Moving = Expensive, but.. SHOGANAI

As many of you know, I'm moving back to the US soon. I've got a lot of quirky Tokyo photos that have been waiting in the wings, but today I'll post what's on my mind.

I'm used to things being expensive in Japan, but usually I justify the price because I'm getting something I enjoy. "Enjoy" and "moving" don't go together.

Step 1: Get price info to ship items back home. (Not everything will fit in my suitcases) For reference, 10 kg = 22 lbs.

Airmail M-bag (Printed Matter Only) 9000Yen
Airmail Parcel (Printed Matter Only) 2 x 4250Y = 8500Y
EMS expdited delivery (2-4 days?) 14000Y
Parcel Post Airmail (7-14 days?) 17650Y

That seemed pretty pricey, so I checked another option: the equivalent of UPS, Yamato kuroneko "black cat" service. I sent them email, but they never sent back to me. (First warning!) A week later I called, but they elected to call me back, in order to have the phone call in English. Next day they called, and I gave them the rough estimate of my boxes. (Roughly, 4 10kg boxes). Price estimate, by Air: 150,000 Yen!

... and finally, for comparison, checking out the price of the reverse trip, US -> Japan, using the good ol' US Postal Service:


So... for all those concerned, all options are expensive (SHOGANAI! = apathetic "What can ya do?"), but the Japan Post Office is the way to go. They have the cheapest option I can find, especially these days, if you consider that the Yen has been weak. (The price for 22lbs by EMS is about $118 USD, respectfully in range with $99.70 above) ... 20% more than I'm used to isn't nearly as bad as 240% the price!

Uhg.. these boxes are heavy. Kilograms are deceptively large, for a person accustomed to lbs! I'm off for the PO..

Metropolitan moment

I went for a jog this evening, to shake the legs out after not having done anything athletic for a couple weeks. I often take a route through a nearby park, around a lake, then pass between a set of museums.

The last part of that route passes me by a wide plaza, which has a low, flat, long rectangular garden pool. (Think Washington Memorial, but smaller.) Jogging near the water, I suddenly heard piano echoing around, as if someone nearby had a portable keyboard. But as I jogged, the sound got richer and richer.

I was towards the end of my jog, and those who run will know that your brain starts to get real simple at that point. Thoughts usually consist of "Do I hurt yet?" "I'm sweating a lot," and "Where am I?" ..and perhaps some endorphins (the body's natural pain killer) were kicking in. The sound was mesmerizing--carried by the water and flittering through the trees--especially when the cello came in.

Eventually I realized it was a live concert, emanating from a museum across the street. The light turned "blue" so I sprinted across. It felt good.

Somehow, I was able to remember the name on the poster, and find this link. Thought I'd share.

Having stopped, it was hard to get back to jogging again. The right kidney said "I want to hear the music." But soon a light rain started falling--motivation to slowly jog home. It was a nice urban moment.

Racism in Japan

Lance's Shortlist of "Well-known Things About Today's Japan":

• Sushi
• Lots of car companies
• Lots of sex-crazed men
• Not liked within Asia

The last one follows from WWII, and many neighbor countries feeling that Japan has never psychologically paid for war atrocities, and still have a superiority thing going on. Today's post is my take on that. (Short version.)

From what I've seen in my 2 years here, most Japanese people don't believe themselves to be superior, as a race. But they do believe themselves to be different. And within Japan, they like their way best.

Japan is an island, geographically and culturally. It's hard for them to see the logic of the rest of the world. So the rest of the world considers them sexist and racist. It can cause problems, for example, this foreigners' activist site. (The stuff there is true, but luckily not so wide-spread as to matter to 90% of visiting foreigners.)

But, like China, Japan is changing quickly. I keep wondering when Japan's Women's Liberation movement will take place.. divorce is on the rise, woman-owned business is on the rise.. In the 2020's I wager that some incarnation of women's lib will make the news.

In the end: the strangeness of Japan is a big reason why I like it. With homogony comes low crime, a high level of respect and courtesy, and a high quality of life. But I don't feel comfortable with the "obey elders even when they're wrong" concept (also known as the "never ask why" concept), and the "I'm a woman so I'll clean your dishes now" mental programming. For me the good points cancel out the bad points.

PS From the above website, an essay describing an American's experience on a socially harrowing Japanese bus trip. Having been "lost" from a bus trip schedule myself, I could really relate--sans married woman, of course. A great essay.

Subway Ad Zaniness!

That's real fake hair stuck on the poster, folks!

I also like the actual-size replicas of Meiji chocolate (not pictured)

Click to zoom in, click to appreciate

I think the message is the following: Whales hate it when you burn garbage (all garbage in Tokyo is inscinerated), Polar bears get embarassed if a cigaratte sees them with acne, then Penguins get attacked, and finally Sprokets We DANCE! Of course, it's all a symbolic metaphor to say "If you smoke down here, we the Japanese collective will cast evil glares of derision at you, but we won't actually do anything about it unless we're wearing a MTA uniform."

I have no idea about this one.

What an appealing photo! Sign me up on the "Stick that thing up my nose" waiting list!!

One building over another

What do you do when space is tight on campus? How can you circumvent pesky building preservation laws? ... The answer in Tokyo is to build your new building to physically encapsulate the old one.


New Over Old

Interconnectivity

When it's "inside" it looks different

Software is Amazing--Yay Hugin!

I'm so geeked out that my favorite generalized image manipulation program (GIMP) can expertly stitch photos together to make a panorama, with the plug in "hugin". (There are many other panorama plugins I could choose from if/when I use my LINUX machine.) Even though I didn't take care about the exposure or camera angle, it did a pretty good job, eh? I love the fish-eye effect, too! New toys! (Free ones at that!)

..I'm gonna go take some more photos now..