I did it!!

Today I received my driver's license. It was a great feeling but I was and am still very exhausted. I ended up taking the driver's test just once. I honestly didn't expect to pass it, but I reserved some lessons with some of the driving instructors at the center this past weekend and really took detailed notes. It was pretty expensive, but compared to going to a driving school, it was very cheap. One of the instructors told me that the average number of times that someone passes the test is about 4 and she continued saying that she saw on person take it 10 times. 10 freaking times.. can you imagine?!?! She insisted that I shouldn't expect to pass it on the first try. Anyways, I'm glad I proved her wrong and beat the test. I am sooo relieved I do not have to go back to that place again.. at least for a very long time!

Its time to be legal..

I've been living in Japan for a few years now and I am finally going to try and get my driver's license here. It sucks that I have to virtually go through the same steps I did when I was in high school many years ago. The driving test center is in a remote part of Kanagawa-ken and I have to get there extra early tomorrow as space is limited for test takers, 13 toe be exact. This is only for the written test as well. For the actual driving test, I would have to schedule another appointment at the center on a workday should I pass the written exam. Its pretty busy at work and we are undermanned so me taking off of work for the written test and a future driving test is pretty depressing. A fellow foreign co-worker of mines got his license a while ago but he had a license in Australia. Because Australia is part of the exempt list, all he really had to do was convert it to Japanese without any hassle. It also only took him a couple of hours to do everything so he didn't have to use a vacation day. I was really envious of that guy.. still am after reading all that I "may" have to go through in getting my license. Anyways, I have been lucky thus far driving almost all of Honshu, cop and accident free with a only valid license from a different country. I absolutely understand the world wide rule that luck must come to an end sometime and do not want it to happen to me while I'm behind the wheel without a real Japanese license. Its time to become legal!

Happy mother's day...

6 years to this day since the time I last spoke to my mom. Man.. time goes by really fast....

Sports Depression

I forgot to mention that I am completely depressed on how my sports teams did this year. On two completely unrelated sports, American Football and Basketball and in very different parts of the country, the teams that I support performed EXACTLY the same. Both were considered elite teams before the season started and were favorites to win the championship. At the end, both teams crumbled and finished with complete disappointment, not even close to making it to the same point as they did the previous year. I was completely disinterested when the NFL playoffs began and now, I do not care at all about the NBA playoffs as my team was knocked out of the first round. Oh well, now I can focus all of my attention into deciding whether or not I should buy a home...

To buy or not to buy

I have rented since I've been in Japan. I do plan to be here for the foreseeable future so I am debating if I should buy my own place. The biggest reason is I don't want to see my money that I use for rent go into oblivion. Owning a home is a bit scary though, especially in a foreign country. The flexibility of not being tied down to one place for a prolonged period of time goes away. Also there is more added pressure of making sure I do all I can to not lose my job. Another aspect that I have to think about is the financial side of owning a home in Japan. Like back home in the states, I am not guaranteed the value of my property will go up as time goes by. Actually, real estate in Japan is more like buying a new car. Chances are that your asset will depreciate as soon as you move in. There have been many exceptions to that rule and location has been the biggest factor. Unfortunately, it is crazy expensive to get a place in an ideal or "hot" location in Tokyo. I am also debating whether to buy a house or condo. If I buy the former, the location will not be in an attractive area but I would own land rather than a piece of the sky. Is it worth it at the end? Hmm... *brain is churning*