Archives: Japan, stuff

I had a lot to say, but then it took so long to get on the net that I forgot almost everything.
So anyway, if I disappeared randomly on msn before, it's cause I ran out of 100 yen coins and the machine booted me with a 60 sec warning message that locked the computer pestering you to add more if you want to continue the session.
I need a mobile phone but getting one is a pain, using public phones is just as bad cause I have to dial a load of prefixes and it costs loads, I think 100 yen lasts for around 20 secs, 100 yen being around 50p.

I'm in Takayama at the moment, living in an apartment called the 'pink house' (quiet) cause of the colour of the apartment. It's fairly nice, has everything I need etc
I quite like it, it's small but feels like a home rather than a hotel room.

A lot of people mistake me for being Japanese, and while it's nice to fit in, I don't like how they give me "are you retarded" looks when they say something and I dunno how to reply

Weather's really hot and humid, but it's gradually getting cooler, looking forward to the heavy snow and such.
Dug up some snow gear in the cupboard, I wonder if it really gets that bad
There always seems to be a moody looking cluster of clouds around in the sky too, which is great as far as my photos are concerned, if I don't melt first
I'm taking 2-4 showers a day just cause the sun freakin cooks you when you go outside during the day
Night time isn't so bad

TV kinda sucks, most the shows are either really weird or really boring.
Cars here are tiny, it's just weird looking at these little box shaped things all over the place, and all of them are either white, black or red.
There are vending machines all over the place, some of them talk to you, and you can get by using nothing but vending machines.
They aren't too expensive and you can get everything from hot meals, iced coffee to batteries and towels.
We went to a lot of traditional bars and stuff, which are really cool. The attendants and barkeep are always really friendly and polite, and they actually use the traditional accents and such.
I can see myself going to the 100 yen shops often.

Hmm let's see... the journey to Takayama was pretty good, it was just a 5 hour coach ride but it was pretty scenic. Went round mountains, gorges, valleys, lakes, cliff edges and all sorts to get to where I am.
Takayama is awesome though, it's just the kind of place that I'd like.
They gave us a pair of bikes to go around on, and cycling around here is nice. There's random photos of the place on flickr, most of which were taken on my bike so they're probably pretty badly framed.
This place is huge, it's more of a big town than a city though. There aren't any skyscrapers whatsoever, and everything's really spread out and far apart.

The hospital staff are really nice and friendly, they took us out for a sorta welcome party thing, with an 8 course meal and lots of alcohol. They'll be taking us sightseeing and teaching us Japanese before I start work on the 25th.
Oh and my mobile phone has no signal here, so don't bother.

Me and my placement partner have to cook and buy food ourselves, wash up and clean etc, so we really are living by ourselves (well, apart from that we've agreed to share everything we have between us). It's kinda weird but I'm really loving the freedom. As long as I'm not working, I can do whatever the heck I want whenever I want to.
To be honest, I've never really had to do ALL of the cooking, cleaning, shopping, dishwashing, clothes washing, keeping things tidy etc. ALL of the time.
Call me spoilt, but I can't see myself being the same person when I get back. I dunno, I think I'll miss being lazy.

I was tempted to go ride off out of town, cause this place is surrounded by mountains, fields, rivers and such, and I could prolly get quite a few photos in. I'll probably do it at some point before it gets too cold.
Speaking of which, I think I'll buy a bike cause the one they supplied me with is kinda falling apart. It's not too bad but I don't think it's good for regular use - grocery shopping and whatever.
There are a few small department store style shopping centers dotted around, so at least I won't have a shortage of places to buy stuff I need. The 24hr convenience stores are useful, and the layout of the town makes it pretty easy to get around despite how big the place is.

I'm on my laptop at the moment, sorta huddled in the corner trying to make the most of this useless signal (yeah, I'm stealing someone else's internet, sue me).
I dunno how long I can leech off this network for, but for now I'm gonna end this entry cause I'm in an akward position.

Edit:
I think one problem that's already popping up is after my exploring, I've realised how little there is to do here.
My spare time will probably be spent on bike rides, TV or just sitting here listening to music or the sound of kids playing down the road for the next 6 months, with the occasional going out for drinks. There are night clubs and stuff, but neither of us are really interested (although I guess it's fine when you're drunk, and there are quite a few Japanese people that go to them - maybe later)
I wouldn't mind living here, but when I'm old, grumpy and half dead (fine, grumpier, and more dead), but right now it's way too idyllic for me.

Theres also a morning market every morning, where hundreds of people set up stalls along the river and sell their junk. Pretty good for gifts I think, might take a proper look down there when I can be bothered.

Todo list:
-Buy washing up liquid, cooking oil, fan, wifi signal booster
-Work out how to send mail back to the UK
-Exchange rest of my UK currency

I wonder how long my stolen internet will hold out, before they notice me
Photos may take a while to get back up, cause I keep losing my connection to the net halfway through uploading (cursed wifi signal, at least have a better transmitter so it's easier to steal access, darn Japanese people)