Continue reading »]]> Suanbo was the only town on my trip through South Korea in which I did not find a host.

Buddha statue in Mireuk-ri

When reaching the town I quickly realized why it is this way. It’s a town which economic sources seem to be focused 100 % on

Buddha statue in Mireuk-ri

tourism. The city is flooded by hotels and motels each and every with it’s own Spa. Suanbo is well known for its hot springs. During the winter season it also provides a little winter sports area. If you come outside the tourist season plenty of rooms are available for prices more than a bargain. For only 30.000 Won (26 AUD, 26 CAD, 16,50 GBP, 33,80 NZD, 30 USD) I get a very clean and comfy room including a bathroom with bath tub, mini bar, TV-Set of course, king size bed, air conditioner and – most important for me – my own computer with high speed internet without extra charges. (Even though I just used the network-cable to hook up my laptop to it). Even the Motels in Suanbo have their own hot spring. Rooms at the more luxury hotels are available from 80.000 Won (69,90 AUD, 70 CAD, 44 GBP, 90 NZD 67,70 USD) onwards.

Five storied stone pagoda in Mireuk-ri

But even for those interested in history the town is worth a stay. About 7.5 miles east of Suanbo in Mireuk-ri, Jungwon, a historic Buddha statue and several other ancient artefacts expected to originate from the time of the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C – 935 A.D.) can be admired. As this location does not lie on the route of my bicycle trip I decide to get there by bus which is only 1200 Won(way) (sorry for the pun). It is fortunate that I’m here close to Buddha’s birthday. I saw more than enough lanterns within the last week but it still wows me with how many of them they adorn their temples, streets and houses. The bus ride to the temple can be recommended but not the time table. Depending on which time you get there it can take up to four hours until you can catch a bus back to Suanbo again. So I decide to hitch-hike back and get a lift straight away! It’s kind of sad as the driver is so friendly, I would like ask plenty of questions to him, he also looks curious about me, but except for geum-ah-wa-yo (thank you) I don’t speak any Korean and neither does he speak any English.

Stoned turtle (well because of the smoke from the temple)

Rest area on the way to Ihrwaryeong Pass

Back at my hotel I grab my bicycle to set forth to my next destination Mungyeon. Today I will pass the highest point of my South Korean bicycle trip. The 529 m high Ihrwaryeong pass. All this is part of the Seoul – Busan bicycle road South Korea introduced some years ago. It provides safe, well surfaced and well signed bicycle roads so far. As so the one leading on top of the Ihrwaryeong pass. It’s almost a bit disappointing because it is too safe :) The five km long way to the pass is a constant climb, however at no point really steep. I am amazed on how many places they set up rest areas with toilets. By the way, I can really recommend South Korea in May. It’s not too hot and today is my first rainy day. Couldn’t have been timed any better as I’d rather cycle a pass on a rainy day than make my way up to the top in clothes drenched with sweat.

Green hill zone

No weather for beautiful shots but for chilled cycling

My next host in Mungyeon is another English teacher again. Jonathan is from the States and had lived here for two years already. As I text him at about 5 p.m. explaining that I am at the bus stop described on his CS Pofile we both quickly realize that it is the wrong bus stop. Unfortunately it’s dark already, I can’t read any of those street signs thus can’t really tell Jonathan where I am. An old Korean man – about 60 – passes by on his bicycle so I stop him to gesture if he would take the phone call from Jonathan. As the Korean has not the slightest clue about what I am trying to explain to him he seems to be more than confused and almost refuses to take my cell phone until I hold it to his ears and say: “Jonathan you can talk now!” Jonathan does not know the village I am in right now but the next big town however it seems to be more than 12 miles away from Jonathan’s place.

“Oh Simon I’m sorry about this,” Jonathan says, “hey er, there are actually good bus connections so if you get your bicycle…”

“Sorry Jonathan no way,” I’m interrupting him, “my trunk is simply too big!”

“Oh wait a minute a friend of mine has a van…”

Jonathan calls his friend and he agrees to pick me up. Still I can’t tell my exact position. I am cycling back to the last bigger town and am passing a huge artificial and lit climbing wall. Climbing seems to be a big thing in South Korea (amongst other sports like Golf – there are thousands of Golf courses here – and bicycling of course). Luckily Jonathan’s friend is a Climber and knows this climbing wall: “Holy crap that’s more than 30 minutes by car!”

“Are you really sure we are talking about the same climbing wall?” I want to double check.

“Totally sure!”

At least it stopped to rain about two hours ago already. As I sit down below a little hut next to the wall to watch the climbers, a Korean girl, about 16 (my guess sorry if I am wrong Abby) comes towards me: “Excuse me are you a teacher?…”

Abby

I’m impressed with her good English skills. And about the fact that she opened the conversation. After I have lived in Japan for more than a year and travelled through South Korea for a week now I can say that there are way more South Koreans who speak English to me compared to Japanese people in Japan. Even if many South Koreans speak English in a very broken style. At least they try! Except for four or five people in Tokyo, who offered me help in English even though I did not ask for it, nobody (except cs hosts and at work) spoke English to me there. All the cyclists here in South Korea who spotted the Seoul – Busan sign on my bicycle trailer succeeded in the simple question: “Where are you from?” Most Japanese people did not even dare to just to try to ask this question in English but rather ask: “Amerika Jin desu ka?”

Abby is amazed about my story and wants to write down my webpage address. As I knew QR codes are very popular here in South Korea and Japan I printed one for my bicycle trailer. She runs to it, scans the code, visits my web side with her smart phone and watches some of my interviews. “I want to be interviewed as well!”, she says.

“Perfect”, is my reply but right in that moment Jonathan and his friend are showing up with the van.

“I’m really sorry Abby but I will write about you,” I’m promising her. Jonathan’s friend gets out of the van and I greet him. Abby also does and they start a conversation. It turns out that she is one of his students. Then Jonathans friend walks on towards the climbers and asks around: “Hey did anybody see my sandals here? I must have forgotten them here three days ago.”

I did not see who gave them to him, I don’t know where they took it from but in less than a minute he’s holding his new 100 USD sandals in his hands again. The climbers knew right from the beginning about the sandals and brought them to him.

“That’s what I find amazing about South Korea”, Jonathan says, “such things rarely get stolen here.”

[Show as slideshow]

Special thanks to: Aly Woolliams (text revision), Paul Sharman, Jonathan D Whitsett, Hubertus Neidhart from Webspace Provider Network for excellent web page hosting services; Christoph Flossmann, Lilith Pendzich

Continue reading »]]> The dark side of the moon

Okay it’s once again picture time. This time of the Senso-ji-Temple in Tokyo also shot in late September. When walking through the temple complex there a woman asked me if her little daughter – maybe five perhaps six years young – might ask me some questions. So I bent down to her.

“Hello what is your name?”, she asked me in her best English.

“Where are you from?” …

“How old are you?” …

That was one of the cutest experiences I have had so far here in Japan. I think it’s a pretty cool mother who uses her time to go on the hunt for native speakers to provide her little offspring with a good language education.

I guess they were a bit disappointed that I am from Germany, because when I gave the mother my email address and asked her to send me the photos she took of me together with her daughter I never received them :(

What happened here in Manza meanwhile? We had a total lunar eclipse. Okay lunar eclipses are not as rare as sun eclipses. But if you have the fortune to enjoy this while sitting in an open air onsen high in the mountains with a crystal clear sky together with a cold beer I guess one can say it’s something special…

[Show as slideshow]

Next week the last bunch of Tokyo pics from September. Before I will jump back to Manza region with it’s already snow covered mountains.

Special thanks to: Hubertus Neidhart from Webspace Provider Network for excellent web page hosting services; Natalie Canham, UK (proofreading); Lilith Pendzich;

Continue reading »]]> They lost their hearts in India

Buddhist heart

Tukizi Hongangi Temple in Ginza, Tokyo

Obon Festival part two. In week nine I showed you some photos of the Obon atmosphere. What I missed to catch so far were the dances linked to this tradition, and of course the kimonos. It’s time to present you some footage from the festival. One of Tokyo’s biggest Obon festival takes place in front of the Tukizi Hongangi Temple in Ginza, one of Tokyo city’s trendier districts. But when looking at this temple it does not really look like a Japanese one, hm? Right, it’s orientated to Indish architecture. Why? Because Buddhism simply originates from India. And this temple is an homage to it. But now enough with writing. Time to celebrate. Enjoy!

Tsukiji Hongwanji Bon Odori Dance Festivities von Daaaaaaaaaaaax

Obon Festival

Kimono collection

Next entry will be about climbing Japan’s highest mountain Fuji San. CU then!

http://www.pluto.dti.ne.jp/~kennyko/tsukiji/tsukinew.htm

Special thanks to: Hubertus Neidhart from Webspace Provider Network for excellent web page hosting services; Lilith Pendzich, Germany; Brandon Lamb, U.S.A.;

Continue reading »]]> A light dawned on me

I am sticking to my rule about not talking about my work after the first week.

Kawagoe Obon Festival

The 1.000.000 lantern festival is being celebrated in Kawagoe. How Kawagoe looks like during the day I have already shown you. Yet this festival provides the opportunity to take some pictures of the place I am currently living at night.

Vroooooom!

Occasion for the ceremonies are the Buddhist Obon- (お盆or also simply Bon)-festivals being celebrated in Japan during the summer months (usually in July and August). Then Buddhists are commemorating their deceased ancestors. They believe that their ancestors come back to their altars as ghosts and even visit their descendants at home. Of course that’s a great honour. So the cities are being straightened up, the kimonos are being taken out of the wardrobes, you honour your ancestors with dances and good food of course. One would like for them to feel at home at last. The Bon festival lasts for three days and takes place in every prefecture or location on different days. Cool, huh? So you have the chance to celebrate it several times! :)

Kawagoe's pedestrian area

Also the ceremony is celebrated differently from place to place. Here in Kawagoe people are hanging up lanterns everywhere. This custom dates back to an old tradition which has its origin around the 1850′s. Back then after the lord of Kawagoe had died, the daughter of the lords vassal hung up lanterns in the lord’s honour at Obon. As the Kawagoe lord was very popular amongst the people of the town soon the idea was adopted by more and more inhabitants and this way carried out throughout the whole city. And so it became custom to festoon the whole city with lanterns on every Bon.

Yaki Niku grills

Obon feast

As my host Brandon and me are ambling through the streets of Kawagoe I simply can’t resist to ask a convivial crowd if I may take some pics of them.

Instead of getting a simple “Hai” as an answer Brandon and I are being invited to the table. Three Yaki Niku grills are placed on the table and we are being offered Whiskey and both are being pampered by three eighteen year young students. Oh Japan you are beautiful!

Continue reading »]]> Here comes the mouse!

Die Maus

Friday. My host Celine has no internet access at home which is why she is taking me to her university, Dokkyo university. There she hands me her wireless password and heads off for her lectures. It’s simply great. This is how I even get to know Japanese student live. Even though I can’t make out any major differences to western universities. As you’d expect from a university there are many lecturing halls, a huge library and of course the canteen. The food there is good. What puts me in a good mood is that the Dokkyo university uses “Die Maus” from the German children’s edutainment TV show “Sendung mit der Maus” as its mascot.

The best laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley. Well, but I don't want to prevent him from his plan to study.

.

Schoolgirls visiting

Presented in Surround

I’m moving once again. This time to Bryan, an American host who had lived in Germany for some years and is – how else could it be – an English teacher. Since it is weekend once again it is my good fortune to get treated once again to a weekend trip to the mountains.

Mountains close to Tokyo

Together with Bryan’s friends I’m treated not only to delicious Japanese food once again, but also the best Japanese alcohol later that evening at a married couple with whom Brian is friends. But they are also equipped with a good range of western style alcoholics and I mix them some drinks. Well, I once worked at a disco…

Cozy Cocktails

Suddenly some kind of mobile phone sound breaks the chilled atmosphere. I’m asking myself if I’m this drunk already or if this is a damn good surround sound cell phone. I could swear I’m hearing the sound from at least three spots in the room. “Oh man, does it have to interrupt our nice conversation!?” two of Brandon’s friends are complaining and get their cell phones out of their pockets.
“What is it?” I’m asking.
“That’s the earthquake warning system”
“Everybody is quiet for ten seconds.
“Here it comes!” says Denise.
“And the room starts to tremble for about five seconds.

Never isolated!

It’s Monday evening I’m waiting at Kitaurawa to be picked up by my new host Andy. The Advent of couchsurfing to the Japanese population seems seems still to be in progress since I am mainly hosted by foreigners. And so this time. Andy gives me a warm welcome in a beautiful British accent. We are on our move to his house as we talk about hospitality and and how he ended up in Japan. Andy 45, a journalist specialising in the Japanese metal industry, comes from Portugal but grew up bilingual. He writes for a British magazine he tells me.

Poster wall of Andy's 16 year old daughter.

It is a nice 3 stories house. Minimum twice as big as the one I’ve stayed in at my host in Shibuya. Andy is married and has a 16 year old daughter. Even though the week has just started and there are no holidays, wife and daughter are not around: “My wife lives at the other side of Tokyo together with our daughter. She attends a kind of elite high school there. It would simply be too long of a commute every day, so my wife and me decided to rent a flat for both there. It is not common to live on your own in Japan when you are 16. It’s actually normal to live with your parents when you study at university. Sounds weird hm? No rioting.”

“Rioting?” I’m asking.

“Well, I mean a lot of things are so preordained. Few chances do develop your own life. I think this is what Japan misses a bit. A lot of things are overly organised. Which, in my opinion, leads to the fact that only a few people – too few -, form their own opinions or are really individual. Or let’s put it this way. Of course they have their own opinions, but they rarely express them and do even less to change certain grievances”

“Hm, this might be a reason why there are almost never demonstrations going on on the street. And if they happen at all they are not really big.” I’m thinking.

Andy is cooking a Moroccan dish for our dinner: “I came to Japan years ago where I found and married my wife. She is a trained biologist and held a well paid position at a company researching cancer back then. After a few years, we had decided to move to Portugal where I had a job which meant she had to give up her job here in Japan. Even if it was difficult for her in Portugal, she did actually very well in finding a job there. But after some years we realized we both didn’t belong there and decided to go back to Japan again.”

“May I ask about your wife’s job?”

“Sure, she’s a housewife. When we came back from Portugal she applied once again for research jobs but could not get any work. Only minor positions like an assistant job or being a secretary.”

“Was the branch in which she researched no longer lucrative, or what was the reason for it?”

His respond comes quickly almost with a little anger: ”No! Her ‘mistake’ was that she gave up her job to leave Japan! The Japanese people consider this to be not reliable. So when she came back nobody wanted to hire her based on this ‘argument’ that she could not longer be considered reliable. It does obviously not count how talented you are! This country has such a pool of wasted talent. You know, this is actually one of the few things that makes me furious about Japan! And after some years she simply couldn’t stand those kinds of jobs any more and this is how she ended up being a housewife.”

I’m bewildered.

Despite the fact that Andy is the only bread earner in the family, he still takes his time to host and cook for me and even for showing me around the next day.

As much as I like his house there is something about it – about Japanese houses in general – that drive me mad/crazy. The missing insulation. No matter how many windows, window shutters, curtains and doors you close you hear the street noise constantly. Of course it leads to the result that a huge amount of energy is being wasted. The walls have a width of maximum ten to 15 cm (6 inch). There’s no glass wool or polystyrene insulation in between preventing the hot air from the outside to funnel into the air-conditioned rooms. And it’s of course right the other way around in the winter time. They rather waste three or four times more energy than they need just because it’s not common at all to insulate houses here. Also the windows aren’t double-glazed. Neither the ones in the air-conditioned trains nor those in houses. My last host Ryan told me he heats his flat with a movable kerosene heater. All this in one of the richest countries of the world? How does this fit together?

To save energy the government recently tried once again to introduce the “Super cool business” including a casual dress code that aims to save energy by not having to use the air-condition to cool all the guys in their stuffy suits. Not only since 3/11 – but especially since then – Japan’s economy suffers. Like in most economic crises of the modern times, people don’t spend more money than necessary which leads into an economic vicious circle. To combat this Japan’s government introduced subsidies for household devices. Andy’s family made use of it. However, the fridge came from a Japanese company but was produced in China. So it did not really help the domestic economy. Instead of such measures, Japan would be well advised to facilitate the local construction industry – a branch which does not really export and is thus totally reliant on domestic demand. With this Japan could kill two birds with one stone. They could save a decuman amount of energy so that they wouldn’t need as many nuclear power plants as they have today. And it would be a blast for those sector of Japan’s economy that cannot rely on exporting their way out of trouble.

tombstone

The next day Andy shows me around in Omiya. Since he has a well equipped family household he provides me with a bicycle and we both cycle to Omiya’s main temple. We are on our way to it as Andy stops to show me a Buddhist churchyard. Beautiful, so far I haven’t had the chance to enter one and see the graves close up.

At the cemetery

Once again on our way to the temple. Only a few minutes later he is interrupting our trip once again to show me the newly built Saitama Shintoshin station and its city centre with it’s new built stadium. Yoko Ono’s John Lenon museum used to be in there as well. Well, this is Japan’s attempt of beautiful modern architecture. All those buildings are pretty new.

Omiya Metro station

Omiya's stadium

As Japan suffered a plethora of bomb attacks during the second world war this temple is unfortunately not as old as I was hoping for. But it’s nice anyway. In addition to that, I haven’t been to a place in my life where I’ve seen so many turtles at once in one pond!

Omiya's Tempel

turning turtles

Omiya's temple

Even on our way back we can’t make it in one go and have to stop off to do our dinner shopping. But I’m grateful for it because Andy is the first host who shows me that there are actually greengrocers that have bargain prices.

At some time in the morning the bell is ringing. A man in a blue overall wearing a building-site helmet is passing Andy a little, plastic packed towel as a present to apologize in advance for eventually occurring inconveniences which might happen within the next days as they are just about to begin to paint the neighbours’ house.

Hm, maybe I should try something like this when I’m back in Germany before having a party which might get a little louder and could also lead to disturbing the neighbours. Should some drunk people roar too loud, the neighbours would even have something to plug into their ears as tiny as this towel is. Hm… but on the other hand such a small towel fits quite well into the mouth of a roaring drunk. Hm… one shouldn’t give up on every new idea too quickly but on this idea, it’s maybe better to throw in the towel!

On Wednesday evening I’m moving once again. On my way to my next hosts I’m facing a new problem. All I can say about it is: “Don’t use Tokyo’s metro during the rush hour with two backpacks!”

Once again an American-Japanese couple. Dylan, 30 recently married his wife, 29. They both are preparing for leaving Japan and want to gain foothold in the U.S.A.

Oh, well …

Oh, did I forget to tell? This Thursday is my first working day at the day care. Yes, I took the job! But it does not mean that the job search is over yet, as this job is unfortunately not a full time position and I need to find at least two further jobs in order to finance my living here. Well, since one should not really measure its value based on just one day, I’ll wait a little until I think a little deeper about it. So I’m asking for some patience please….

Special thanks to: Hubertus Neidhart from Webspace Provider Network for excellent web page hosting services, my hosts and especially Andy for the text revision.

]]> https://www.cyclonara.eu/third-week/feed/ 0 https://www.cyclonara.eu/the-first-week/ https://www.cyclonara.eu/the-first-week/#comments Wed, 25 May 2011 21:55:25 +0000 admin http://pendzichpictures.eu/?p=1

Continue reading »]]> Moving moments

Since the flight from London to Japan takes you over the north pole and the sun does not set there in late May, the trip was literally is the longest day of my life. And an astonishing one as well. An eternal ice desert until the horizon! Even if the following does not really have a lot to do with Japan, I’d like to give a recommendation for two films I saw on the plane: The Kings Speech – a well done account about how King Georg VI overcomes his stuttering – and The way back, a moving film about a POW group escaping from a Gulag in Siberia during the second World War making it all the way down to India on foot!

The arrival

I’m arriving on a Thursday morning at Tokyo-Narita airport. My first couchsurfing host is located in Chiba, a neighbour prefecture of Tokyo (and the same prefecture of Narita Airport).

map Tokyo

Since two hosts, Anna 24 and Eri 22, offered to accommodate me for the same period, I’ve decided to meet with Eri for a small sight seeing tour for  my arrival day, and stay at Anna’s until Sunday. It is a bright and sunny day at 25°C (74°F). But as I am loaded down with two backpacks weighing 30 kg (66 lbs), I’m so exhausted and sweaty when reaching Eri’s home that only a shower can help. The jet-lag does not really contribute to a good constitution. I’m trying to hide my tiredness but I was never good at that. Eri realizes this of course and keeps telling me: „It’s all right, you can sleep here!“ I don’t really know what do to. I think her curiosity proves she’s a couchsurfer: she’s curious about foreign cultures, but doesn’t seem concerned with learning about them when they sleep in her bed.  It also seems like she wants to spend a little time with me and is curious about Germany. But I’m almost collapsing. I couldn’t sleep a wink for the 11+ hour flight, so I’ve been awake since Wednesday 4:30 CET, and here it’s just Thursday morning. I’m lying myself down: „Okay, Eri.  One to two hours is all I need…“

After almost five hours of sleep I’ve finally woken up. Even though Eri was nice and didn’t wake me up, I’m feeling guilty.  Because I have to pack my things now to get to Anna’s – my host from today, Thursday, until Sunday. As if I wasn’t packed enough, Eri is now handing me a little bag filled with Japanese sweets/candy. Hey Eri, usually the guest is supposed to bring presents! :) Thank you!

Back packed with a backpack

Anna is picking me up at Chiba station. She welcomes me with „Sugoi!“ which means great, or  unbelievable in a figurative way. She’s amazed not because she maybe wouldn’t have given me the credit for getting here on my own, but because I made it here with two heavy backpacks: my small 35-litres backpack in the front and my 80-liter backpack on my back. Why am I travelling with two backpacks to Japan? I’d like to stay for one year after all. And for good entertainment and blogging I do need my laptop. My Japanese language books also came with me, and to present you with steady video, my tripod found its way into my bag as well. That damn thing weighs 7 kilos (15,4 lbs) all by itself!

First Impressions

Powerlines

In Germany power lines stretching above the streets within the city or residential areas are considered ugly and are usually hidden below the ground. Japanese people don’t seem to have a problem with visible lines. It is rarely possible to take photos of buildings without having wires in front of it. It’s quite sad, actually! Shouldn’t Japan be prettier? But there’s many other reasons to put me in a good mood. As far as I can tell, Japan is way more disabled-friendly in comparison to Germany. The pavement markings for blind people which we only have in Germany’s train stations can be found not only leading to the exits, but continuing down the street and on almost every sidewalk throughout the entire city!

pavement markings photo by Joki Zatko

Of course the side walks are also adapted to wheelchair users with ramps at every crossing and entrance. As if that wasn’t enough, the handrails in every station have Braille at the beginning and end of denoting which platform the staircase leads to, as well as which lines depart from there. Germany could certainly learn a thing or two from how Japan treats its elderly and disabled.

Braille rail

Even the ticket prices are listed in Braille on the board. I’m impressed. In Germany abled people already don’t get how the system works. I wonder how blind people manage to buy their ticket in Germany at all. It’s no problem in Japan! And even in the supermarkets many products have Braille.

Anna is an elementary school teacher, 24 years young, and very sporty. She’s accommodating me even though she has to work tomorrow. This way I’m getting to know another special thing about Japan. As it is very late already and we both have to get up early the next day, we’re each getting a Bento (relatively fresh prepackaged meals) from the local convenience store. The best part about these meals is that the quality is really okay and the meals will be heated up at the store on request. Plastic utensils and chopsticks included. Food, except for fruits and vegetables, is one of the rare things in Japan which is actually cheap. For 300 Yen (3.52 AUD, 3.66 CAD, 2.30 GBP,  3.74 USD)  I’m getting a huge beef meal including rice and vegetables.

Together with Anna I’m leaving her flat next morning. As I stroll through the biggest park in Chiba,

Park in Chiba

not yet mutated

I can see a tortoise making its own pilgrimage to the temple alongside me.

Temple at Chiba park

Inescapable are the ubiquitous vending machines of Japan. In Germany you’ll find about three times as many cigarette vending machines as mailboxes. Here you’ll find seven times as many vending machines as cigarette machines in Germany!

Vending machines

I took my laptop with me and am looking for a wireless access point. In general fast food chains offer such points. To my surprise in Japan – or at least in Chiba – that is not the case. I don’t get it. I’m in Japan, a country of high tech freaks. What’s with all these fast food restaurants without wireless?! :) I’m disappointed and even a little annoyed since my laptop is not the lightest and I’ve been carrying it with me for the whole day in vain. I wouldn’t have expected this of Japan.

On my little tour I’m discovering a typical Japanese cemetery. Buddhism also uses grave stones. However they look different from ours.

Buddhist cemetery in Chiba

Restaurant Baden Baden

At the evening the name of a restaurant is catching my fancy: Baden Baden. Of course, this is also a city in Germany. A German flag is proudly visible through the windows. As I enter the restaurant I ask, “Sumimasen. Anatawa doitsujin desuka?“ Excuse me, are you German? The owner is Japanese but had lived in Baden Baden for a few years and speaks German. I tell him my story, and mention that I lived close to Baden Baden, in Karlsruhe. And of course I also let him know that I’ve been desperately in search of a hotspot the whole day. Of course, his restaurant also has no wifi, but he offers me to connect my laptop to his router. While checking and replying to email he is putting a dish right next to my laptop: “This one’s on the house.” “Sugoi! Domou arigatou gozaimasu.” Maybe I start telling everyone I’m from near where they used to live! The meal he provided is a tasty fried fish dish with a lot of other things that I haven’t seen before and can’t even categorize. Oh well. It’s delicious! The owner is very proud to present his home-made mustard. Apparently mustard seed is hard to come by in Japan.

Frustrated once again, I’m taking a seat in Chiba’s main square. Today there’s an anti-sexual-discrimination event going on. I’m spotting one activist with a fabric bag from the German supermarket chain Kaiser’s.  “Entschuldigung… weißt du, wo es hier ein Hotspot gibt?” Do you know where I can find a wireless hotspot?

„Do I look so German that you just assume you can speak German to me?” in perfect German is her response.  “Ah my bag :) Erm, no, sorry I don’t know where one is. But a friend of mine here has portable wireless. Wait, let me ask him if you can borrow it for a while… Ja, here it’s all yours! With this device or your mobile phone is how most people go online when they’re not home in Japan. That’s the reason why almost no restaurants have hotspots except for those located in the tourism or business areas“ she explains to me.

“O.K., well for mailing and chatting it’s enough but I’d like to watch the news of the three past days. The bandwidth is too weak for this!”

“Well, for this most of the mobile phones here have TV-receivers.”

“Hm. I wouldn’t have been satisfied with that. Because I can’t watch to programs on demand.”

Anyways. It is more important to find new hosts for the next week. As long as I don’t have a job here, I have to be frugal. I’m well aware this is not the philosophy of couchsurfing and I will give it back to the community once I have a place in Tokyo.

I would have had a job in Japan and didn’t need to look for any accommodation because it would have come with the job. It was a job at an onsen (hot springs) hotel. In the mountains 80 km (50 miles)  west of Tokyo. But the hotel manager had a realization of the downturn in tourism since Fukushima and is operating with half staff. Thus he can’t hire me. I didn’t cancel my flight regardless, but I have to look for a new job here in Japan.

The manholes in Japan also made an impression on me. Gotta catch ‘em all!

Chiba manhole

Also worth to be mentioned how the Japanese people deal with construction sites. I’m passing a small construction site on the street and am being guided in the most polite way by five (!!!) Japanese people who are positioned at every spot that indicates a change in direction by 20°. It’s nice, although one sign (maybe in English) would have been enough for me. But … Thank you!

Even Japanese People want to have fun

In general I sleep very well despite of the rather thin futon mattresses which are standard for guests here in Japan. Well, admittedly I combined it with my inflatable camping mat which I brought with me. Regarding the temperature and climate, it’s been quite nice so far.  Somewhat warmer than in Germany. More comparable to Rome’s climate. I imagined Chiba to be much more hot and humid. Humidity here is a little higher though but not strikingly higher. Anyway, in the morning a soft layer of humidity covers my skin. It is Sunday morning, my last day at Anna’s. Today’s task is to sleep in. But this is kind of tough right now. Why? It seems like a couple in the next  room is enjoying this sunny Sunday morning in a very special way. In a steady rhythm the bed hits the wall.  “They’re really going at it,” I’m thinking to myself. What at least put your bed a little away from the wall. Well, here one does not disturb of course I don’t hit the wall. But now the banging is getting louder and all I can think is “For the love of God, keep it down!” And then it got even louder.  “Hey, now it’s practically in my room!” Now I’m hearing it rumbling even in our flat. Things in the kitchen are starting to move and now I’m realizing: “Oh man, Simon! You are in Japan, land of earthquakes.  I just didn’t realize what caused them until now…” Anna keeps lying in the bed. And as long as she’s ok, I don’t see a reason to panic. The quake is over after a little while. I’m pulling my cover over my chest and am falling asleep with a smile on my face. So that was it. My first earthquake. But instead of making me scared or petrified – as I always imagined my first earthquake – it made me smile.

Before moving to my next Couchsurfing host or in better words my next Couchsurfing host couple, Anna is taking me on a climbing trip to Tokyo. Tokyo? Skyscraper climbing? No, our climbing session is not this spectacular. A usual climbing hall will do it. Anna introduces me to her friends. Two Japanese girls, a Japanese boy and an Australian working holiday worker. He already has got a job as an English teacher.

my host Anna (left) and her friends

So far I haven’t been to Tokyos center. But I’m not in a rush with that because I’m planning to stay here for a longer term after all. But the tunnel systems of Tokyo’s Metro are fascinating enough for now. Amazing, all this was constructed earthquake proof! It must be an architectural and structural engineering masterpiece. I’m wondering how much of physics and mathematics have gone into such a construct. I’m trying to spot damages, cracks in the walls, any evidence that would reveal that the earthquake had taken place, in vain! Nothing, not the slightest hint of a quake is discernible. All bars are standing perfectly erect, the walls are not deformed and I can’t even spot a burst tile! But traces can be recognised at the escalators. Anna told me that some stopped on 3/11 and weren’t repaired since then.

Ikebukuro Metro station

In the evening I’m reaching the home of my next hosts. An Australian-American couple. Both work at the University. Jim is English lecturer. Both have lived here in Shibuya for some years already and bought a house. “Interest rates are pretty low here” Jim tells me, “and so we decided to buy a house. It is really cheaper then renting a house here. In comparison to western standards the house is small but I like it though. It has a ground flour of maximum 20 by 20 metres (65,6 by 65,6 feet) and only three floors.

House in the Shibuya Sun

The guest room is to be found on the ground floor. As the carport, the corridor and the staircase to the first floor devour quite a huge portion of the ground area my room with approximately 8 m² (86 square feet) is pretty small. The most ample room you’ll find on the first floor (which is the second in Japan by the way because they count from the ground floor onwards). A kitchenette including living room in one go. The house decór is very modern. At the very top you’ll find the bathroom which is constructed as a showering cabin including bath tub. You’ll find another toilet in a separate room and of course Jim’s and Heath’s room shouldn’t be missing.

Jim and Heath are very helpful: “To get a job here you need the alien registration card and a bank account. But to get both you need a permanent address here in Japan!”

“Oh, I don’t have a permanent address yet. And to be honest not a lot of money. To be perfectly honest, I can’t afford a months rent here. Not to mention the deposit. I’m kind of reliant on couchsurfing for the time during my job interviews. As soon as I have a job I’d like to look for a flat nearby!”

So this is how I find myself in kind of a catch 22 situation. I need to work in order to finance my living here and to rent a flat but I won’t get a job unless I’m in possession of my foreigner registration card which I can only get when I have a permanent address here. Perfect! Okay to be very honest… When applying for a work and travel visa at the Japanese embassy in Germany you need to prove you own a return flight ticket – got it -, a travelling health insurance – got it, and you need to prove you have at least 2.000 €. Well, back then, when I applied for it I had it. But now? … hm …

I’m in Japan for some days now and haven’t had to change money here because Christoph – a friend of mine – could already change me some Yen back in Germany since he’s already been to Japan and had some left. But I’m quickly burning through this for a public telephone calling card, food and public transportation. There’s some money left from my presentation tour I did about my Hamburg – Rome Couchsurfing bicycle trip (www.prototypetour.eu).

As a John Doe-tourist I would walk – like everybody else I guess – to a regular bank to get my money changed. You won’t get far with this here! Luckily once again I’m enjoying the couchsurfing privilege and before I had made this mistake I’ve been told by my hosts that the post office is the best place to go to for changing money. No it’s not the Banks! So I’m taking the long walk to the post office. Once there I’m being welcomed by four people all asking me in a very polite way how they could help me. After my answer one of the quartet guides me in the long but at least accurate queue/line to change money.

After ten long minutes it’s finally my turn and after a short conversation I’m realizing that there’s something I haven’t been told. You have to list your Japanese address if you want to change money. I wonder what this is supposed to mean? A sneaky trick by the post office to to sell my addresses to an ad agency? Or one of those useless terrorism “security measures”. Luckily in Japan is not as intrusive as the U.S.A.  Of course I will tell them that I received eight semesters of good training in Afghanistan at the Osama bin Laden University to finally got my Master’s degree, Minor chemistry, that the reason of a trip to the U.S.A. is that I’m planning an attack. I’m convinced Osama bin laden lately made the mistake to note his address in such a form when changing money and wrote as profession: CEO of al-Qaeda and only this way the U.S.A. could find Osama. Some people become senile at some point. And I think this is why it took the U. S. A. so long to finally find him. Yes, we all know it’s pretty silly/stupid. Of course I don’t know my hosts’ address by heart and don’t have it written down. And sorry but at some point this country’s bureaucracy is driving me mad/crazy. After I exchanged it I got a little more than – let’s call them – three big bills. And the big bill I got from Christoph is almost all used by now.

It is Tuesday and I’m moving once again. I can’t really become friends with Tokyo’s and their neighbour prefectures’ Metro system. Most of the plans are written in Kanji signs. On top of that there are multiple train companies which only print their own maps. So if you’d like to get from A to B you will have to sort out the stations on which you have to change and should know the train lines’ name so that you know which map to use then. I couldn’t think of any map system more complicated than this. Of course I’m getting completely lost.

Metro map. Only one of many

I must look very desperate while I’m staring at my maps. It happened several times – and not only today – that I’ve been approached by locals if I could use a little help. I’m surprised. Because I’ve been told that practically all Japanese people are very shy and their English is virtually non existent. So I didn’t expect to be offered help so many times. Well, maybe Tokyo and their relatively international characterized prefectures are not really representative for the whole of Japan. But here the helpers were of all ages or genders. The task of finding my new host’s address however is the icing on the cake. This time I’m encountering a Japanese man who, after I asked him, tells me in a very friendly way that I’m on the wrong train but he is also travelling in approximately the same direction. I wonder how this fits together if I’m on the wrong train. Well, perhaps I’m not this wrong. He offers me to accompany me to eventually guide me a little. Of course I’m gratefully accepting. He introduces himself and tells me he works in the telecommunication branch in a sub company providing services for one of Japan’s major mobile phone networks. As he wants to guide me as precisely as possible he’s asking for the exact address to search for on his smart phone. Finally arrived at the station and it’s at least another 15 minutes on foot. But even here his way home would almost guide him into the same direction. After a short march he’s grabbing his smart phone once again. Hm… well, I really doubt that he needs his navigation program to find his own home so it is quite obvious that this is once again one of those super polite Japanese people who feel obliged to bring me home safely. Actually we walk the last ten minutes completely guided by his navigation app. And as he sees I’m all sweaty he’s treating me for a cola at the next vending machine. I’m overwhelmed by his kindness and wonder why so many people after an exhausting day of work would practically do everything to help out a complete stranger.

For the next three days I stay in the Saitama prefecture at an American host who leaves me his whole flat as he is living at his girlfriend’s at the moment. He is an English teacher. The only time I see him is when he invites me out to a restaurant. I use the spare time to search for jobs and to spread out new resumes. Perhaps there is a way to get a job without a permanent address I haven’t figured out yet…

Special thanks to: Hubertus Neidhart from Webspace Provider Network for the good service, Restaurant Baden Baden, to Joki Zatko for one photo, all my hosts, Bryan Darr and Jonny Mitchell for the text revision.