First 4 days in Japan, Tokyo

Yatta! I am in Japan and have access to internet both in phone and pc. I actually got it on the first day I arrived, but there has been so much going on, that I haven't got time to write my blog.

Before I begin my post, I want to adress couple things:

I am going to be using a lot of word "we" because I am not alone in Japan. With me are 2 other students who came along to Japan to work on the same company as me. They write their own blog post, like I do, but I don't wish to include them to mine in detail, because our experience, views & opinions may vary. I am going to be using word "we" in sections where they have been present, but I won't address them by name nor in detail.

I am working for a game localization company in Japan. My company has requested that we do not mention them in our blog, for some things are confidential. For this very reason, I avoid using any material or story that could jeopardize their business.

Lastly, since Japanese people use "-san" at the end of everyone's name, I will be using it as well to address people in my blog who are Japanese.

The flight to Japan was long, but flew by quickly while watching movies and listening to music offered by Finnair airlines. Food was served twice with free drinks to go along with it, like; beer, soda, juice, etc. Overall it was smooth and very pleasant experience, best flight for me thus far. Long distance economy class was very different from what I am used to in short distance flights.

30.1.2017 we arrived to Japan, and already the airport immigrant control gave me trouble. They were not easily convinced that I came here to work through school program, due to lack of documents and language barrier (言葉の壁 - Kotoba no kabe) making it hard to explain things properly. But a little while later the staff and I could reach harmony by throwing one word in english and another in japanese left and right till proper message was delivered. Japanese are very strict, and I mean very, very strict about who they let in their country. Obviously this I can understand, just like any country, Japan wants to protect itself from outside threat.

We met our new boss (Kato-san) and his employee (Ogawa-san) at the Narita airport where they were waiting for us with open arms. I must say, they are the nicest people I have ever met. During this short while I've been here, they have welcomed me with most warmest hospitality I have ever seen in my life. My words can not express how kind they are in everything they do. I was shocked and amazed at the same time for how easy it is to talk to Kato-san and Ogawa-san in Japanese without having to use that much English in between sentences, if any. Within 2 days I have learned so much Japanese simply by talking to Kato-san and Ogawa-san, and I hope to learn more so that we can have more interesting conversations together.

The first day, Kato-san and Ogawa-san took us to see Gundam statue near FujiTV building while driving to our destination, Sakura house. The statue was huge! More huge than I had ever thought from pictures I have seen in internet. The picture shown in this post does not give justice to how huge it is when seen in person. This was my first taste of Japan.

Next they took us to sign papers for our lease at Sakura house office, where I got to experience the bureaucracy hell of Japan. There was sooooooooooooo much signing to do. Where in Finland one can simply read the terms of agreement and sign once, Japanese seem to have tendency to ask signature on each article in the paper to ensure you have actually read the whole contract and fully understood it. While it's a bit irritating at first, very quickly you realize how important it actually is to read the fine print in all paperwork. The Sakura house office rumble took us a lot more than I had expected, and I felt sorry for Kato-san and Ogawa-san for having to wait so long for us while we were signing papers. Even the staff had to apologize for them, and here I witnessed my first sight of Japanese apologizing someone, which you see a lot in Japan. Just couple days in and I have already heard like 1,000 "Sumimasen" left and right. It didn't take long before I began to use it in every given opportunity. I like the word, for it shows that someone has acknowledged your existence as a human being, and that the world does not revolve around them. If there was anything I would like to bring back with me to Finland, it would be the use of "Sumimasen".

After the lease was signed, Kato-San and Ogawa-san took us to a nearby Ramen shop on their treat, where I got to taste my very first Ramen. And yes, it's just as good as it looks in Anime, if not even better! Ramen quickly became my number one Japanese delicacy. Kato-San recommended me the biggest portion the shop had to offer. At first I thought I could eat it all, but in the end there was just no way, Japanese Ramen had defeated a man from the North.

After done with the Ramen, we left the shop to see our new home. There is not much to talk about my room. It's very small, but more than enough for 2 month stay. The toilets are something to get used to, since there is no hot water from sink, so your hands freeze to death when washing. I don't know if this is a thing all over Japan, but both in Sakura house and in my work place the sink offers no warm water in toilets. Everyone carries around personal hand towel, since Japan saves in paper and there is no tissues in toilets.

Sakura house (not office), where I live, is full of interesting characters from all around the world. I have already met and got to know 3 people from france, 1 from Portugal, 1 from Austria, and 1 from russia who speaks finnish and english very well. Sakura house company creates events for its residents like; sightseeing, museum visits, cooking nights, and anything that gives us opportunity to get to know Japan better. Unfortunately my work has kept me very busy and after each work day, I return home very tired with only one goal in my mind: sleep.

On my first work day, I had to learn how to use train in Tokyo, since nobody had told me how to get from Ookubo station (near my home) to Ichigaya station (near my work place). I approached 2 eldery women to ask them about which train to take to Ichigaya, and the moment they realized I approached them with a question, their eyes opened wide in fear, like I had a gun or something - it was very awkward for me. They even took couple back steps away from me, looking like they were ready to run for their lives (I am not exaggerating here). But as soon as I spoke in japanese, their fear subsided and one of them was very happy and kind to tell me which train to take. With this we found our way to the office.

The first work day at the office was very interesting, yet challenging, as Ogawa-san tried to explain us what their company was all about in means of business and work flow. At the end of the day, my brain was exhausted for trying to focus so hard on what was being said in Japanese. However, slowly but steadily my ears began to pick certain sounds and words that soon built up a whole sentence which I could understand and the more Ogawa-san spoke to me, the easier it became for me to understand his message, even though I could not understand his sentence in its entirity. Kato-san has told us that they would take us visit Mount-Fuji and see an old town near Tokyo which still holds buildings from edo era. There has been a little bit talk about going to other amazing turist attractions as well, and I am excited to see what else Kato-san has in store for us. But obviously I will not be relying on them to show me all of Japan. Soon enough as I get the hang of things, I start to explore Tokyo on my own.

(No picture to offer)

The weather in Japan is not as rough as it is in Finland during winter. There is no snow in Tokyo, and sun is shining most of the time, reminding of summer, but the cold wind ruins the so called "summer heat in winter". I still think it's better than having snow around to ruin a good scenery. And talking about scenery, Tokyo is one giant piece of artwork. The architecture in Japan is its own beaty to explore. There are so many different buildings and houses varying in size and design. Seeing Tokyo in person has given me a whole new meaning for the word "metropolis". It's gigantic, and far more gigantic than one can understand from a simple picture. Once you are here, you realize how big it actually is.

People are very interested about foreigners outside Asia here in Japan. When I walk outside, people turn their heads at my way. When I sit in a train, I feel like everyone are looking at me. Couple days back, I was walking to 7-eleven convenience store (Konbini, as they are called), and there was a group of high school girls chit chatting nearby. The moment one of the girls noticed me, she literally dropped down on bended knees and said: "ちょっと、ちょっと、ちょっと！！" (Wait, wait wait!) to her friends and pointed at me. The girls turned at my way and said something along the lines which I could not clearly understand at that point before a moment of registering it afterwards: "there goes a foreigner!" This was very strange to me, because I thought people in Tokyo were used to seeing foreigners even when few in numbers. Anyway, I thought it was hilarious, I almost burst in to laugh right in front of them when seeing this, because the girl's expression was like from Anime.

I have only been here for 4 days, yet I already managed to become sick, who knows how it happened. Yesterday evening I spent my night in fever. Today I spent my day coughing my lungs out while still having a little bit of the fever left. I had to buy myself a curgical mask which Japanese people use for multiple reasons, but main reason being to avoid spreading viruses. (I read they are also considered fashion here in Japan, worn by youth).

I went to work, but soon after noticing I was sick, Kato-san had to send me back home, for I was a risk at the office for spreading my cough to others, despite using the mask. I thought it was typical for Japanese to work in office while sick, but guess I was wrong about this. Obviously I understand that this is for the best, but it is never good to fall ill within first week in job. Ogawa-san was kind enough to take me to a nearby drug store to buy cough medicine and explain how to use it, since it was all in complex Japanese. After this he sent me home from where I worked long distance using Hangout (Same as Skype). I was happy that I could still work, because I hate sitting around doing nothing, it's just a waste of time.

In the picture below you can see the blue box on the left, which is my cough medicine. With it I bought some little snack to go along with it (Sandwhich - Energy drink - Coca Cola - Medicine powder meant to be added to hot water to heal dry throat). Let me tell you, Japan has got energy drinks right. The small brown bottle you see in the picture is the kind of energy drink, which is actually healthy to drink. It has no sugar in it, and all its content is filled with various nutritious elements. It tastes like piss, but damn does it make you feel great after a while. Oh, did I forget to mention all this you see in front of you only cost me less than 10€, including the medicine.

Before I end, let me just tell you how cheap food is in Japan. １００円ショップ　(100yen shop) are true to their name, for most items there cost around 1€. You can have a feast for less than 5€, where in Finland you would barely get 1 frozen pizza or something. Coca cola costs less than 1€, triangle shaped sandwhich costs around 1-2€ depending on its content (meat or salad), and they actually taste good and worth the money. Warmed coffee in a can which tastes like heaven and warms your hands in cold windy days costs less than 1€ - and just for the recod, Japanese canned coffee is one of the best coffee I have ever drank, I buy it twice a day. Boss is my favorite brand currently.

Restaurant food is also relatively cheap considering how big the portions are and how unique the food is. The kind of food Japan offers, no other country in the world can hold a candle to its varity in tastes and decoration. Each food is crafted with love and care. The flavors are bountiful, yet suddle. You can literally walk in to any restaurant in Tokyo and you know the food is going to be amazing, every. single. time! If there is one thing to visit Japan for, it's their amazing food culture!

Thus far I have been enjoying my time in Japan. People in Sakura house and at work has been very nice to me. I love exploring Tokyo and eat all kinds of different food. I am very fortunate to be here. This has been one of my greatest dreams since I was 13 years old, and I still can't fully believe it that I have made it here. There is no doubt in my mind, that Japan is going to be a place I want to live in one day in near future.