My day at the sumo competition

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending a sumo competition in person.  At first, I was afraid that my seats would be not that good and that seeing this sport in person would be boring.  In the end, I am glad to say that I was wrong on both fears.  The seat was perfect, since I could see everything no problem and the action is still exciting even do I had no active comments.  This can never be said for a sport like baseball.  Furthermore, there rarely was a fight that was uninteresting.  Me and my girlfriend had a great time.  Also, my interest in the sport just keeps growing.  You can be sure that I will keep watching on my television and I can’t wait to see who will win the whole thing this time.

On side note, at the competition there were a lot of gaijins.  It was the first time that I saw so many people like me in one place.  Still, it felt weird, since I have gotten used to being the only one in a large crowd of people.  I was happy to see that I was not the only foreigner who enjoys the sport or who wanted to live it firsthand.

Sumo part 3

First off, I apologize to all my friends for not posting for a while.  The reason is simple: I had nothing interesting to write till now.

Tomorrow, I will watch a sumo tournament in person.  As you all know, ever since I have arrived here I have become a sumo fan.  For the past few weeks, I was debating if I should or not go see it in person.  My questioning stemmed from the price of the tickets and the fact that I can watch it for free on tv with English commentary.  In the end, I have decided to assist in person.  This decision came from the knowledge that I can only see this in person here and not back home.  I came here to experience the Japanese culture and it is one its many aspects.  Furthermore, tomorrow will be the second day for the return of the yokozuna Asashoryu.  He was banned from the last 2 tournaments, because of a scandal.  From what I have heard he is a strong sumo wrestler and I cannot wait to see him in action in person.

Of course, I will write all about how it went on my blog.  I can’t wait to be there.

New year’s in Japan

I have not posted in a while, since it was the holidays and I wanted to enjoy them. Furthermore, for the past few days I have been nowhere near one that had the internet on it. I know it sounds incredible hearing that when I am in a country that is highly advanced technology wise. But, it can be done.

First off, I made a quick visit to the prefecture of Gunma. While I was there I visited some of the shopping malls found here and the women’s university where my girlfriend used to go to. Since she graduated they have built a new wing to the existing building. I can say that she was jealous to see it that some new things have been added to her old school and that she would have liked to use it back in the day.

Afterwards, we went to her hometown located in Niigata to celebrate New year’s with her family. In Japan, people usually spend this holiday with family members and Christmas with their boyfriend or girlfriend or friends. In other words, the complete opposite of the way it is done in North America. Even do I was far away from most of my family, it was nice to spend it with my second family. Just like back home, we celebrate the event with a nice big meal. Here, it consisted of mostly sea food and a little something from back home…. paté chinois. Yes, I made some for the folks here and they loved it. Paté chinois is loved worldwide.

In the end, I had a nice time here for New Year’s and I aim to bring some of it back with me for the next one when I will be back home.

Christmas here

This year is my first Christmas away from home and without my parents.  It feels weird not spending the holidays with them, since we are always together for Christmas time.  Still, I am having good time away from home thanks to my friends and my sister who is also here.  Last night, she invited me and my girlfriend to her house for a little party.  It was a simple affair, but a fun one.  Just the way I like them, nothing too fancy or complicated.  When it comes to food, it was bring something to share with the others, which is always good.  I have to say a had a great time, even do there was one guy who was just bringing down the mood.  Still, I did not let him bother me and kept joking and trying to have a good time.  In the end, he did not win and we all had a good time.

When it comes to my surroundings, it is very different from what I am used to.  Here, Christmas is more of a couples’ thing, then a family event.  Also, there is no day off on Christmas day.  People had a day off on Christmas eve, because the previous day was the Emperor’s birthday and it took place on a Sunday this year.  Because of this, the day off was given on Monday, so people would still have a  break.  Furthermore, here in Tokyo there is no snow and there will be none.  It never gets cold enough for that here, which is sad for me.  I like seeing snow in December, and when there is none it does not feel like winter to me.  Right now, it just feels like a really long autumn.

Still, I am enjoying the experience of seeing Christmas time somewhere else  in the world an comparing it to what I know.

Job interview

Today, I had an interview at a fancy restaurant.  As I could tell it went well and I should know by Wednesday if I will get it or not.  Hopefully, I will get it.  It would be nice to have a job here and they employ gaijins on a regular basis from they said to me.  Which a bonus, since I will be able to communicate with other people just like me if I get the job.  But, we shall see if the answer is positive or not.

Hair cut

Yesterday, I had the pleasure to try one of the many hair salons found in Tokyo.  The decision to do this was not easy for me, since I have always gone to the same person for all my life.  I keep going back to her, because she knows me and I don’t have to explain a lot to get what I want.  Furthermore, I always have a desire to let my hair grow and have it long.  Sadly, I have had the chance to do that in ages, because of a job.  This was the case again, more precisely I had to get hair cut to make a good impression for an interview.  When I found out that a company responded to my application for a position, I had no choice but to go to a hair salon.  This lack of a choice, came from the fact that my hair was getting long and out of control.  Furthermore, the job was a fancy restaurant and you cannot look a person who does not know how to take care of his look.

So, I started looking for a place to trim my hair and that was not too expensive.  I can say that doing this is not easy when you do not know what to look for in a barber shop.  Still, thank god for the internet and people who write about their personal experiences.  By looking on the net, I was able to find a nice place not too far from my home.  In addition, it was not so expensive, just 2,625 yen for a cut and shampoo (around 26,25$).  I have to say that I am happy with my hair do and do not regret going there.  If I ever have to get another haircut during my time here, I will go back to them for sure.

Kano world judo competition

Yesterday, me and my girlfriend went to the Kano competition.  Going there was her present to me for my birthday.  She knew I would like such a gift, since I am a huge fan of judo and a judoka.  Also, it has been my dream for many years to see an competition in Japan, since it is the birthplace of the sport.  I can say that I was not disappointed at all.

When we arrived, I almost had tear in my eyes.  I was simply overjoyed to finally be able to see a big competition.  I have seen a few and aided in some back home, but they were never this big.  Furthermore, here you had to pay to look at the event, which is not something that is done in Canada.  Back home, it is 100% free to watch and the stands are full of people more like barely.  The opposite happens in Japan, here you pay and they can fill an arena size area no problem.  That is why I wanted to see it in Japan.

The people were cheering for their favorite athletes.  You could see kids and adults running to get an autograph from some of the judokas.  It was great to see such passion for a sport that I hold so dear in my heart.  When it comes to the action in itself, there were some good fights and some not as interesting.  Still, I got my money’s worth.  We arrived there around 10 a.m. and the competition ended at around 7h30 p.m.  So, we had a full day of fighting, which was good.

There was one coach who I could not understand at all.  He was the one for Cuba.  Two things bothered me with him, first he was not there for his athletes.  Like at one point he simply left without waiting for the athlete to get off the mat and she had one her fight.  This is incomprehensible for me and stupid.  Secondly, he was very overweight, like somewhere around 400 pounds I would say.  Therefore, I do not see how such a person can be a coach or a good one at that.  It coaches like this that I hate to see at any kind of competitions.  Thankfully, they are not the majority.

In the end, I had a good time and my girlfriend too.  I was so glad to realize one of my dreams finally.  I making so many dreams come true, since I have been there and it is just starting.

Being recognized

To keep myself busy during weekdays, I go to study at the local McDonalds.  I try not to go to the same one two days in a row.  So, the people behind the counter won’t remember me.  Sadly and funnily, this has failed.  There is one clerk at one of the restaurants who knows how I take my coffee.  I usually ask for two sugars with the one cream, but with her I don’t have to say it.  It’s nice to be remembered by someone.  Still, it shows that I go to the same place too many times within a short period of time.  I don’t really mind, but I find it interesting that such a thing has happened to me here.

3 months have gone by

It has already been 3 months, since I left Canada for Japan.  Time has gone by so fast.  I have gotten used to most of the differences between this culture and my own, but some still bug me.  I do not regret my decision to come here at all.  Even do I have not found a job yet, I am not in any financial problems.  This is because I am careful in expenditures.  I do have fun, but just careful not do overdo it when I do.

I miss everyone back home enormously, but the internet helps to make the distance feel smaller.  The only problem is the time difference which has become 14 hours, since the time change back in Canada.  This did not happen here, because they don’t it in Japan.  I do not why they don’t it themselves.  Guess it is a western thing to change the hour twice a year.

Food wise, I am fine.  I always make sure to eat healthy meals.  Still, I do go for the fast food on some occasions.  I just make sure not to make it a common occurence.  I don’t know, if I have lost any wait so far, but I know for sure that I have not gained any in huge amounts.  Physically, I would say that I look just like when I left, but with a bit less tone muscles on my arms.  This has happened, since I don’t get to do as much exercise as I use to do at Costco.

Speaking of my old job, I don’t really miss it.  The thing I miss is the people who I worked with it.  Especially the ones who I got close to.  I still talk to them on the net, but it is just not the same.  I know that when I come back, I will make sure to see everyone again and catch up on anything that was not touched on while I was gone.

Like I said, it has been 3 months so far.  Things are going well.  I miss everyone, but I at least know that we are all keeping in touch thanks to the net and that helps a lot.  Without your support and talking to you on a regular basis, it would be harder for me here.  So, I just wanna say a big thank you to all my friends who are in Canada. I miss you guys.

Movie titles

Every time I go to the video store I seem to find a movie that I know of, but with a title that is very different. Take for example the Quebecer film : Saints-Martyrs-des-damnés. Here it is titled as Saw: zero. This makes no sense , since both pictures have nothing to do with each other and there is no Saw zero movie. Furthermore, the Quebecer film came out years before the Saw franchise even began assaulting theaters. I just find it funny, how some companies release a motion picture in another country and give it a title that connects to a known franchise without it being a part of it. Now, this is not a new thing at all. You can find many examples of this, like Zombie by Lucio Fulci was marketed as a sequel to George R. Romero’s Dawn of the dead. But, sadly these two pictures have no connections other than the fact that they have zombies in them. I thought that such a practice of making people believe that a particular picture to another had ended, guess I was wrong.

Still, when you go to your local video store, you can find low budget rip-offs of the latest blockbuster hitting the cinema. To the undetermined eye, the two movies will look the same and some people most probably get fooled by this lie. I don’t get fooled, but I am an avid filmgoer who keeps himself informed and I did my degree in film. So, it is normal for me to know such trivial things and find it important.

I know this entry is not only about Japan, but I find it interesting how some movies are promoted here. Especially, when I see one from back home being connected to one from the States when they have nothing in common other than both being horror movies.