I've been meaning to update the blog for a few days now, but unfortunately my studies have come in the way. Well, that and the fact that I still do not have a computer of my own. I had intended to buy one as soon as I got here, but an ocean of unexpected expenses put a quick end to that wish. And so I find myself limited to internet cafes, my friends' computers, and the few computers available at school.
The main point of interest for this update was supposed to be the heat. It's been hotter in the past three or four days than anything I've experienced since I was in Egypt two years ago. But though the rain is now nowhere to be seen, the moisture content in the air is as high as ever.
That were supposed to have been the main point of interest. But then I went and bought a phone. I have been feeling a great need for one ever since I arrived. Try getting in touch with your friends, in Tokyo, when you haven't seen them for a day or two, and you'll know what I mean. Also, I use my phone as a watch - my wrist watch doing not much more than being a shiny bracelet at the moment - so not having one at hand has proven quite... untimely.
The phone I bought is a red one, at least according to the operator. I would call it some kind of very dark pink. It looks stunning, if I may say so myself. The phone itself cost me 30720 yen (about €200), which I paid up front. I then have a basic subscription fee at ca 3900 yen (€25) the first month, 1200 yen (€14) the second, and from the third month on, an unbelievably low 21 yen (14 cent) a month. I nearly coughed up my coffee when I heard that part.
The subscription fee includes free calls and mails within Softbank between 1 am and 9 pm. There is an addon service (there are optional addon services for everything in Japan) that expands that to the full 24 hours of the day, but I figured it wasn't worth it yet. Should I reevaluate that decition later on, I can always get the service when that time comes.
Actually getting to the part where I had the phone in my hand included a couple runs to Matsudo City Hall (first to register for the mandatory Alien Registration Card, then to get a very official teal piece of paper saying what will eventually be printed on the card, as the temporary paper I recieved when I first registered apparently wasn't enough. The japanese are very fond of bureaucracy. Now that I have a phone, I next need a bank account. I'll let you know how that persuit turns out.
I have been meaning to mention a few facts about the school and the guesthouse where I live all week, but time has always gotten in the way. This time it's my stomach getting in the way, as I haven't had my breakfast yet - at 16:50. So I'll make it short. The school I attend is called ISI Language School. It's located right in the middle of Shin-Oukubo, Tokyo's own "Korea Town", only a minute's walk from the train station. I like the area, though I have to admit it surprised me alot to see so many signs in korean everywhere the first time I came there.
Where I live, on the other hand, is technically not in Tokyo at all, but in the next-door province of Chiba, in a bedroom community town known as Matsudo. Connections to Tokyo proper are very good though, with trains at times running as often as every two minutes, and it takes me only about 50 minutes to get to school in the morning.
No comments:
Post a Comment