Everyday stories

01.10.2019 - Already a whole month in Japan o.O

wow, how time flies... Month 1 out of 3 is already over, and apart from the weekend sightseeing tours, everyday life has also settled in... so why not a little (haha, little... who believes that) update on everyday life 😉

Just so much in advance: I still really like it!

I like to ride my Bicycle… 🚲🎶

After reluctantly saying goodbye to my bicycle at the end of August, I'm back on 2 wheels faster than expected 😎

Prof. K apparently found it unacceptable that I walk 30 minutes to work and back every day, so he offered me his second bike, which he and his wife don't need. And since there is a bicycle parking space in front of my apartment (which means a small stand next to the front door - which is mentioned in the apartment description!), I immediately agreed 😊 Also, as I mentioned, my way to work mainly leads along narrow streets through residential areas, so I wasn't scared off by the left-hand traffic either. Expecting a somewhat neglected, old, rattling bike (what you imagine an unused second bike to be like), I went to Prof. K and was really surprised. The bike looks brand new, is olive green with cool light brown leather handles and saddle, has a cute basket and 7 gears. So much for the rickety second bike 😅 The only drawback: it is definitely made for Japanese women. Or for young girls. In other words, it is tiny - especially compared to my 28 inch bike in Jena 😂 So first I screwed the saddle up as high as possible and then cruised home - you can't call it anything else, because you really can't ride fast with the small wheels. In view of the left-hand traffic, pedestrians and above all other cyclists, this is probably a good thing... because the latter really ride however they want. I had to google at home if the left-hand traffic also applies to cyclists. It does, but only about half of the cyclists actually abide by it 🤦‍♀️ well, at least I don't stand out when I end up on the right lane when turning right 😋  Only about half of the cyclists have even heard of turning on the blinker or sticking out their arm while turning.. and that, even though there are really a lot of cyclists here. Especially fathers and mothers with 'comfortable' small, partly electric bikes and huge child seats in front and/or back.

In any case, the bike is really worth it. Depending on how long I have to wait at the 2 traffic lights and possibly the level crossing, I can reach the university in about 12-15 minutes 🚴‍♂️⚡ And even to Shibuya, to the shops and restaurants, it only takes me 20 minutes down the road - although THAT is not just quiet side streets. Besides, I find it difficult to park the bike anywhere. When I go shopping on my way home, I can just leave it in front of the store for a moment, but there are actually only proper parking spaces at the train stations and the park entrances as far as I can see. Otherwise, you often see bikes just on the edge of the sidewalk, but that's a bit risky with a rickety, thin €3 lock. Maybe I'm a bit paranoid about that, but after all, Japan is considered one of the safest countries in the world.

About shopping and ultra cute sweets 🛍🍦

In the past two weeks, I have been out and about in the neighborhoods around my apartment on weekends and in the evenings, strolling through the stores and trying out some sweet sweets 😊

Among other things, I also visited Daiso stores several times, where everything costs 100 ¥ (practically €1): from sweets to typical souvenirs, to all kinds of beauty and household items (and yes, I actually bought 7 clothes hangers again 😅). The diversity is probably only topped by the Don Quijote shops. Stuffed, colorful, loud, bizarre and with the danger of getting lost, you can find EVERYTHING here. The store reminded me of a tiny Amazon: suitcases, bags, beauty and cosmetics, sports accessories, clothes, souvenirs, sweets, food, electronics including television, stationery, cleaning agents, storage,... they have everything.

Something else that stood out to me: everything is wrapped 5 times. The small make-up bottle is sealed, the saleswoman wipes it off again before she puts it in a paper bag, and then the paper bag goes into a plastic bag together with the other things. And even in the convenience stores, your items are packed in plastic bags by the cashier while you search for your money. Usually, I already put my Azores tote bag conspicuously on the counter... Unless I'm out for a longer time, then the plastic bag later serves as a great trash bag. Although it's really clean everywhere here, there are hardly any garbage bins on the streets, actually only in the entrance area of the convenience stores, right where food is sold, and partly in the parks. Otherwise, you only find containers for empty plastic bottles right next to the vending machines where you buy them. Snacks and even ice cream are rarely eaten while walking but rather next to the place of sale... a bit unusual.

The seemingly endless variety of beauty products

And while we're talking about shopping: initially, when I was looking for shampoo and shower gel, I first went to the convenience stores and supermarkets near me. Selection: small. Price: quite expensive. Another problem: either small travel sizes or most of it in refill packs. That can be quite handy if you already have a bottle or a pump dispenser. They really are fans of pump dispensers here (and now I am too 😅). The hand soap comes directly out of the bottle as fluffy foam and shampoo, conditioner, shower gel,... everything comes in large pump bottles. Or refill packs. Then in a proper drugstore, the selection was as expected larger, but here too only a fraction was directly in bottles. This, along with the price (from €4, mostly from €8 per bottle), the labeling (sometimes there were 3 words in English that I understood much better than Japanese. I don't want to end up buying a shower gel with whitening effect or shampoo for blond hair (well, blond is perhaps a bad example here)) and the scent (you can't really test refill packs and pump bottles for fragrance, so there were small sample fragrance bottles at the shelf for some varieties) really limited the choice. In the end, it became the classic Nivea Angel Skin shower gel (slightly floral scent and who doesn't want angel skin?!) and simply because of the design and the name Latte shampoo and conditioner (nice bottles and I also like latte 😉). And fortunately, I am really happy with both and even find it quite a shame that you can't get either of them in Germany... or only for $11 + $25 shipping on ebay 🤦‍♀️

In any case, I'm actually quite glad that I bought the items at the local drugstore. Because when I was in the proper shopping centers, the Daiso and the Don Quijote a week later, the huge selection overwhelmed me. Although the trend of refill packs continues here too, there are also empty containers. Apart from that, it is still problematic with beauty and cosmetic products if you don't understand a word of the product description. I'm just saying: about an hour to buy make-up remover and look for facial cream 🙈 After that, I discovered youtube videos for myself. Something like 'The 10 Best Make-Up Products in Japan' with a nice product description in English. Took a screenshot of the video and then used the photo to search for the cream in the store 😋

And what else..?

-       Weather: no further typhoon and still summer. 27°C on October 1st, but fortunately not as humid as a few weeks ago, but really pleasant. Only the discrepancy between summer temperatures and winter darkness on the way home confuses me. It's already pitch-black night by 5:30 p.m. nowadays - but it's also an advantage to look at the illuminated temples, shopping streets, and all that without being on the road forever ;)

-       Mosquitoes: they like me here, it's hardly possible to have more than at home. In some blogs, I also read that it's not just me, but the Japanese autumn mosquitoes are particularly eager to bite and seem to target foreigners in particular. After returning from my lunch break with stung ankles and arms (which is what's exposed), I now have a big bottle of mosquito spray, mosquito spray for the handbag to refresh on the go and something on the curtain rod to keep the mosquitoes outside. Conclusion after 3 days: seems to be working.

-       Food: yes, I still mostly eat ready meals from the convenience store/supermarket. But that's not sooo bad either when I look at the selection of various pasta, hot and cold ramen and soba, rice gratins, curries, wraps, salads, sushi,... I especially discovered Japanese pumpkin salad and strangely noodles for myself - I think I've already eaten more noodles in all forms in the 4 weeks here than in the rest of the year 😅. And I actually buy a bottle of iced coffee every morning on my way to work.

-       Roommates: I see 2 of them in the kitchen from time to time, but otherwise it's a happy cohabitation. But that's not so bad either.

-       Apartment / Cleanliness: Actually, my tolerance was not exceeded immediately before the cleaning lady appeared and afterwards it was also clean. Taking care of only 5.5 m² is really great, I think I need a cleaning lady for Jena too 😅 (a smaller apartment is not an option^^)

- Balcony: Mostly used to test the outside temperature and to spray it with intensely fragrant mosquito spray. I haven't sat outside yet because 1.) it's already dark in the evening, 2.) the mosquitoes prevented me from even opening the window when I was in the room last week, and 3.) I would have to move a chair under the bed and over the desk through the balcony door. And that's too much effort. But hey, a balcony is great 😋

-       Work: is going well 😎  once a week, there's a nearly 2-hour group seminar with 2 presentations (I'm up with a presentation at the end of October 😐), skype meetings with Jena, a meeting with Prof. K every 2 weeks, and things are progressing. The colleagues are still nice and with the start of the semester this week, more new students have arrived as well. However, social interaction is still rather limited and definitely not comparable to Jena 😄 But that was actually to be expected, given the shortness of my stay, the many new visitors/students again and again, the flexible working hours, the work focused on your own topic and especially the language barrier. I will fight the latter, though: next week, a Japanese course for foreign students and staff will start 🤓 and with 3 times a week for almost 2 hours, something should come out of it in 1.5 months 💪