Dolphin & oompa loompa show!

Well folks, I accepted the job. First day of work is this coming Tuesday (Moday Canada time). The overall feel I have is positive, despite how jittery I've been lately. There is a lot I can do with this job, given time, so I know there's always something to work towards. I'm sure that my impression of the work itself will be very different this Friday than it has been in the last few weeks. I'll share some reflections at the end of the week.

The weather is starting to turn spring-like, so Kuri and I went to Enoshima on Saturday. Enoshima features mainly an island, as well as sea-side attractions. The island is a classic example of a place of cultural / historical importance gone touristy. Still, it's highly recommended for a day-trip, if you don't mind the crowds. The seaside is a popular surfing destination, although I think Chiba still has it beat in terms of surfing quality.

The pictures posted on my travel map tell most of my Saturday story, but I think I'd best explain the colourful women with the dolphins. You see, it's all part of the act. In most dolphin shows, the trainers give some sort of spoken presentation to go with the animal stunts, perhaps introducing the dolphins to the audience or giving people notice before they get soaked. The Enoshima Aquarium takes a different approach, telling the dolphin narrative through synchonised swimming. The dancers do their dance in and out of the water, most of the time interacting with the dolphins. I thought they almost stole the show. Kuriko thought they looked a little bit like oompa loompas. I have to say, though, it was very creative and well executed, even if it was a little corny. You can watch the full show in high definition at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmhzoI8wuxE. (Not my video, someone else's.)

Edit: Okay, I did some research and found out that the dolphin show is called "Starlight Dolferia". There's a better edited video of their work at http://www.casttv.com/video/ne369w/starlight-dolferia-2008-c-video. You're welcome.

Job offer - decision by tomorrow

Sorry, I meant to post this earlier in the week but got sidetracked...

I've got a job offer! It's from an executive search firm. I have pretty much decided that I like the company. Several people who work there have had lunch with me a few times and I put in a day of work there already, and the impression I have is very positive. The deadline to accept the offer is Friday (tomorrow). The only question that remains is whether the industry itself is for me.

Headhunting is an aggressive sales job. For the first six months I would be soliciting on the phone non-stop. This job isn't something that anyone plans to get into; people just fall into it as a career. I would not call these "red flags" but they are things that warrent strong consideration. I'm not one to change his mind after getting into a job (unless things go REALLY bad), so I've got a lot of thinking to do before this time tomorrow.

I've said in many conversations that Tokyo is a great place for food, even if you don't like the Japanese variety. I want to share an experience I had with burgers. There are some pretty odd burgers in Tokyo which went the wrong way in terms of localisation. Japanese flair, I feel, works best when when traditionally applied: wait until a Westerner invents something, correct all the mistakes he made, and implement a system of bureaucracy that prevents any future changes from taking place. Behold:

This is an olive / avacado / gouda cheese burger with lettuce, tomato, and salsa. Management has determined that the ingredients are well selected and so no substitutions are permitted (although you may add other ingredients for a fee). The burger came to my table as it appears in the picture to the left. As you can see, all elements are in even proportion to one another and the paddy is slightly offset for presentation. There are three sizes to choose from, expressed in metric weight: 80g, 100g, and 125g. It comes with exactly one pickle slice and a pre-determined quantity of potato, as outlined in the menu. Notice in the second picture, the one on the right, that the burger is wrapped in an envelope prior to consumption, thus preventing unwanted spills. Japanese augmentation at it's finest.

The restaurant I went to is called "Sasa". You can learn more about Japanese culinary superiority at their website.

Back up and running

Internet's finally up and running! Kuri's dad solved the problem: he simply reset the wireless access point by unplugging it. Although I had tried this a few times, it didn't work. I guess you have to do it in Japanese or something...

I've added a lot of pictures to the travel map and put in some new locations, so check that out if you've been wondering what I've seen around the city.

Also, I'm slowly adding entries to the Engrish section. To my dismay, Engrish around Tokyo just isn't as abundant as it was before. Not that I think the usage of English is getting more accurate. It's more like the wearing and display of random English words fell out of style.

Gochisosama deshita

When it comes to lunch, any traveller knows the anxiety that comes from looking into a restaurant that you know has good food but which you suspect might not be the right place for someone who is not a local. It is a very awkward experience being stared down by an entire restaurant as you try and communicate your desired meal a server. However, with great risk sometimes comes great reward. Today was one of those instances for me. I usually avoid any kind of pan-Asian / fusion foods, but this place was pretty good. Check out my under $8 lunch. It came with tapa-sized salad and soup.

I've got a trial run at one of the companies I've applied at tomorrow. They've asked me to come in and do a day's work (paid, of course) to see how I would do at the job. This would be the forth time I've gone to their office. This is either a really thorough company or they're exceptionally unsure about me. At the end of the day, though, I will either have an offer of employment or I won't. If things go as I think they will, I should reach a decision where to work by Wednesday. Please keep this and my general work situation in prayer.

The pictures will go up as soon as I have a way to get them online, but for the time being let me put in a good word for a place called Odaiba. To be honest, it's a tourist trap. There are a lot of shopping centres, a oversized and decorative outlet mall, an entertainment arcade, and even a replica of the Statue of Liberty. The place is totally artificial, to the point that the land it was built on isn't even natural (it's a man-made island). However, a lot of Tokyo's modern architecture can be found there and it is one of the few places with an accessible ocean shore (whereas at most other places in Tokyo the beach is blocked off by industry). Highly recommended for the tourist after a cheesy experience.

It was squid

Squid ink (not octopus ink) tastes pretty much exactly how is looks: thick, salty, heavy. It's worth a try if you ever get the chance.

I'm looking at two offers at the moment, both in the same industry. There might be another later, but we'll see. The choice between the two comes down to many smaller elements: payment structure, salary, company culture, co-workers, etc. It is going to be a tough choice because there are so many pros and cons to either choice. I aim to make a call by next Tuesday.

If I were to look into recruitment consulting again from the beginning, I would have applied to a lot more companies right off the top, just to give myself a better idea of what the characters of each employer was. I did apply to those who were advertising, but there are so many in Tokyo I could have had a much broader view of what is available.

I feel like I've become a connoisseur on internet cafés. A dead internet connection makes job searching a real pain. It's sketchy using a café because there is no security in these places. If you're ever in Tokyo and want to visit one just for the experience, try Manboo. If you need a cheap, cheap place to stay the night they have free softdrinks and showers. Discounts if you're a girl.

There are a lot of pictures waiting to go up on the travel map. Just have to get my computer back up and running.

From an internet cafe in Ueno

The power went out yesterday morning and it did something to the router or modem at my place. Can't get online now so I have to do my thing from an internet cafe. The one I'm at now isn't so bad. Has the bare basics for an okay price (¥400 per hour). Some can get really fancy and include showers, free snacks, and enough space to comfortably sprawl or sleep.

I get excited every Monday because that's usually when the most job postings go up. Today, however, there are not too many hits, even if you count the English teaching jobs, which is consistent with how things have been as of late. My hopes are still high for success in getting a headhunting job and several companies appear to actually be hiring. At the same time, though, the lack of job ads and general consensus among Tokyo residents that work is scarce is concerning should headhunting not pan out.

My reaction to all this is to try out new search methods. I haven't been to many networking events, nor have I thought of joining a club where I could meet people. If I get into headhunting I'll have to do this kind of thing anyway, so either way it will benefit me, right?

Tonight is Valentines. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the girl is the one who treats the guy in Japan. This isn't just for couples; it can also be with coworkers and family. For example, Kurumi (Kuri's sister) baked me and her dad a cake and the girls in Kuri's department bought their male coworkers some chocolates. As for Kuri and I, we're out for Spanish food soon. I'll let you know shortly what octopus ink tastes like.

Japanese study

It seems as though there was a wave of advertised jobs when I got here and then everything just stopped. There's probably a lull between New Year and April, the fiscal year start in Japan.

I've used the down time to study kanji using flash cards. I'm surprised that the characters I'm learning actually appear in real life, like on headlines and train station signs. There are a couple of thousands characters and I probably only know just over 100 (most of those being throwbacks from my Chinese days).

The importance of learning Japanese is pretty clear to me now. Last time I was here back in 2005 a friend of mine from church gave me advice about living in Tokyo. It was in the context of a job search, but he said, "There are two Japans: the one for people who speak Japanese and the one for people who don't". Being a person of the latter category is okay only for a while (which is a lot shorter than how long I'm planning on staying), and only when your stay in Japan is not taken too seriously. Well folks, the time has come to get serious.

Motivation is difficult because there are no immediate tangible effects of not knowing the language. It doesn't prevent you from getting work, socialising, or enjoying the city. It's a grind, and one that you have to whip yourself into doing on a daily basis. I read an article a few weeks ago that quite accurately pointed out that "nothing is fun until you're good at it". How true.

So yeah... Here we go with the flashcards.

Also, I've made updates to the travel map. This time I actually went somewhere interesting.

Tiramisu

I just had a second interview with a potential employer. It was a pretty long one and I think it went quite well. I don't want to say anything too specific as the application is still in process. There are things to consider but I am very hopeful that this would be a good company for me.

Valentines is coming up pretty soon. It works a bit differently in Japan (and Korea) than elsewhere. Instead of the guy treating his girl, it's the other way around. So Kuriko has to give me chocolate or take me out for dinner or something. (I don't know if she's really going to do it or not but I am hopeful.) Despite the beneficiary of Valentines Day being the male, the holiday itself is definitely marketed towards the women. Much of the city is that cute pinkish-red colour and heart-shaped pastries abound.

Last time I was here I became something of a foodie. It's hard not to because food is one of the very few things that actually has better price-for-value than Vancouver. Kuri and I did Italian last weekend for a pretty good price. Man, that was good tiramisu...

Hopefully next post I'll have some exciting news.

The employment office

I just made it to my 9:00am appointment with Hello Work with less than two minutes to spare. Hello Work is a government-run employment agency frequented by Japanese, but occasionally used by non-Japanese. One mistake I made was expecting that just because they had English language translation that they would deal with foreigners in a less Japanese manner. Having lived here for two years, I should have known that the bahavioural responsibility was on me. Of course a government agency is going to act Japanese, regardless of who you are! 外人は本当に馬鹿だね｡｡｡*
* Foreigners are such idiots...

The representative I spoke with was very helpful, in a blunt, uncompromising way. Because the agency deals almost exclusively with Japanese companies and not multi-national ones, there were very few positions for which I was qualified due to language. The fellow printed off a few job ads (in Japanese) which I could sort of guess my way through. I think this was so he could show me what opportunities were awaiting me if I could just get my language skills up and running (one of which being a job in accident and illness insurance - the very field I have the most experience in!). He said something that was very obvious but which I had to hear: "You might think it's stupid to take a year off and study language, but if you think of your life in the long term it will help you a lot." The fact that a Japanese person - a bureaucrat no less - would be so forthcoming is in itself amazing.

So I'm not too sure what to make of this. I'll have to digest the experience before I even consider doing any kind of full-time language study. Another interview is coming up next week so I'd best digest fast. More on that later.