In Japan when you sign official documents you must have an inkan or name stamp. Foreign teachers have to get one in order to open a bank account or get a cell phone. Japanese have one of their last name but foreigners either have their first or last name (which ever one is small enough, when translated, to fit on the tiny stamp). I am lucky because I got mine made with my middle name.
Elspeth and I started the day with a trip to a sketchy laundromat. The men hanging around it were questionable and Elspeth quickly popped her laundry into the machine and we walked around until it was done. We found a grocery store and were pleasantly surprised by the prices of Japanese meat (you could get 2 pieces of salmon or chicken for less than $5 - I can't wait to cook for myself in my tiny apartment) but gobsmacked (that's for you, mom!) by the prices of fruit. Apples were pricey, peaches were out of the question and canteloupe...well check it out for yourself...
($30 CAN!!)After lunch we headed to the department store in Nagoya Station to order our inkans. It was a holiday weekend (tomorrow is Marine Day to celebrate the ocean) so the place was packed...and when I mean packed I mean it reminded me of Boxing Day at Yorkdale! We had to wait an hour for them to be made so we wandered around...and I had to restrain myself from spending ALL of my money...here are some of the weird and wonderful things we saw...
(Tiny stuffed toys, which have long arms that 'hug' your curtains and keep them tied back!)
(?????)
(There was an entire section dedicated to outfits for your dog. These are Japanese summer robes for your puppy)
(A pillow designed for when you are lying down watching tv....note - the holes in the pillow allow you to hear the t.v.)
The weirdest object of the day goes to this cat's paw-thing. There was a video playing advertising it or I wouldn't have known what it was...it bends when you push a button and tiny claws come out....and the woman in the video was using it to pull open doors, reach her alarm in the morning and wave 'sorry' to all of the people in the elevator. SO WEIRD!! Why would someone buy this??I splurged and bought myself a book ( 'Japanese for Busy People') so that I can start learning Japanese and a stamp that captures training week perfectly...
(It says 'yoroshiku onegai shimasu', which is roughly translated as 'please do good for me' or 'please do a favour' and is something that you hear often in a Japanese office. The little bird is even bowing properly (hands in front for ladies!). Kids training starts tomorrow and we are down to four trainees (me, Mateo, Elspeth and Super Creepy Dave)....I believe we will be singing...lets hope we're not dancing...
5 comments:
Out of curiosity, why is Dave super-creepy? Is he the one with the underage student/gf? Seems like a topic of conversation that we never seem to get past (just the people involved seem to change... dude, you known who you are, and we like you anyways).
Aside from that, I'm developing a serious envious streak here. Sounds like you're having a great time, and with cool people as well. I'm so very proud of the social Laura :P
Well, I should be going now - I want to have a look at those videos posted in your last (and still very recent) update.
Keep us in the loop, and talk to you soon (if ever we manage to start up with Skype).
Fil
Ps. Just so you know that we sympathize with your hot environment, today, TO's reached a new high: 36C BEFORE accounting for humidity. Yes, AC is a blessed, blessed thing. Cheers.
Perhaps I should make an iTunes playlist for the creepy underaged-girlfriend as well? ;)
Looks like you're having a fantastic time! I am loving all of the pictures and will be following suit by posting pictures from the vacation in my next entry, although they won't be nearly as awesome as yours.
But some questions:
How are you supposed to bow if you are a man, if not hands to the front?
Do they make those fishnet catsuits in "jumbo" size? ;)
What is the purpose of this name stamp? Wouldn't many people have the same stamps because the would have the same names (think, John Smith, or his Asian equivalent!)? Why did you go with your middle name? Regardless, this is definitely a hella cool souvenir!
Dude, seriously. The cat paw? WTF?
Oh, and it's 36 Celsius here in N-ville, but feels like it's 38. Is that bacon cooking? Nope. Just my skin - extra crispy.
Answers to some questions -
The inkan is the traditional way to sign a contract and while I'm assuming a lot of people have the same last name, it's a tradition. I got my middle name because for foreigners its hard to translate English names into Japanese (for example, Elspeth's name was too many characters when translated so she had to get her last name, Clarke, which ended up being 4 characters and mine was only 2). I can go with my middle name because i think its more of a formality and i'll have to have my Alien Registration Card with me when I sign anyways...
Oh and both Daves were super creepy - Super Creepy Dave for being socially dumb and just weird and Ultra Creepy Dave for being so gross and can we say 'oversharing'?? EEEEEEEWWWWWW!!!!!
More pics to come soon...
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