What Secrets a Railway Station Holds

New day, new post. Well, actually the day isn't that new anymore. It's almost over. But the post is new, I assure you.

Two rather interesting things have happened in the last couple days. Yesterday I bought the laptop I am currently typing this post on. It's an Acer AspireOne, and it's without doubt the smallest and most portable laptop I have ever owned, or even used. Weighing in on merely 1.1 kilograms, with a screen no more than 9" in size, it nevertheless manages to pack a full gigabyte of RAM, a larger than expected harddrive (at 120GB), a reasonably fast wifi card (802.11g), and a keyboard that's large enough not to be too hard to actually use (unlike that of the main competitor, the Asus EeePC 901). 

It has a nice deep blue color too. All in all, I like it alot. The only thing I don't like is the OS. Having used a Macintosh for the past four years, going back to Windows is not really a pleasant experience. I had initially intended to buy a MacBook of some kind as soon as I got here, but the myriad of unexpected expenses that accompanied this trip soon made that impossible to do. But in the end it did work out pretty good anyway.  Though I am considering taking a serious look at Linux, I have to say.

Today, when on my way to school, I experienced something quite unexpected. The Joban line, which usually takes me halfway to my school in Shinjuku (one of the 23 special wards that make up Tokyo), was at a complete standstill. The station was thus packed with more people than I ever thought could fit in there, everyone waiting for some way to get to work. And all through this chaos were standing JR (Japanese Railways) personnel handing out small notes printed on the paper normally used for tickets, proof for people to give to their companies that they had a legitimite reason being late for work.

It came quite handy for me as well, when I finally arrived at my school a few hours later. By which time I - and the people who were with me - had already had the time to become tired of waiting in that sea of people, left to buy something cold to drink at Starbucks, been standing for a long time waiting outside the station while playing an interesting game of guesswork, given up that too and returned to the guesthouse, studied for a while, and then finally returned to the station to find that the trains had just started running smoothly again. When we reached our destination merely eighty minutes remained of today's classes. But with those prooftickets in hand, it was alright anyway.

Field Trip to NHK

Yesterday my class, along with the rest of the morning classes in my school, went on a field trip to NHK, Japan's public service broadcasting corporation. Trying our hands at such things as reading the news, and experiencing a range of stuff that really made us feel like children again, it's safe to say we hade a great time.

Probably the most interesting thing they had there was something I had never seen before (and that was indeed branded as quite a new technology). It was a new kind of 3D theater - without the need for those clumpsy 3D glasses that's often associated with it. The catch was that you had to keep your head at a slight angle from the screen, but I imagine it's only a question of when technology will remove that requirement as well, giving way to a truly three dimensional way of experiencing future media.

The Story of the Phone

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.

The First Post

I can only begin by saying "ahhh". I am finally starting to settle in here in Tokyo. It has unfortunately taken a few days to take care of everything that needed taking care of once I had arrived, before I could take some time to update this blog again. But now I am finally here, with my first ever post from the Land of the Rising Sun.

The trip went well enough, disregarding the fact that I had managed to pack as much as 32 kgs into the bags I had indended to check in. 32 out of the allowed 20, with a fee of 250 euro for every single extra kilogram. Needless to say, I wasn't about to pay that. So I repacked my bags.

After that the trip went much smoother. On the plane from Paris to Tokyo, there were pretty much no people at all, so I managed to get a full row of four seats all for myself. As for the entertainment, I watched Ironman and Kung Fu Panda. I also joined a frequent flyer program - something I've always wanted to do. It seems so... professional.

Upon arriving Tokyo I realized that this is one hot city. While I have no problem standing the heat - I've crossed the Sahara desert in summer - the moisture is killing me for sure. But from what I have seen of the city so far, I love it none the less.

School is starting today. I've already taken a test that will place me in one of the many classes available, depending on my current skills. One year of japanese studies now awaits. I'll tell you more about it next time. For now, I have to run. A meeting here at the school awaits.

The Last Post

This will be my last post before departure, and it will be a short one. Exactly twelve hours now remain until take-off. Wish me luck.

Tickets Arrived

I finally recieved my tickets today, as was expected. 35 hours from now, my plane will just have taken off from Gothenburg, having set course for Paris and Charles de Gaulle International Airport. I haven't been in Paris in ages, and though I won't actually get to see the city this time either, it still feels like a breath of fresh air not going through Vienna, as I've done the last four times I've gone anywhere moderately far away.

From Paris the trip then continues to Tokyo, a flight taking just over twelve hours, meaning I will land on Tokyo Narita as early as 06.30 local time.

As you may have noticed I changed the background of the blog. I am aware that it is not very well cut, and that it doesn't actually look very good - but it was the best I could do on this computer, lacking everything in the way of advanced photo editing softwhere as it does. Frankly, I had to do it in Paint. And it does beat the standard background that came with the template, so until I can make something better, it stays.

Finally, a small update on yesterday's post. The movie I saw (Arn – The Kingdom at Road's End; sequel to this) was very good. I can very much recommend it.

P.S. I've been experimenting a bit with various fonts here on the blog. If you have a preference, let me know.

Final Preparations

Less than three days remain now, before I leave for Tokyo. Everything is comming together at last. I've tried packing all the stuff I intend to bring with me, landing well within the 32 kg limit imposed by the airline. The rest of the things from my apartment, about half of which is books, will be safely locked away in my father's basement. The paperwork too seems to be in perfect order - except for the small fact that I still don't have the ticket in my hand.

Something like that always happens, whenever I go abroad. There's always one vital thing remaining two days before I leave. Some call it bad planning. I call it a fact of life. Either way, I am used to it. So as long as everything else is ready, I see no reason to panic.

And everything else do indeed seem to be ready. I've even said my final goodbyes to most of my friends. Most of them. A few remain, so I still have a couple of lunches to look forward to before departure.

I've spent the day taking care of some financial preparations. I cancelled one of my credit cards, as I won't be needing it during the upcomming year. It would just be lying there, making unnecessary charges to my account. I also bought myself a fresh pile of new shiny yen. I am not much into cash, really... seriously, I hate the stuff, always using a debit card for purchases, but with Japan being as ridiculously obsessed with printed money as it is, I didn't really see I had a choice in the matter.

Now I am leaving for the theater, to watch the second Arn movie. I'll let you know what I think of it.