In the morning I headed out from my house to find Softbank and prepay a card for my old Japanese phone that I brought back with me. The old location I used to go to had closed, so I showed up at my old friend and former housemate, Masao's, workplace on foot unannounced. He runs his own business so this wasn't too much of a problem, I hope! He kindly offered to take me to the next closest Softbank, and I met one of his employees who showed up. At Softbank, the staff couldn't get me a prepaid card without a 在留カード (zairyuu kaado, Foreign Resident Card) and as a tourist I was not issued one, so Masao allowed me to put the phone in his name. I was really glad to have him there to help me.
In the evening I was able to get my rent paid, and my organizer friend lent me a bicycle. I went back to Masao's work to give him some prickly pear candy I'd brought from Arizona. He thought it was too sweet and I don't think he liked it, but he was polite about it, anyway.
I have been really bad so far about giving my old friends and new acquaintances the gifts I brought from the USA, but it's best to do when you first see them again. From here on I will try to do better! The items I chose were souvenir pens from Hollywood, prickly pear candy from Arizona, "navajo" green tea from Arizona, prickly pear honey from Arizona, and one goofy Arizona shot glass.
Travel tips:
2. (repeat) Be considerate, and people will have your back when you need them.
3. You need a foreign resident card（在留カード）or a really awesome Japanese friend to get a prepaid phone in Japan. Apparently it's an anti-terrorism measure, according to my landloard's husband.
4. When you travel to Japan, bring kitschy gifts, preferably from your home region or famous places in your country of residence. Give them to new or old friends. Edibles are best because people don't feel obligated to wear or display them. On the other hand, magnets or small trinkets can also make good gifts. One thing to keep in mind though is that Japanese people culturally are very conscious of space and try to avoid hoarding, so giving things that can be eaten or used is usually best.
(All names used in this blog are pseudonyms.)
No comments:
Post a Comment