Deals, Steals, & Tips

The Banking System Rocks

When I opened my bank account. I received a bank book with my balance. I was promised that I would receive my ATM card in two weeks. Ok cool. What I didn't realize was that my bankbook acted as an ATM card! And when you can put your bank book in the ATM and not only can  you withdraw your cash and do other various transactions. The ATM balances your bank book for you. Hello! Isn't that amazing?

After 7PM Deals

My colleagues and I were so excited when we found out that the supermarket gives a very big discount on meals, bread, fruit, pastry, almost everything after 7pm. When you are living in a hotel with no microwave and you have to buy every meal this is priceless.

Sunday is a Business Day

Say what? Yeah, Sunday is normal business day. A lot of places ie cellphone providers, malls, boutiques, and grocery stores open from about 9:00am-9:00pm.  I got my cellphone contract on Sunday around 7:00pm  and still had time to do some shopping in Harajuku.  Crazy and convenient I know. But just think this all comes at a price for the employees doesn't it.

7/11

There are 7/11s everywhere. And yes they are open 24 hours. If you run out of milk or nail polish 7/11 is there for you.  Also there is a chain called Family Mart which is just like 7/11. Almost every neighborhood has a family mart. Check it out.

100 Yen Stores

This is the equivalent to the Dollar Store. 100 Yen stores have everything. You can find food, pots and pans, cleaning supplies, etc. There is typically one in every neighborhood. Find it and use it.  It helped me survive my first moth in Japan.

The Importance of Slippers

Earlier I posted about the no shoes policy in homes, some business, and the classroom. Most places offer slippers to change into or you wear your socks. What I failed to explain is that the slippers phenomenon goes way beyond that.

When you go to the bathroom in hotels, restaurants, various public places, and even in your home. You are supposed to have specific slippers for that room. You change into bathroom slippers and they stay only in the bathroom.

When you go shopping and you enter the dressing room. You either change into dressing room slippers and leave your shoes outside of the door. Or you do the socks or barefoot thing. The sales staff will kindly remind your. I witnessed this in the Gap and Uniqlo already.

Air Conditioned Trains

Let's face it, Japan can be very hot and humid. And all the trains are air conditioned! What's the big deal? Well after living and traveling in Europe I realize this is a privilege and not a right. And I appreciate that.

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Saitama & Tokyo

Saitama

I moved to Saitama to continue training on August 19th 2009. I stayed in the R&B Hotel in a city called Kumagaya. There were a few differences that I noticed as soon as I exited Kumagaya station.
Firstly,  Saitama was not as HUMID as Nagoya. Yay!  And it definitely looked and felt like a city.
Another cool aspect of Kumagaya was that it was much closer to Tokyo than Nagoya. It takes between 53 minutes to slightly over an hour to arrive in Shinjuku, Tokyo depending on the speed of the train.

Tokyo
I will admit that I was terrified about visiting Tokyo. I thought I would be overwhelmed. I wondered if it was safe. I knew I would stand out like crazy and I was worried if I could face the scrutiny. However, Tokyo is fabulous! There's great shopping, it's very modern. I was expecting to see a lot of the old architectural style, however, it's mostly sky scrappers, bright lights, and traffic. It's like most cities except bigger, stronger, faster :). In my opinion.  Yet, Tokyo still reflects Old Japan. There are "hidden" temples, gardens, beautiful parks in Tokyo mixed in with the modern attractions.

For example, I took the train from Shinjuku to Harajuku. Harajuku is known for it's great shopping, "Harajuku Girls," etc. However,  there is a beautiful shrine/temple just east of Harajuku station.  Although, it's less than a 10 minute walk from the station. It feels like worlds away. The shrine is located in a beautiful and tranquil forest. It's quiet, has small ponds, and all I could hear were crickets. I later found out they actually weren't crickets but another insect.  I can't remember what they are called.

Harajuku

Harajuku is shopping heaven. The stores vary from the Gap to Ralph Lauren and other designers. There is a Chanel boutique and a Mac Store on the same street. There is something for every budget. What I love about Harajuku are the hidden streets that turn off from the major streets  into shopping alleys. In those clandestine areas you can find uber deals. My favorite store in Harajuku is the Marc Jacobs store.

Also, I was excited to see the Harajuku girls. Except, I really had no idea what  I was looking for.  My first trip to Tokyo was a last minute decision the night before. The next day. My friends and I hopped on one of the early trains to make a day trip into the city. When we arrived in Harajuku we were scouring the streets to spot these fashion forward girls. I was expecting to see the girls for Gwen Stefani's video come to life.  I learned that the Harajuku girls were not just one idea. They were goth girls, ladies dressed up like princesses, basically girls with edgy fashion. They usually pose on the bridge by Harajuku station or close by the station exit. Sundays are the best days to visit Harajuku if you want to get a glimpse of these fierce girls.

Customer Service

The customer service is Japan is excellent. It may even rival the customer service in America. The staff are attentive. Super polite. Everything is wrapped beautifully. You are walked to the door and given a bow upon your departure. This customer service is the same even if you don't spend a dime.  For example, while I was in Nagoya I needed to adjust my glasses. I went into a random eyeglass store and they fixed my glasses for free and gave me excellent customer service even though I didn't spend one Yen.

Clubbing

Tokyo has so beautiful and luxurious clubs. I'm still building my club resume so there will be more to come later. So far, I've been impressed. There is an air of exclusivity, the atmosphere and the people are chic. The clubs I have been to have had a good mix of locals and foreigners.  Which is the best of both worlds.

Next post: The awesome banking system, amazing trains, and other things I've been generally impressed by.

Discovering Japan

Hello World!

So I was both terrified and excited about my new life and job in Japan. I accepted my job offer in Japan after a lot of prayer, an epiphany, and support from family and friends.

So who am I?

I am a 27 year old Jamaican-American woman living in Japan. I arrived in Japan August 11, 2009 to work for Peppy Kids.  I flew from London where I was working as an intern for a year. My flight was about 11 hours to Tokyo and then 1 1/2 hours to Nagoya my destination.

I flew into Nagoya for training. I spent eight days in Nagoya discovering the prefecture and bonding with other trainees.

Living in Nagoya

So throughout Japan. There is a no shoes policy. When I arrived at my apartment building. I had to change into slippers my building provided to walk into the space. My apartment was pretty sweet. Bigger than expected. Built in air conditioning, hot plate, microwave, fridge, a washer and dryer. Everything I needed to feel at home.

No shoes were allowed on the tami mat where I would sleep and host friends.  Sleeping in Japan is a different style than I was used to. Firstly, you sleep on "futons." In my apartment that meant  I laid something that resembled a mattress pad on top of the tami mat, I also had a sheet, a pillow that felt like a bean bag, and a duvet cover. It was surprisingly comfortable.  Ok, maybe not the pillow....

I had trouble sleeping through the night for about two weeks. I would try to sleep around midnight but I kept waking up around 1:30am and could not fall back to sleep until around 5:00am. This is problematic when I have to be at work around 8:45am. Stupid jet lag and maybe a bit of home sickness.  I was so happy when I started sleeping through the night but that did not come until about 2 weeks later when I checked into a hotel to continue my training. But that comes later...

The Weather

Nagoya is affectionately known as "the arm pit of Japan." It is sooo humid there! I'm an island girl so I know heat, but the heat in Japan is different. The humidity here is very high and you are constantly sweating.   And it is important  to keep your body hydrated. Which was not difficult, because you are constantly buying and drinking bottled water. It  was difficult for me and the other trainees to walk outside for more than 15 minutes a time. I also found it difficult to breathe in the air at times. The air was thick with humidity. It kept thinking how was I going to get used to this? It was just not comfortable.

Plus, you could see the heat at times. And as a black woman coming to Japan in the summer you have to make some serious hair decisions. I decided to go curly-bad idea in retrospect.  I discovered Japanese women have straight hair for a reason! It took a lot of work to ensure that I did not look like a ball of frizz. Not sure if I accomplished that goal. You can be the judge of that. (Be gentle). I had no idea the weather would be this brutal. It's one thing to read the forecast but living  in the climate is an all together different experience.

The Taste
I love Japanese food. I love rice and seafood. So I'm in food heaven. I must say that I did not love everything. My friends and I discovered a sushi place. And authentic sushi can be quite exotic. I was not a fan of the ice cold octopus.  Otherwise, the food is great. I'm so happy that Japanese meals that were so expensive in the States on average are about $5.00.

Next post Living in Saitama and visiting Tokyo