Oh man! AU KDDI, one of Japan's biggest mobile provider just released their remaining 携帯 in their summer line up.
http://www.au.kddi.com/seihin/
The thing is, I just got my mobile phone last week and I could have had a chance to pick up a newer version had I waited an extra week... I should have done more research before I prematurely dove into the mobile phone market. Doh! Oh well, this comes to show that patience and due diligence would have helped me avoid this situation.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Nice surprise
The weekend started off with a nice surprise. A good friend and his wife decided to celebrate my new life in Japan. They went as far as to go to the places we were suppose to go to in advance to set up. We ate great food, made some nice memories, reminisced about old memories, and of course karaoke. The whole night was a success and I was totally moved by all the effort.
In other news, I jumped into the Wii revolution. I was able to find a Nintendo Wii at a local department store. From what I was told, Nintendo Wii is as hard to get in Japan as it is in the states. Since I am currently outside of Tokyo in the rural area, I was able to luck out to find a console. Thanks to the power of the dollar, I was also able to buy it for cheaper, 206 USD equivalent. I honestly did not expect to buy the Wii this soon. I still haven't bought the T.V. and other appliances for my apartment in Tokyo. For those of you who didn't know, I was able to secure an apartment in Tokyo. I recently paid off the huge initial fee to get the apartment, so everything is official. I will be living in 八幡山 in 世田谷区. 世田谷区 is one of the 23 wards in Tokyo. I honestly lucked out to get such a good location. The only drawback is that the apartment is very small. I will take pictures and post them here once I arrive there (Time is still yet to be determined due to the visa process)
In other news, I jumped into the Wii revolution. I was able to find a Nintendo Wii at a local department store. From what I was told, Nintendo Wii is as hard to get in Japan as it is in the states. Since I am currently outside of Tokyo in the rural area, I was able to luck out to find a console. Thanks to the power of the dollar, I was also able to buy it for cheaper, 206 USD equivalent. I honestly did not expect to buy the Wii this soon. I still haven't bought the T.V. and other appliances for my apartment in Tokyo. For those of you who didn't know, I was able to secure an apartment in Tokyo. I recently paid off the huge initial fee to get the apartment, so everything is official. I will be living in 八幡山 in 世田谷区. 世田谷区 is one of the 23 wards in Tokyo. I honestly lucked out to get such a good location. The only drawback is that the apartment is very small. I will take pictures and post them here once I arrive there (Time is still yet to be determined due to the visa process)
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
いい天気ですね！
After days of consecutive rain (I felt someone here was building an Arc) the weather finally cooperated with bright sunshine and lower than average humidity. I say that because it is usually really humid in Japan in general during this time of year. I would say it is on par with the humidity level of the D.C. area, and you know the humidity levels there are horrid. Anyways, during this monumental day, I enjoyed a nice Italian meal outdoors.
The meal was light and refreshing. Italian food in Japan is really good and much better from the Italian places I've eaten at back in the states. Damn you Olive Garden and your overcooked pasta *shakes fist in the air*
After lunch, my dog met a new friend, who also is a red toy poodle but female. This was the first time he has ever met another one of his kind and the same color. The other red toy poodle was a bit bigger than my dog but was just as cute. They played around like little kids, well actually the female dog was being dominant with my "chicken" dog. It was funny.
The meal was light and refreshing. Italian food in Japan is really good and much better from the Italian places I've eaten at back in the states. Damn you Olive Garden and your overcooked pasta *shakes fist in the air*
After lunch, my dog met a new friend, who also is a red toy poodle but female. This was the first time he has ever met another one of his kind and the same color. The other red toy poodle was a bit bigger than my dog but was just as cute. They played around like little kids, well actually the female dog was being dominant with my "chicken" dog. It was funny.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Sushi!!!!
I just came back from Kaiten sushi. It was the first time I have been since arriving to Japan. Since I'm very close to the sea, the sushi is cheaper and fresher than that of the big cities like Kyoto and Tokyo. I spoiled myself with the top shelf quality pieces and yet it was still cheaper than going to a sub par sushi restaurant in the states.
That huge thing at the bottom of the picture is an oyster. It was one of the biggest suckers I've ever eaten. It was good, but I have to say.. Yes, it was as hard to eat as it looks.
In other news, I'm still battling my jet lag. I've never suffered this long from jet lag. I tried to overcome it, but when 7pm rolls around, my body just shuts down and I quickly search for a place to lie down and take a 10 minute nap. That 10 minutes becomes 1 hour and that one hour becomes 5 hours. I then wake up in the midle of the night, take a shower and go back to sleep only realizing that I can't sleep anymore even though it is 4am. I end up watching Sportscenter and Hell's Kitchen until everyone else wakes up. This process has been going on ever since I arrived here. I hope I can be normal soon. My eyes are really heavy now...
That huge thing at the bottom of the picture is an oyster. It was one of the biggest suckers I've ever eaten. It was good, but I have to say.. Yes, it was as hard to eat as it looks.
In other news, I'm still battling my jet lag. I've never suffered this long from jet lag. I tried to overcome it, but when 7pm rolls around, my body just shuts down and I quickly search for a place to lie down and take a 10 minute nap. That 10 minutes becomes 1 hour and that one hour becomes 5 hours. I then wake up in the midle of the night, take a shower and go back to sleep only realizing that I can't sleep anymore even though it is 4am. I end up watching Sportscenter and Hell's Kitchen until everyone else wakes up. This process has been going on ever since I arrived here. I hope I can be normal soon. My eyes are really heavy now...
Monday, June 25, 2007
Adjusting...
I've experienced many things in just my first few days of being in Japan. Here are a few of the things I missed and forgot I hated:
Likes:
The food - I've had nothing but great food since I've arrived. Even the fast food restaurants were delicious. Anyone want to try a rice seafood tempura burger??
The service - Have not yet seen bad service here. Again going on the fast food, at the restaurant, there was a guy who was dedicated to getting patrons safely on and off the road way, and also assisted customers to park. He would even stop traffic to ensure you can get in the restaurant. Amazing stuff.
Toilets - Even though it is the summer time here, there have been some cold nights. Nothing feels better than sitting on a heated toilet seat during one of those nights.
Hair salons - Quality hair cut + scalp massage + neck and shoulder massage + shampoo + no tip = awesome experience. The final price was also much lower than I usually paid back in the states.
Dislikes:
Bugs - On my first night in Tokyo, I had to stay at an expensive but cheap hotel (Basically I stayed at a half star hotel but paid a 3 star fee) because I was with my dog. During the night, I was attacked by insects I never knew existed. I still have a few bites on my body that have not yet disappeared. Actually, it seems to have gotten worse.
Weather - This is not yet the typhoon season, I will be looking forward to that next month, but I have experienced one of heaviest downpours in my life. The worse part of it was the rain was freezing cold.
Friends and family (not being here) - I miss hanging out with my friends and family back in the states. I really wish to see you guys here.
Likes:
The food - I've had nothing but great food since I've arrived. Even the fast food restaurants were delicious. Anyone want to try a rice seafood tempura burger??
The service - Have not yet seen bad service here. Again going on the fast food, at the restaurant, there was a guy who was dedicated to getting patrons safely on and off the road way, and also assisted customers to park. He would even stop traffic to ensure you can get in the restaurant. Amazing stuff.
Toilets - Even though it is the summer time here, there have been some cold nights. Nothing feels better than sitting on a heated toilet seat during one of those nights.
Hair salons - Quality hair cut + scalp massage + neck and shoulder massage + shampoo + no tip = awesome experience. The final price was also much lower than I usually paid back in the states.
Dislikes:
Bugs - On my first night in Tokyo, I had to stay at an expensive but cheap hotel (Basically I stayed at a half star hotel but paid a 3 star fee) because I was with my dog. During the night, I was attacked by insects I never knew existed. I still have a few bites on my body that have not yet disappeared. Actually, it seems to have gotten worse.
Weather - This is not yet the typhoon season, I will be looking forward to that next month, but I have experienced one of heaviest downpours in my life. The worse part of it was the rain was freezing cold.
Friends and family (not being here) - I miss hanging out with my friends and family back in the states. I really wish to see you guys here.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Leaving ... harder than expected
The day I left to Japan was MUCH harder than expected. All the support I received from my friends and family in the past few weeks overwhelmed myself with conflicting emotions and even second guessing myself whether moving to Japan was a good decision or not. It was very difficult to step on that plane and force myself to go on with my plan.
The flight was long but bearable. My dog who came on the cabin was unexpectedly quiet and well behaved. The airline food as expected was nasty and I ended up only eating one of the 2.5 hot meals served. The flight was smooth for the most part except for the last 20 minutes where I felt I was on a raft going down a rough whitewater course. The quality of the movies they played was not so good either. I watched "Shooter" like 3 times. not that it was a good movie, but it was the most interesting out of all the selections. The best viewing selection I ever had was on Delta where they had the Dish Network on demand I could watch real time programming while flying to CA.
Once arriving Narita airport, I felt like I was in a dream. I honestly did not think I would see Japan so soon again. Even though a lot of my baggage was sent via sea mail, I still had a lot to carry and I surely suffered carrying them in Tokyo. All that suffering was made up during a dinner later that night with one of my best friends. We went to a nice hole in the wall restaurant near the hotel I was staying at. The food was nice and the ambiance and service I experienced reminded me on why I liked so much about Japan.
Now I'm out of Tokyo and working on changing my visa status. Since I have not yet settled in my apartment, my vonage phone is not yet connected. Feel free to leave a voicemail though, since it comes straight to my e-mail box. Also on other news, I am feeling pretty good with my Slingbox. Watching U.S. television in Japan is priceless. I will update again very soon.
The flight was long but bearable. My dog who came on the cabin was unexpectedly quiet and well behaved. The airline food as expected was nasty and I ended up only eating one of the 2.5 hot meals served. The flight was smooth for the most part except for the last 20 minutes where I felt I was on a raft going down a rough whitewater course. The quality of the movies they played was not so good either. I watched "Shooter" like 3 times. not that it was a good movie, but it was the most interesting out of all the selections. The best viewing selection I ever had was on Delta where they had the Dish Network on demand I could watch real time programming while flying to CA.
Once arriving Narita airport, I felt like I was in a dream. I honestly did not think I would see Japan so soon again. Even though a lot of my baggage was sent via sea mail, I still had a lot to carry and I surely suffered carrying them in Tokyo. All that suffering was made up during a dinner later that night with one of my best friends. We went to a nice hole in the wall restaurant near the hotel I was staying at. The food was nice and the ambiance and service I experienced reminded me on why I liked so much about Japan.
Now I'm out of Tokyo and working on changing my visa status. Since I have not yet settled in my apartment, my vonage phone is not yet connected. Feel free to leave a voicemail though, since it comes straight to my e-mail box. Also on other news, I am feeling pretty good with my Slingbox. Watching U.S. television in Japan is priceless. I will update again very soon.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Last post in the USA
It has been very hectic the past week and the fun won't stop any time soon. Every time I clear one hurdle another of equal size or less appears. I sound like a sale. Anyways, right now the current hurdle I am dealing with is trying to figure out how send my 4 boxes to Japan. I went to UPS and USPS, but they were too expensive. The smallest box out of the bunch would have cost over 200 USD to send!?! I have to find other alternatives because I really don't want to spend a grand to send my excess luggage.
In other news, I got my vonage phone yesterday. It seems to work like a champ. Reception is clear and easy to use. I hope it stays that way when I use it in Japan. I also reconnected my slingbox. Slingmedia updated their MAC software and I did notice an improvement in quality. I have yet to use it outside of my LAN, but like vonage, I hope it will work well when I'm in Japan. I definitely cannot miss my healthy doses of watching sports.
Well, like the title says, this will be my last post in the U.S. I want to thank everyone for the support. I will most definitely miss all you guys and the good times we had. I apologize for all the people I couldn't meet before my move to Japan. I really wanted to meet with everyone but my schedule the past month has been crazy.. with all the HR drama and stuff. This means we will have to make it up by hanging out in Japan. Please schedule a trip there and I will definitely make sure we can catch up and have tons of fun in the process (not to mention eat awesome food). I will e-mail you guys later with my updated contact information including my vonage number which will be a local number so you guys can call me anytime (well.. almost anytime, please be kind to the 13-14 time difference =P)
Ciao! ... err.. I mean.. じゃね！
In other news, I got my vonage phone yesterday. It seems to work like a champ. Reception is clear and easy to use. I hope it stays that way when I use it in Japan. I also reconnected my slingbox. Slingmedia updated their MAC software and I did notice an improvement in quality. I have yet to use it outside of my LAN, but like vonage, I hope it will work well when I'm in Japan. I definitely cannot miss my healthy doses of watching sports.
Well, like the title says, this will be my last post in the U.S. I want to thank everyone for the support. I will most definitely miss all you guys and the good times we had. I apologize for all the people I couldn't meet before my move to Japan. I really wanted to meet with everyone but my schedule the past month has been crazy.. with all the HR drama and stuff. This means we will have to make it up by hanging out in Japan. Please schedule a trip there and I will definitely make sure we can catch up and have tons of fun in the process (not to mention eat awesome food). I will e-mail you guys later with my updated contact information including my vonage number which will be a local number so you guys can call me anytime (well.. almost anytime, please be kind to the 13-14 time difference =P)
Ciao! ... err.. I mean.. じゃね！
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Position secured!
The effort to allow me to work remotely in Japan has been successful. HR Japan have confirmed and are in the process of completing my transition to be under the Asia Pacific status. The person assisting me is the same donkey that was against me in the beginning. How ironic no? Again, this does not mean I will be stable, I will have about a year to find myself a more long term deal somewhere else. In the mean time, I'm looking for some Voice over IP solutions. I am leaning towards Vonage. Anyone have any other suggestions?
Now, the only obstacle in me actually working is getting my proper visa. I have heard good and bad things in trying to obtain that. I hope the good parts are true. *Knock on wood*
Now, the only obstacle in me actually working is getting my proper visa. I have heard good and bad things in trying to obtain that. I hope the good parts are true. *Knock on wood*
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Early trouble with housing ....
Seems there is a big obstacle on the horizon. Currently, the apartment hunt in the Tokyo metropolitan area is underway however there are unexpected difficulties in finding the right real estate company to fulfill the contract requirements. If this keeps up, this could be a real ball buster in addition to securing my job status. Will update when I get more details...
Friday, June 8, 2007
Tansfer part deux
As luck would have it, I'm in the process of transferring again within my company. No no.. not with the Department in Japan. They are on my blacklist. My current managers were outraged on what happened with the previous situation that they pitched an alternative plan to upper management. The plan entails me to stay on the team but work remotely from Japan. Because of the time zone difference, I would take care of all after hour escalations. This will allow the team to rest during night time since the job runs 24/7. This will also put a huge relief to the person with the Pager of Death. So far upper management has approved, including the account lead which is good news. It is now up to HR to confirm the change. Thankfully not the HR in Japan hehe. I will know the final answer this coming Monday. If all goes well, this will only be a temporary fix because the contract on my project ends next summer. I hope this goes through so I would have at least a buffer of about a year to work on my Japanese and find a more long term job in Japan. If this second attempt does not work, I'll keep moving strong on my original job hunting path.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Its June!!!
June. This is the month where I will be transitioning my life from the U.S. to Japan regardless if I have a job or not. I am working on other options and I will know one alternative, hopefully by the end of this week.
Anyways, the wedding in CA was really nice. M and C planned and decorated the whole event. The wedding was at a winery at Morgan Hill, about 20 minutes south of San Jose. It was one of the best weddings I've been to. The weather was a bit hot, but it was bearable. The trip also allowed me to hang out with my family in the bay area. The songs that will haunt my friends and I during the trip will definitely be Rhianna "Umbrella" and anything by T. Payne. I definitely had a great time.
Going back to my move to Japan. I have so many things to do, but have not completed anything yet. The most important being packing my stuff in boxes to send to Japan. One reason is because I do not have a final destination yet (hopefully that will change by early next week), and the others, well.. basic motivation. I have to definitely hustle next week.
Anyways, the wedding in CA was really nice. M and C planned and decorated the whole event. The wedding was at a winery at Morgan Hill, about 20 minutes south of San Jose. It was one of the best weddings I've been to. The weather was a bit hot, but it was bearable. The trip also allowed me to hang out with my family in the bay area. The songs that will haunt my friends and I during the trip will definitely be Rhianna "Umbrella" and anything by T. Payne. I definitely had a great time.
Going back to my move to Japan. I have so many things to do, but have not completed anything yet. The most important being packing my stuff in boxes to send to Japan. One reason is because I do not have a final destination yet (hopefully that will change by early next week), and the others, well.. basic motivation. I have to definitely hustle next week.
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