toast, and runs between $5-10. Parfaits are their specialty though, and those average around $6 for a delicious combination of fruit, ice cream, cake, possibly cereal, etc. When it comes to pouring sauce like ketchup or chocolate on food, the waitresses will ask for suggestions on what to draw.

My friends and I discussed important things to keep in mind for theme restaurants like this, and whether it's maid or cosplay the costumes are going to be very important. They could, and should, be changed as time goes on, and we could even come up with various themes like anime, video games, and superheroes. However, since this is a place where people are working, these costumes should be provided by the employer to represent a group atmosphere. If people came in with their own, then the application process would become much more complicated and they might be turned away on the basis of a bad costume alone.

One thing that would be important to change is a stance on taking pictures. Inside the restaurant makes sense to prohibit because it could cause a disturbance, but in Japan even in the entrance way it's not allowed. I took one by the sign that included no part of the restaurant whatsoever, but since it was in the entrance way they made me delete it. So uncool.

Who would like to see us open a maid cafe in the states?

BTW, just found this article on a maid cafe in the states. Check it out.