a-smeghead-in-japan

Moving out !!!

2009-06-20T07:57:00.000-07:00

I've been busy packing my stuffs as we are moving out the end of the month. We found a nice flat very convenient with a kitchen wide enough to contain a table and a chair (not 2 though...but it's Tokyo can't be helped)

Honestly ,it has been quite a challenge to find a flat. Most of the time we got this answer from the landlord ,"Gaijin wa muzukashii desu ne" meaning ," foreigner... It's not easy " or ,"Get lost ,we don't bloody want a foreigner in our neighbourhood !!! They will burn our houses and rape our children !!!!!"

When I ask my wife she says,"No it isn't racism it's just that they don't like foreigners ....." Irony?
Anyways we found a nice flat thanks to my mother-in-law's boyfriend as he became our warrant otherwise I suppose I would be taking company to the cicadas at the nearest park....

Can you guess how much I paid ?

I paid : 2 months security deposit (190000 yens)

1 month rent (95000 yens)

2 months reikin (meaning 2 months as a present for the landlord to express our gratitude ???gratitude's price= 190000 yens)

plus agency fees (120000 yens)

So I paid : 595000 yens (3872 euros /3271 pounds)

You may see it as a total rip off (of course me too ) but it's absolutely normal here (different custom)

Anyways ,I am broke .......

A festival was held last week in my town . Enjoy the pictures

御神輿: omikoshi :portable Shinto Shrine

お好み焼き: okonomiyaki: Japanese savoury pancake

I'm gonna eat you little fishie

The English Language in the Land of the Rising Sun.

2009-05-16T23:19:00.000-07:00

English is the most familiar foreign language amongst Japanese because large numbers of foreigners living here learnt English as a second language in their own nation ,and as English is taught as part of the Japanese school system, many people can use the language well.

English is also taught as part of the French school system ,why don't we speak English then?

In Japan ,English is as important as Japanese .Wherever you go ,you see people studying English by reading books or playing games.There are many English schools not only for children but also for adults. It's really something!!And guess what you don't need a degree to teach English !!

But as a foreigner it can be really frustating !!! It seems like Japanese people see foreigners as "People who can only speak English" !!!!

When you ask someone a question in Japanese ,no matter how good your Japanese is ,they reply in English .I can understand if you are a tourist who can't speak Japanese but why do they reply in English even though they know you speak Japanese ???

And when I say ,"I am French ,I can't speak English!", they continue talking in English........

Weird ,isn't it?

Anyways, I am not giving up !!!!!!!

Don't joste mates!!

2009-04-07T06:53:00.000-07:00

"Whining French guy fussing about wildboars!!!!"

Get lost !!! Whining French isn't a pleonasm , is it?
Anyways, we always have good reasons to whine ,haven't we?
Ok well we all are bloody whiners!!!And guess what ,I don't give it a sh...!

Japan is well-known for its crowded trains ,and when you start working there and you have to get on one of these crowded trains every morning ,you start wondering how Japanese people have been able to put up with it for so long.

People are running ,pushing ,reading or playing video games whilst walking (Holy smeg !!look forward mate !!) and you have to weave in and out people to get on your train !!!! Morning exercise they say.....

I've never encountered a situation like that in England or in France certainly because I wasn't living in the capital but must be the same problem anyways.At least ,Japanese trains are safe .If you forget your wallet or your MP3 player ,there is a 99% probability that you will get it back!!!!

And this is not a joke !!!!

Return of The Penguin King

2009-04-05T05:20:00.000-07:00

HOW ARE YOU DOING FOLKS ???

I've been thinking over and over about creating a new blog during the past few months.
Japan is a busy country and the overwhelming majority of people are overwhelmed with work.
The reason why I chose to recreate a blog is to keep in touch with all my friends .I hope to receive tons of news from all of you via this blog, and swear to post at least once a month about Japan and my life.

I got married two years ago with the beautiful, adorable and crazy woman you can see on the picture below .It has been two years of happiness !!

I am still working as an English teacher in a Daycare center around Tokyo.I love working with children and I can tell you that this job is extremely rewarding !!!

I go boxing at least twice a week and get my ass ( I forgot to mention "big and fat " ) kicked all the time.

I have begun to study Japanese much more as I really want to pass the JLPT level 2 in December which one will assess my abilities in speaking and reading Japanese.

Looking forward to hearing from all of you until my next posting.