Well, my apartment has free fibre internet, up to 100mbit for free, or up to 500mbit for a 40 a month fee. Aside from hosting a server farm in your apartment, who the hell needs over 100mbit? Anyways, I have to wait till thursday for them to come out and install the adapter box. I am still abit confused how they are running this over phone line. I will have to follow the tech around the building to find the demarc and see what kind of setup it is.
In the mean time, I have found a cheap internet cafe near my apartment, 100y every half hour and free drink bar. So I can get my internet fix on.
In the mean time, I have been stocking my apartment with all the of basic accouterments that I can currently afford, due to the spending of all my money. It’s like camping, but in a new apartment.
I was in shinjuku today trying to find a bicycle shop when I stopped at a starbucks. Being it was sunday and in shinjuku, the area was packed. But I managed to get a seat and enjoy my matcha latte and a book. It was a bit sunny today, so I had sunglasses sitting next to my coffee. A few minutes later a lady sits down next to me smiles and starts reading also. Finally she says something and the conversation went something like this:
” Excuse me, are those your sunglasses. ”
” These? No they were here before I sat down.”
“mehhhh?!”
**in japanese i retort… “Just kidding, they are mine…” *cut, back to free english lesson*
“Ohh. Why do so many foreigners wear sunglasses? Are your eyes weak?”
At this point I start laughing, she was wearing glasses. In fact, it seems like about 80% of the japanese population requires glasses or contacts for any type of visual activity.
“No I have perfect vision. But you are wearing glasses! Doesn’t that mean your eyes are weak?”
“Ohh.. I never thought of it that way.. yes my eyes are weak…”
“Maybe if you wore polarized sunglasses, your eyes would be strong!”
“sooooo desu ne….そうーですね。”
After that we talked for about an hour and I had the basic barrage of questions about america and why americans are so fat.. ( which made me laugh as she was downing a grande caramel frappacino and cookies, but I guess that was probably her one meal for the week.) I always enjoy hearing the stereotypes that japanese people think of americans, same stuff as in hiroshima, kind of refreshing yet still sad at the same time.
This week will be busy yet refreshing. I have to open a bank account, get a new gaijin id card and transfer all my bills to the bank account. In addition, a hiroshima university student I did aikido with is here for a 3 week internship at the manbukagakushya (文部科学者), or ministry of education. She is in her final year of studying pedagogy at hiroshima u. Hiroshima U would be equivocal to ivy league. So she is preparing for her future in the area of directing learning in japan. So it will be nice to see her and meet some of her Keio friends.
Murakami sensei is also making his way here next weekend for some aikido meetings, so I will get to have dinner and some drinks with him on saturday.
And next saturday night, Ant is playing in Shibuya. So I think I hit up the japan club scene and see what it is like.
More to come .