Riverside View

Taken from the East side of Ginza.

One for the Bristolians!

Quick ass update… My old uni buddies will know that I wrote for the Bristol uni rock magazine, Entrails. I have just written and submitted a brief article on the music scene in Japan. If ya live, study or just happen to be in Bristol, be sure to get a copy of the next issue and check it out

Roppongi Hills christmas decorations

Trees decorated in Christmas lights at Roppongi Hills.

Tokyo Tower again

Taken during a fine November’s morning!

Seriously spicy crisps

Like spicy food? Then you should definitely try these crisps out. I challenge you to eat a whole pack without drinking anything inbetween!! I actually didn’t expect them to be that hot but boy was I wrong… it was agonising but I managed it! Unfortunately I can’t read the kanji apart from the first character but the katakana reads ‘jyorokia.’

Awesome Roppongi Hills View

Roppongi Hills garden and Tokyo Tower in the distance. The garden and trees are decked in Christmas lighting – Roppongi Hills is one of the best places in Tokyo for Christmas decorations.

Getting another job….

Well, a while back I mentioned the joys of earning money through merely speaking English. Well, I actually didn’t mention one small problem…. you really can’t live off of doing that alone. In actual fact the shifts are few and far between so you’ll need another source of income if you’re planning on earning money in Japan. So I decided to start looking for Japanese language work so that I’d be able to practise my Japanese and hopefully improve. Well, the obvious catch is that you’ll probably be a liability for most companies if your Japanese, like mine, is quite basic. I learned the hard way, after going to many cafes asking for work, getting very strange looks from certain members of staff and being rejected from just about every cafe I went to. There was one new option that I had not used… Originally I got my English conversation job through the working holiday office in Nakano (you have to be a member but their support is pretty good) After a month of not really doing a lot to get a job I finally decided to go to the Hello Work office in Shinjuku, which provides support for foreign students. Hello Work is essentially the Job Centre of Japan, and as I quickly found their help is of immense proportions. As soon as I arrived I was asked to fill in a form and then proceeded to have an interview. The woman who reviewed my application was incredibly helpful, not only finding a perfect job position for me but she also called the restaurant up to arrange for an interview and even put in a good word for me. I went to the interview the next day and landed the job, even though the whole interview was in Japanese and my Japanese is still pretty basic.

Anyway, to conclude, Hello Work is incredibly helpful and I totally recommend it for other students looking for work in Tokyo (don’t go to the Hello Work at Roppongi though, they don’t provide support for foreign students looking for part time work). You will inevitably face some form of discrimination from some companies over here, as well as strange looks from certain members of staff but be sure not to take any of their bullshit and do your best!

Tokyo at Night

Taken from Tokyo Big Sight…

My first visit to Big Sight… checking out Design Festa

This weekend marked the return of Design Festa – an exhibition celebrating the work of various artists from throughout Japan and other parts of the world, allowing them to promote and sell their work. I actually didn’t know about it until I read about it on Roaf’s awesome website, Gaijin Tonic (link in blogroll, be sure to check it out, there is also more info about design festa there). Anyway, seeing the post on the site caught my interest, and as my curiosity grew I thought it would be fun to check out the festival myself. So… how was it?… well, there was certainly no limit to what was on offer – there was a seriously huge variety of work on show, some artists I appreciated more than others; to be completely honest I was expecting some real arty farty shite, and whilst I did discover some rather pointless / overly pretentious shite as well as some seriously messed up performers, the majority of the work I saw was genuinely awesome, a lot of the artists are genuinely gifted. For a 1000 Yen day ticket, you really get your money’s worth also – not only can you check out each of the artist’s work, but there is also an indoor stage featuring fashion shows, acrobatic shows and suchlike, as well as an outdoor stage featuring live music. One of the bands that caught my interest is a symphonic metal band known as Trailblazing of Symphonia – basically a Japanese version of Nightwish, but I thought they were pretty good (apart from the fact that the lead vocalist was a bit off key in some songs, I guess she was just having a bad day). I couldn’t help but buy some of the cheaper works of art, as well as many postcards made by the artists. One section was also dedicated to clothes and I found some awesome t-shirts but unfortunately being the poor git that I am, couldn’t buy them, but I will have to get round to it soon!! Also on a rather random note half way through the day I met possibly one of the friendliest couples I have ever encountered, and was given the pleasure(?) of a free hug from the afore mentioned duo who just happened to be sporting bunny costumes… hmm, some of their happiness did spread to me which I guess was a good thing lol.

Anyway, it’s also worth mentioning that Big Sight is situated in Odaiba, which is an area which gives you awesome (and I really mean awesome) views of Tokyo, especially at night. The easiest way to get there is to take the Yurikamome line from Shinbashi station which is a pleasure in itself, as the view from the train is truely breathtaking (well I do exagerrate but its still one hell of a view!!). Anyway, I’ve rambled on too much, check out the pictures

Yokohoma at night

Is it Dubai?….. no, it’s Yokohama! This building slightly resembles the famous Burj Al Arab in Dubai.