After the lazy debacle last week I couldnāt do another week of doing nothing and being lazy. So this time I actually went out of my room and into the big and wonderful world.
Bringing Home the Bacon
Last Thursday I was invited to lunch with the company Iām gonna start working for. Itās actually the same company I worked for in Germany. Turns out they also have an office here in Japan, so my supervisor got me into the company here. The food was paid for by the company so I was extra happy going into lunch. Then I fucked up and ordered Curry Udon. Now you might ask yourself how this could potentially be a fuck up. See, Udon are pretty thick and slippery noodles. Combine this with the curry sauce they are in and you have a pretty messy combination, if you donāt know how to properly eat it. I didnāt. So I desperately tried to eat it in a way so the curry doesnāt cover my whole shirt afterwards. I must have looked like a fucking idiot. Oh well. Gotta play the gaijin-card in such situations. I had a good meal, a good meeting with my soon to be colleagues and I didnāt completely embarrass myself. Iām inclined to say it was a successful day.
Nonstop Screaming, Weird Dances and Baseball
This weekend the baseball team of Keio University, my university, and Waseda University played against each other. Apparently this is considered a derby, because these two universities are rivals since a long time ago. I have no idea of baseball, or any sport for that matter, but I wanted to watch the game regardless. Gotta at least try it, right? Well, the shitshow already began before the game. I got the tickets from the International Students organization of my university. You had to sign up for it and not everyone could get their hands on these tickets. However, you didnāt get the tickets when you paid. They hold onto the tickets until the day of the match. You had to meet the organization in the morning before the match and get the tickets there. The meeting was at 10am. 3 fucking hours before the game started. We had to get up early and go there before anyone else was there, just to get the tickets. Now, you would expect that these tickets were at a special discount or that we would have better seats or something because they were limited and the whole ordeal of being there early. But nope. The regular tickets were the same price and we had shitty seats. Wtf is wrong with themā¦
Anyway, we got to the game and sat down on our designated seats. And waitedā¦ a long timeā¦ At least at some point there was some entertainment in form of cheerleaders and another student explaining to us how the different chantings and cheerleading of the whole crowd worked. The guy is always at bigger events at the university and talks to all people. And he likes to be loud and scream into the mic. This video shows a little bit of him screaming:
Did you hear him? I swear to god he screamed like that for 6 hours straight. I was baffled at some point how he could still talk let alone scream so loud. That guy deserves a medal or something, he was insane.
Another big thing at the games was the cheerleading. They were constantly doing something. I say something, because Iām not sure if you could actually call all of it cheerleading. MaybeĀ wiggling around is a better description. Also, before the game started the cheerleaders of the universities had their performance in front of their respective crowd and then they switched. The cheerleaders of the other university came to our side and vice-versa. They did a performance there for us. I guess to show their respect or something like that. My European hooligan heart told me to boo them of the fucking stage and throw my half finished beer at them, but being in Japan I had to restrain myself, sit there and applaud their performance teeth clenching. I also donāt know what the fuck these performances were supposed to be. They lookā¦ interesting? I guess?
Also, we won that game 7:1 (#NeverForget). But then we lost the game on the next day 4:6. Iām actually glad we lost that game, not only because Iām gloating and I love to see others suffer, but also because now there is gonna be a rematch on Monday. This means all classes after the first period are cancelled. Hell yeah!!
Car Companies Flexing on us Plebs
Another big event this week in Tokyo was the Tokyo Motor Show. Nearly all the major car companies showcased their brand new cars and concepts here. Besides the newest iteration of their main lines, they also showcased a lot of electric or hybrid technology. It was pretty impressive to see what they have in stock there. Too bad Iām not really into cars, so I didnāt have the expertise to actually know what the fuck was going on. Besides cars, everyone also sold their very own and completely useless merchandise. From keychains and miniature models of cars to caps and shirts, they had all the overpriced nonsense there you could want. Well, to each their own. Besides cars they also had a few motorcycles there, which Iām a little more interested in, but still not really enough to know anything about them.
Funny enough, the most interesting parts of the whole exposition were a big-ass screen from Nissan and a sexy af couch from Mazda. Dunno, I just liked them more then the carsā¦
The Promise
As promised last week, I put together some day trips I want to do in the near future. The first one is for Odaiba. Odaiba is a small entertainment and shopping district at the shore of Tokyo. I want to visit Venus Fort mall, which also houses the Megaweb, Toyotas car and innovation showcase hall. There is also a gigantic Gundam statue in front of the DiverCity Tokyo Plaza I want to see. There are also a bunch of parks there to visit and the bridges leading to Odaiba. Lastly, there is a giant replica of the Statue of Liberty in Odaiba. I have no idea why, but I want to see it.
The second planned day trip is to Nikko. It is a little bit farther away from Tokyo, but definitely worth a visit. The scenery and nature there is supposed to be breathtaking. They have a few really famous temples and a lot of trails to hike. Beautiful seas, waterfalls and forests, their trails have everything. This is one of the trips I am really looking forward to.
The last planned trip I have is to Odawara and the Fujihakoneizu national park. These are also a bit farther away from Tokyo. I am gonna visit the Odawara castle here and enjoy the seafood of the city. I also want to visit the national park right next to the city of Odawara. There are some nice trails there to hike and a lot of seaside temples.
Thank you for reading and see you next week :)
Ash