Tokyo nights

Love Shuffle

Okay, the writing isn't brilliant (whenever is it in Japanese dramas?), the acting isn't oscar worthy, but Matsuda Shota went topless TWICE in the first episode alone, that sold me on the show!

Shota's topless playboy scenes were a ray of interesting in a gray world of bad acting and worse script writing. If he can keep up the sexy scenes, I will watch until the show's conclusion. I could give a flying f*ck about the other actors. Seriously, who respects Daigo anymore? I don't know why he's relevant enough to get a part in any new dramas.

Shota is really growing up nicely (I'm not a perv into underaged men. He's only 5 years younger than me) and really filled out in the last year or two. I remember him in Hanadan when I first came to Japan, he was so skinny then!

So yes, short post. Love Shuffle. Watch it.

Adventures in interviewing

So for once, I'm on the other side of the desk and doing interviews for people who want MY job. Well, my soon to be old one that is.

What can I say about the process thus far (and it's only been 4 days)? Now I understand why so many interviewers are humorless, surly people. The sheer number of idiots who apply for jobs in Japan is astounding.

Let us review the numerous blunders by would be applicants in the last 96 hours, shall we?

1) The job application clearly states North American native English speakers only, yet I get resumes from people from Croatia, Serbia, Spain and Uganda (two of those applicants were still in their native countries as well).

2) I ask for someone with a university degree (not out of snobishness, it's a requirement for the work VISA) and I get two yahoos who've only got a high school diploma.

3) As an English teacher, you are expected to have a decent grasp of your native language. Why then do I get cover letters with typos galore, someone who can't spell the word "English" properly (not a good sign) or who despite having my name written in my email address, cannot seem to spell it correctly (my name also appears on the job ad, the school website, etc).

4) I say that the applicant must have a sufficient level of Japanese due to the fact that none of our staff speak English. They must be able to hold daily conversations, attend and contribute to meetings, etc.  I get people who write "I can order at a restaurant in Japanese."

5) The rude assholes. If someone is offering me a job (or at least the interview) I would put a little more effort into my reply emails. Saying what day you are coming, but not what time, or abrupt, short sentences are not going to win me over. Remember, this is Tokyo. There are a million more applicants where you came from. Be careful.

6) Not show up for the interview, don't call, and then 5 hours later send me an email asking if you can reschedule. Um...nofuckingwayimcominginonmydayoffagain?

The list goes on and on, but you get the basics.

Of the +90 resumes I've gotten so far, 3 were acceptable, and one of them didn't even show up for their fucking interview this morning. -.-; Are there only idiots in Tokyo looking for jobs these days? All the smart people seem to be set up already. Maybe a 280,000 yen a month salary only lures out the rejects?

Shit only Japanese people understand

So I originally thought another bloggerette could use this topic in her famous posts about things Japanese people like, but she deferred it to me. I am not nearly as quick or witty as her, but I'll do my best.

When you are riding the subways and trains in Japan you notice thousands, nay, dare I say hundreds of thousands of Japanese women carrying not only a huge, spaceship sized handbag, but also a brand carrier bag filled with even more stuff.

I list the act of petite women carrying two large, heavy bags on a daily basis under the heading of "shit only Japanese people understand."

If it were me (and indeed, any clever girl) I would try to minimize and carry everything in one bag. Not only is it handy when you are in the true crush of a Japanese subway train, but also because when the trains or subways start to swerve and buck all over the place  you have a hand free to grab a strap, pole, or other human being to save yourself from falling on your ass. This an especially good idea for Japanese women who totter around in high heels and have no sense of balance (as witnessed by my poor trod upon feet).

In Japan (most notably Tokyo, but this phenomenon has been personally witnessed in several Japanese cities) women don't seem to understand the practicality of carrying only one, moderately sized bag. Isn't it the women rule of thumb; the bigger the bag, the more shit you put in it? This is why so few people carry really large handbags (unless they are celebrities who can carry empty bags because they have "assistants" to act as their pack mules). In Japan, they multiply the problem by two and carry a heavy weight on the one shoulder and also one in the other hand.

Why do they do this? Good question. After several research trips (a.k.a my morning ride to work) and carefully investigating the situation (peering into the girls bags until they got pissed and thought I was some kind of pervert or potential thief), I discovered the following:

The greatest kitchen gadget known to man!

So first off, Happy New Year!!!

Thanks to everyone for the holiday wishes. I promise someday I will write back to each and every one of you!

I thought I should start off this blog post on a positive note (no more bitching about Air Canada's horrific service, though I promise you there is much more). This will be a long rambly blog entry that will take forever to get to the point advertised in the title. Just warning you.

After I arrived home from Canada, I was so tired and weird from jetlag that I could barely drag my ass into my apartment, kiss the boyfriend, and then pass out. I was sorry to disappoint the boyfriend after such a long time apart, but I couldn't keep my eyes open to save my life. Not even at 6 p.m.

When I woke up at 4 a.m. the next morning, I said that I wanted to stay fairly close to home so that when I started to slip back into a catatonic state, it wouldn't be far to my bed. We agreed on visiting Kita-Senju since it's not too far from my place and the station has two large malls attached to it.

We trauled around OIOI and Lumine and found the cheapest grocery store to date (at least for veggies and fruit. The place near my house still has cheaper meat) with my favorite frozen pizza.

From there we went to Minami-Senju because I saw this funky temple from the train window and wanted to explore it. Turns out the damn thing is only a 7 minute walk from my house up the Nikko Kaido highway. We could have saved the train fare and walked there for free!

Here is a picture of the front of it: