Monthly Archives: December 2010

Yodakimpo with Club Leo

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Today we did not go to the movies, though we met with Club Leo. Since it was the last meeting of the year Kumi-san joined. She is usually too busy and lives quite far outside of Tokyo. But for our year-end meeting she usually joins.

We did not go to the movies but we spent the whole night at Yodakimpo eating delicious food until we could not eat anything more. Not even a tiny little mint chocolate. At least not without exploding πŸ˜‰



We had a fun time. Afterwards Chie and I walked home in the dark Tokyo night.

Tea Ceremony

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I went to my monthly tea ceremony class today. It was as fun and relaxing as usual.

Afterwards we all went out for a year-end dinner. Chie joined us as well. It was fun and good food.

Typical Japanese Service

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One thing that you love about Japan is the service you get here. If you tip your glass of water in your lap at a restaurant you can bet on that your waiter will rush to you saying “sumimasen” (I am sorry) as if it was his fault you are clumsy πŸ™‚

Another example was at Konami Sports Club quite a while back. I was using a cable machine to do abs crunches as in the picture below. When I was at the point where you have to use your abs the most the cable broke and I went head first into the floor. I swear to you that before I could get up on me feet again everyone working at the gym was there checking how I was. 5 seconds after that someone was at the phone calling the company doing service on the machines.



So that was background on the positive side of the service. Now, at some times, the service can get a bit annoying too. Monday I went with my company’s shuttle bus from our office in Shinagawa to our office in Haneda, a 30 minutes or so ride. I was reading a book but forgot the book on the bus.

On the way back home in the same shuttle bus I realized I forgot the book so when we arrived in Shinagawa I asked the driver. And he had found the book and left it at the guards in Haneda. Lucky me, I was going to the Haneda office on Tuesday as well so I could pick up the book I thought.

Tuesday came and I was knocking on the door to the guards hut. Sure they had the book… I could see it on one of their desks. “Just wait a moment while I make a call” the guard said. After the call, “Sorry you have to wait because the one I need to speak to was not there” the guard said. Just give me the book on the g*d d**n table, I thought but acted very Japanese and only bowed slightly and said “thank you.”

An hour later I went to the guards hut again. Another guard. The same procedure. Only this time someone at the other end of the phone call was actually picking up. 5 minutes later a second guy showed up with a paper that I had to sign. On the book there was a sticky note that I also had to sign. Then, finally, I could get my book.

The service point here is that if you loose some valuables then this procedure is to protect you from anyone in the guard staff to steal from you. But oh my *** is it a waste of energy and time for a book πŸ™‚ Counting theirs and my hourly rates I guess it must have been cheaper for the company to just buy me a new book πŸ˜‰

Taking Coco on a Walk

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We went to Tokorozawa this weekend. The weather was fine on Saturday, with a blue sky. Sunday was a little bit more cloudy but still fine. Both days I took Coco for a walk… In his new clothes.



By the way, how do you take a photo of a dog that hate cameras? You put him on a rock from where he cannot escape. Then you take a lot, and I mean, a lot of pictures when he is moving his head around trying to avoid the camera lens. What you cannot do anything about though, is the tail down between his legs. Or maybe I bring a steel wire the next time πŸ˜‰

Going on a Safari

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Today we got into the Audi Airline and flew to Africa for a safari at Kilimanjaro. At least it almost felt like that, but we only went to the Fuji Safari Park at Fuji-san.



It was a beautiful day with clear blue sky, or piikan as a Japanese friend (Mash-san) taught me it is called in “real” Japanese. We arrived quite early at the Fuji Safari Park and while I parked the car, Chie bought all the tickets needed to enter by car and by Jungle Bus.



The best part of the day though was meeting with Leo, a 2 months old baby lion. He was the warmest, cutest thing I have seen in a very long time. The idea about just keep holding him and run away with him popped up in my head many times during the short time I could hold him. It is really difficult to understand that something so small (only 4 kg) and cute will soon grow up to something as powerful and quite dangerous as a full-grown lion.



After meeting with Leo the day at the Fuji Safari Park was over. We drove back towards Tokyo. But we made a short stop at the Gotemba Premium Outlet. Where we walked around for a while. I found a T-Fal water boiler for the office and The North Face Gore-Tex pants for snowboarding. Both things I have been looking for. The North Face pants was a real bargain, on top of the Outlet price was a 20% rebate. So it ended at 33000 JPY, or around 2700 SEK.



It was a long, exciting and very fun day. It ended at Ochanokosaisai, a local restaurant just around the corner from where we live πŸ™‚