The Dreaded NHK Man

Hashi: "I am not watching NHK. Only YouTube videos!"

I feel like we were pretty prepared before moving to Japan. I'd read a lot of stuff, learned a little Japanese, and visited several times (well, once for 7 months, ha!). File this under "totally random stuff I had no idea about before I moved to Japan."

Anyway, I read Japan Today (Japanese news in English) on a daily basis to keep up with what's going on in Japan. Usually it's filled with stuff about crotchety old people and crimes that wouldn't even make the news in the U.S. Every once and a while an article about the NHK fees come up and there are a flood of comments from expats about "the dreaded NHK man." I thought well, that is strange, but it sounds like maybe we'll see someone eventually so I know what to expect.

NHK (Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai or "Japan Broadcasting Corporation") is essentially the equivalent of PBS in Japan. PBS solicits funds in the U.S. through pledge drives, etc. while NHK requires anyone (per the latest court ruling) that has a TV-equipped device (TV, computer, smartphone, Nintendo DS) to pay the equivalent about $260 per year even if you don't watch NHK , no exceptions. Seriously? Seriously.

Domo is the NHK mascot...he's cute but tenacious. Grrrr!

However, the catch is that there is no way for them to force you to pay...and since we are here with the military (SOFA) and not residents of Japan we definitely don't have to pay the fees. Oh, but that didn't stop them from trying! I am so glad I was informed as one day a few months ago "the dreaded NHK man" in the form of a diminutive lady showed up at our doorstep from NHK trying to inform us that we needed to pay the fees. Saying "nihongo"(Japanese) crossing hands (meaning "no") and "gomen nasai" (sorry) didn't work. She had come prepared with a pamphlet in English (albeit wordy and confusing). Things were slowly starting to make more sense...I had read about this online. We needed to get rid of her before she saw the TV in our living room! Never mind that we only use it for streaming video of f the internet...

We called our realtor to help translate but the NHK woman refused to talk to her...I had also read about this. You have to verbally enter into this idiotic contract yourself. We kept stalling and pretending to be confused. She asked if we had smartphones and computers (I think) and I lied. Eventually after about 10 minutes of awkward interaction with the "baka gaijin" (stupid foreigners) she gave up trying to talk Japanese at us and left the pamphlet. I think we got off easy. I have read sometimes the NHK people are really rude and try to force their way into your house to find your TV while making (unenforceable) threats of legal action. Some people pay the fees and some people don't. We'll be some of the ones that don't!

At least now if someone comes back we have a killer attack dog--yeah right! :)

Stereotypical Foreigners in Japanese Commercials

So Japan is about 98.5% ethnic Japanese or something like that, making it one of the most ethnically homogenous countries in the world. However, it is very common to feature foreigners (外人gaijin - literal translation: "outside person") in advertisements and commercials. Also, note that "foreigner" almost always means "English-speaking, white, and (usually) blond-haired and blue-eyed." 

Here are some annoyingly stereotypical commercials that have been popping up frequently when I've been watching stuff on YouTube recently. The one below is for a home baking appliance called SuiPanDa by Toshiba ("pan" being Japanese for "bread"). Big fake nose, blond wig, bad accent, and exclaiming loudly in English? Must be one of those crazy gaijin!



The next one is an older commercial. It's for a detergent called Bold by Procter & Gamble. Many commercials in this series, I discovered. The woman has a laughably bad Japanese accent, which is obviously intentional.  Hilarious and cute...right? Right. :-/



I'm not suggesting that you never see commercials like this in the U.S. but usually if you do, there's an uproar and someone's gonna get fired and/or sued. I just read recently that GM pulled a car ad based on the background music having racially stereotypical language. So am I an overly sensitive American for thinking this kind of advertising is tired and lame or is it just all in good fun? Doesn't really matter since I'm not the target audience. I'm the minority here in Japan!

Our "Secondhand" Japanese Dog

How could you say no to this face??

We just adopted a puppy here in Japan! He is a Shiba Inu mix from Okinawa (an Island boy!). A few weeks ago he was flown to Tokyo by an nonprofit organization called wanspace (that we found on a Japanese website similar to Petfinder). Lucky for him, he was born to two strays that someone was taking care of and he wasn't abandoned in a field, like a lot of stray puppies are. Okinawa in particular has a big problem with stray dogs that is not helped by the American military leaving dogs behind when it comes time for them to leave Japan. Therefore, we had to PROMISE (cross your heart hope to die stick a needle in your eye) that we would never, ever abandon our dog. I also said several "gomen nasai"s (apologies) to the organization for the irresponsible Americans that had thrown their dogs away.

Finding a dog to adopt wasn't easy. You can't just go to your local animal shelter...because uh, there really isn't one. I'm not kidding. There is no established "culture" of dog adoption here. There are pounds (hokenjos) where they hold stray dogs for one week (or less) before they are euthanized. And then there are a few organizations like the one we found, that fosters strays in people's homes. There is only one physical shelter that I know of -- ARK in Osaka, which is run by a British lady.

I don't think people even consider dog adoption as an option. Lack of awareness, among other things. Most people buy their dogs from the pet store or the pet section at big box stores. Yes, they sell dogs at the equivalent here of Target and WalMart. It's heinous. By the way, they are also insanely expensive--upwards of 100,000 yen ($1000+). And of course, these dogs, like purebred pet store dogs in the U.S., come from awful puppy mills. Or are bred in apartments by the yakuza (gangsters). Maybe I'm wrong, but the impression I get is that it doesn't seem that anyone's blown the lid off that here in Japan. I feel like most Americans know they should never, ever get a dog from a pet store. Also, because the Japanese are so brand-conscious, you will almost never see mixed breed dogs around. I've maybe seen one or two since we moved here. Mutts like our adorable puppy are considered "used" or "secondhand" and most Japanese don't want that kind of dog. The purebred dogs here are horribly inbred, even worse than the U.S.

On top of that, they need a healthy dose of Bob Barker here to remind everyone to "Help control the pet population. Have your pet spayed or neutered." I've heard it has something to do with Buddhism, but it seems that spaying/neutering your pet isn't something people think to automatically do here in Japan. Consequently, you have a bunch of mutts running around that nobody wants and nowhere to keep them since there's barely enough room for people here in Japan, never mind unwanted stray animals. I could go into more details but it's really heartbreaking. 500 dogs and cats are euthanized every day. You would never imagine, after seeing all the pampered, spoiled child-replacement dogs here that they could treat animals like that.

I'm glad that we got to save one special dog.  :-)

First night at home after a long drive from Tokyo

First walk (ever!)

You know, just posing with some flowers

Here's to many more years with our "little weirdo" ;)

Driving in Japan

In a nutshell, driving in Japan is exercise in patience for me. Not that I drove that much in Seattle! Anyway, when you've got narrow streets, low speed limits, and lots of scooters, bikes, and pedestrians you’re going to be crawling along. It's not going to be an enjoyable Sunday drive.

When we first arrived we had to take a written test on signs and then a behind the wheel test on base. If you hit anything, you fail automatically. I came dangerously close to clipping the curb a few times. Also, the speed limit on base is 30 or 40 kph…that’s about 19 or 25 mph. CRAZY slow. I was having a hard time staying under the speed limit with my lead foot! The driving instructor admonished us to always test the horn and the lights (who does that?) and set the parking brake (never been a big fan of doing that all the time…plus here the cars have it down by the brakes). Driver’s ed all over again!

First major difference: they drive on the LEFT here. It’s not as difficult to get used to as you might think. However, I’ve heard that most people here ding up the left sides of their cars pretty quick parking in tight spots.

The Cube in Hakone

 Second major difference: you, as the driver are considered a professional. That means if you hit another car, even if they ran a red light, you will still assume some of the fault, perhaps 15%. Maybe there was something you could have done to avoid an accident. This doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, but that’s how it is here.

Third major difference: if you get in an accident or get pulled over, you MUST apologize, EVEN if you feel it’s not your fault. An apology is expected and goes a long way here. This is the opposite of the U.S. where you are not supposed to admit guilt. Also, there is no “I need to talk to my lawyer” or “I won’t sign that—I want to hear my rights”—you don’t have rights, they can throw you in jail for 20 days and not tell anyone where you are(if you’re not SOFA sponsored, i.e. here with the U.S. military). However, you DO have the right to an interpreter. Penalties for drunk driving are EXTREMELY strict. The legal blood alcohol limit here is 0.03. That is ONE drink for almost everyone. The take away is DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE—EVER. Unfortunately there are way too many stupid Americans here that didn’t get the message or think they can get away with it. Even if you use Listerine just before driving and get pulled over you could have a positive test.

Parking is expensive—and you can’t always count on restaurants or shopping centers having free parking. There are lots of parking towers (where a machine parks your car) and parking lots with lifts for 2 or 3 cars per spot. Don’t even think about parking illegally--parking tickets and impound fees are crazy expensive. A parking ticket is about 200,000 yen ($160!). In a country where there’s not a lot of space for people, there is definitely not a lot of space for cars. I used to think there wasn’t any street parking in Japan—HA. Technically there is no street parking, but if you pull over and put your flashers on, you can “park” for a short time just about anywhere. We call it the “cloaking device.”
 This becomes dicey when you have to pass a car “parked” on the side of the road on a curvy street like ours. Not a lot of room for error!

New Driver

If you’re a driver over 75 years old (although that is hardly “old” here in Japan…they have 50,000 people over 100!) you can use a special sticker on your car so people give you space. Same thing for new drivers (legal driving age is 18), although a lot of people on base have them when they start driving. We were told that the Japanese find this hilarious since they have obviously been driving for a while (albeit in the U.S.) and are not 18 year olds!

Hard of Hearing Sticker

If you are hard of hearing, there is a butterfly sticker you’re supposed to put on the front and back of your car. And if you are handicapped, there is a blue four leaf clover sticker for your car.

Y-plate

We, as SOFA-sponsored personal, have special license plates that have a “Y” in front of the number. You can always tell the American cars by looking for the Y plates. Also a lot of people drive crappy and/or old cars since we aren’t held to the same standards as the Japanese when it comes to emissions and such (go figure). Not that I’m complaining because that means older cars are cheap!

Sakura Season

Ueno Toshogu Shrine

Sakura zensen aka "cherry blossom front"

 

 

It's that time in Japan--Sakura (cherry blossom) Season. The whole country goes mad for hanami, which means "flower viewing" and almost always refers to cherry blossoms. In a nutshell, at worst it's an excuse to cut loose and get drunk sitting on blue tarps in a park.

This year the blossoms opened really early in Tokyo--on March 16, nine days earlier than forecast. Yes, of course there is a cherry blossom forecast. There is cherry blossom everything--Starbucks and other coffee shops come out with special sakura goods, sweets, and coffee drinks.

Of course cherry blossoms are beautiful, but the Japanese appreciation for the flowers goes far beyond that. The ephemeral sakura, which last only a few weeks before falling to the ground in clouds of petals, are a metaphor for the transient and fleeting nature of life. Personally, I like the meaning behind hanami, but I think it's really  over-commercialized, akin to Christmas in the United States. Regardless, it's an occasion that's so distinctly Japanese!

Joining the throngs in Ueno Park

Somei Yoshino trees are the most popular--they look like clouds

Yoyogi Park

Yoyogi had much more of a party atmosphere then Ueno (it's in a younger part of town)

Welcome to the Neighborhood

View from the park across the street looking over Maborikaigan. The island is Sarashima Island, the only natural island in Tokyo Bay.

Sakuragaoka (桜が丘) is the name of our neighborhood in Yokosuka. It means "cherry blossom hills" (or heights). In actuality, we almost part of the neighborhood of Maborikaigan. The train station and the shopping area around it are about a 7 minute walk from our house.

Maborikaigan is one of the most popular neighborhoods in Yokosuka for military families since it's only about 4 miles from the base/central Yokosuka and very walkable. The homes are also quite large for Japan (not American large--we're talking 1300 sqft!). We're only about an hour by train from Tokyo so a lot of people live here and commute -- feels like Tacoma/Seattle in that way.

Walking down the street - our house is on the right. As you can see, we're on a slight hill.

You pass under the tracks and get to our local train station

Convenience store across from the station named "Three F"

Yakitori stand on the road to the station

Tiny (12 seats) tea cafe in the other direction where they have giant dessert waffles

Less than  minute from the station is our local grocery store, which is owned by Wal-Mart. Go figure! There is also a McDonald's.

Garden shop next to grocery store

Japanese-French bakery...think lots of cream or bean filled doughy pastries and melon pan

Vegetable store - our area is known for fresh produce

Florist and barber above

The stuff always flies off the shelves at this French bakery. They say it's one of the best in Yokosuka and I have to agree. Real crusty bread is so hard to find in Japan!

One of the many, many hair salons in our neighborhood. Taking care of your hair is important here!

Lovely walking path through the neighborhood - these pictures was taken in the summer, can you tell? :)

There is also a nice palm tree-lined promenade along the water (Yokosuka Kaigan Dori)

Peaceful place to go fishing

Misaki and Jogashima

We went to the port town of Misaki (which is famous for tuna) and Jogashima island to view the daffodils that are blooming in abundance at this time of year on the Miura peninsula. This area is only about 30 minutes from our house so we'll definitely be back!

Narcissus tanzetta "Double Roman"

Walking amongst the daffodils was lovely since the smell was absolutely heavenly (daffodils smell??) and the daffodils are small and ruffly, unlike any I have seen before. Most of the ones I remember from the PNW are the large yellow variety that grew on the hillsides all over Tacoma.

 I discovered that these particular daffodils are not native to Japan; they are called Narcissus tanzetta "Double Roman." The reference to Rome comes from the fact that the varieties are believed to be native to the Mediterranean area and were actually spread by Roman soldiers, hence the name "Double Roman". Apparently, the bulbs help relieve muscle pain and are so poisonous they were used to end the life of suffering soldiers who were wounded badly and going to die.

So how did did several hundred thousand of them wind up growing in coastal Japan? They were brought from the Mediterranean through China via the Silk Road and carefully propagated by the local women. Who knew?

Fishing boats

First lighthouse...kind of looks like a moonscape!

Lots and lots of tiny shells on the beach

Cormorants come here to overwinter

The second lighthouse

Misaki port

Note the large temple on the top of the hill

One of the many tuna restaurants in Misaki

Drying fish for sale

Big catch! ;)

Kainan Jinja, the shrine of the Miura Clan

800 year old tree at the shrine, which I'm sure looks a little bit better with a few leaves

Street in Misaki

Bridge that leads from the mainland to the island