Japan

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Ahhh..Japan. Well I was told the week before that I would be going to Japan to do my Visa run. A Visa run is something that you have to do in order to get a working Visa. Technically I am suppose to have one of these before coming to Korea to work, but for some reason, alot of the schools here just want a teacher over here as soon as possible and then they have to send the teacher to Japan for a few days in order for them to get their working Visa. It really makes no sense to me. They could have waited 1 more week to fly me over to Korea and I would have had my working Visa all figured out. Instead they fly me over here right away. Then they spend about 1000 bucks, if not more on a ticket to fly me to Japan, pay for my hotel and my costs while I am over there...and I have to miss 2 days of school. I'm not complaining at all....I'm just saying....if I was the owner of a school, I think I would have just waited the extra week to fly them over.

Anyhow, my school thought they would be smart and send me over on a holiday which was on the 15th, then I would only miss 1 day of school. Ahhh...how clever. But would the Korean consulate be open in Japan when it is a Korean holiday? I asked them before they left...and my director assured me it would. I had my doubts....and considering they did the exact same thing to Max, the other foreign teacher here (They ended up having to fly him to Japan twice because the Korean consulate was closed when they sent him). Maybe since they had already done this mistake once...they would make sure it was open, you know, or maybe not, whatever.

K, so I get up at 5am Wednesday morning, get up, get ready get to the airport with tons of time to spare and head over to Japan. The flight is super quick, only 1 and a half hours, and I was in Osaka. From the airport I had to take a train to a place called Namba and then walk for a bit and my hotel and the Korean consulate would be right there. My director gave me a train map, that was all in Japanese by the way, and circled what station I had to get out and what my hotel was called. How helpful of her. I am going to a country by myself that I have never been to, and you give me a map in Japanese..... I dont know what the heck I would have done if I would have just went over there on what she had told me. I would have been lost for sure. Since I'm so smart though, well sometimes I am, I looked up exactly where to go...so it ended up being a breeze to find the Korean consulate.

I followed my directions and everything was going great and I was looking for a big Korean flag. I kept walking and walking...finally after 45 minutes of walking.....in 45 degree heat, with a backpack on, and jeans....(I am dying of heat by the way) I decided I must have missed it. So I started backtracking. I should have passed it, it should be right around here. I saw some foreigners and asked where the heck it was b/c I sure wasnt seeing any Korean flags around here. I'm pretty surprised they talked to me. I looked awful. I had woke up at 5, rolled out of bed and put my hair up. I dont even remember if I brushed my teeth. I was dripping sweat b/c it was so flipping hot out so I probably stank...I was just gross. Anyways though, they helped me out and sure enough I had walked right past it. There were some Korean guards (I thought they were Japanese guards standing in front of something when I first walked by) standing in front of the Korean consulte. Well no wonder I missed the building, it was closed. But not only was it closed and just had a closed sign on the door....they had a huge metal garage door of sorts that completely covered the entire front of the building. The only way I knew it was actually the korean consulte was because of a teeny posting they had in the corner that said Korean consulate.

Yes, even though I had asked my director if it would be open b/c of the holiday, and they had already done this mistake once....they yet again, managed to send me to Japan on a day it was closed. Haha, sweet deal for me.

Ok fine, I could figure out what I was going to later, right now I just wanted to find my hotel and shower. I had no idea where my hotel was. My director told me it was right around the consulate somewhere. Kind of narrowed things down...but not really. I started walking around some more, looking everywhere, asking all these foreigners if they knew where it was. No one knew...they just said that it should be around here somewhere. One guy just said that I should get in a taxi and the taxi driver should know where it is. After walking in circles for over an hour....in 45 degree heat, sweating even more...and starting to get a bit stressed and cranky, mainly because I was so hot and disgusting feeling, that I decided to go out to the main street and get a taxi. I'm standing there waiting for a taxi...I look up, and what do I see? My hotel of course. I had been seriously walking around my hotel for over an hour wondering where the heck this place was. I think that I had even been standing right in front of the doors to my hotel about 45 minutes prior and was asking a guy if he knew where this hotel was. Haha, I'm an idiot...

Anyhow, I check in get up to my room and walking in and start laughing. I had been so cranky and stressed...all I wanted to do was find my hotel room...and when I walked in, this place was gorgeous! It was so nice. Granted, it wasnt huge or anything, but it was awesome! Instantly I was in a better mood. I had a shower....best shower I think I've ever had. After that I figure I should probably get ahold of my director and let her know that the consulate is closed and what the plan was now. Would I fly back empty handed, or would she just pay for another night here and switch my flight to a later date. I had her email address so I decided to seek out an internet cafe.

I've come to a conclusion that I miss English. I had no clue what I was even looking for...I was hoping for a sign to say internet cafe...no such luck. Nothing, nada, it was all in Japanese. I decide to go back to my hotel room and try to phone one of the teachers I work with and she could get ahold of the director for me. I get that all figured out and turns out they want me to stay here another night. Ok, sweet an extra day in Japan.

That night I just went to a pub, met some people had a few drinks and just hung out. The next day I did a bit of sight seeing....but honestly I didnt do that much. It was 45 degrees there, if not more with the humidity, and I just couldnt do it. It made me feel sick, I was instantly sweating...it was just so ridiculously hot out that I didnt get to do everything I wanted to. Plus, I didnt have a ton of cash since I wasnt planning on staying this extra day. And things in Japan arent exactly the cheapest things around. I did go into a few clothing stores though....and wow, the clothes there are TINY! I noticed such a difference in clothing in Japan and in Korea. Korea I can easily find clothes that fit me...Japan I dont know if I would have been able to, everything I saw was so tiny. Also...some of the fashions there are, well in my opinion, just awful. Japanese women can pull them off...but me? I would just look like an idiot and people would probably laugh.

Ok, another thing I noticed was the Japanese guys. Metrosexual doesnt even begin to describe at least 50 percent, if not more, of the Japanese guys I saw there. Feminine, feminine, feminine is what they are. They had mullets, yes mullets, but not the trailer trash mullets, these mullets were highlighted, streaked, straightened, backcombed, gelled, hairsprayed, you name it. And skin tight clothes! These guys are skiiinnnny! Some wore make up. The couples that I saw looked like brother and sister. In Korea you get the couples who have matching T shirts...I know, how cute....but in Japan, couples look like each other! Honestly, they both had longish hair, dyed the same color. Both had straightened, backcombed, hairsprayed hair, both were skinny and wore skin tight clothes and some couples even both wore makeup! It was nuts. I dont see what the appeal of these guys were, but to each there own I guess.

Some of the outfits that the girls, and even the guys wore, were crazy! Japan is a country of eccentricness. ( I dont think that is a word....but Japan is very eccentric!) The clothes and makeup and hair is crazy! I wanted to take pictures of people so I could post them, but I felt weird asking, so I just didnt. But honestly, it was nuts. I hear Tokyo is even more eccentric than Osaka, so I would love to go and see it. Its very cool.

Before I knew it, I had my Visa all figured out and I was on my way home. The flight was easy and everything went smooth. I was a bit overwhelmed while I was in Japan, mainly b/c of the heat and there just being so many people around all the time, that I missed home. Home being Korea! How weird is that?! I missed Korea! I really enjoyed Japan but I didnt do it justice while I was there. Next time I go, I'm not going in the middle of summer, I'll bring more money, go for longer and go with someone. I think it would be a million times better under those circumstances.

When I got back to Korea I got to thinking that I have been her about 30 days...and I have taught 7 days of classes. 7 days! Thats it. Yup, I'm such a hard worker.

I have also learned a few more things about Korea that some of you may not know. Fan death. Ever heard of it? Neither had I. Well, I have a friend here who has been here about the same length of time as me and he went and stayed over at his co-workers family's home one night. Its still really hot here so usually a fan or AC is on at night. Well, the room that he was staying in didnt have AC so he had the fan on. Hes sleeping away, and all of a sudden the mom comes in and starts saying all this stuff to him in Korean and turns off the fan, leaves and shuts the door again. He had no clue what just happened, but just went back to sleep. The next morning at breakfast I guess they were all talking about it and his coworker told him that the mom pretty much saved his life because if you are in a room with a fan on all night you will die. Yup, they think it will suffocate you or something if you are in a closed room and have the fan on all night. I kid you not. Koreans actually believe this. I looked it up on the internet, and its pretty much only Koreans that believe this, but even Korean doctors will attest to this,and its even reported in the news that someone died due to fan death.

This kind of got me thinking. Koreans are smart people. They go to school, there are doctors from here, successful business people, I mean, its a 1st world country that does research and has access to the internet and science and media and everything! So why would they believe something that someone from North America sees as a very stupid thing to actually believe?! I mean, maybe if someone was from a poor and isolated community in Africa you could understand some weird beliefs they have...but from Korea? A civilized country? I'm thinking, if Korea has this far fetched belief that they believe, maybe North Americans have something that we believe that someone from a different country would scoff at. "Oh those stupid Canadians, can you believe they actually believe that this so and so..." Maybe? I tried to think of something, but I couldnt. But then again, Koreans probably couldnt think of something stupid that they believe to be true. Someone from outside North America would probably have to tell me, because I cant think of anything.

Another thing in Korea. I'm pretty sure its illegal, but for the most part, everyone just turns a blind eye to prostituion from what I know. There are these places....that are seen on almost every street, literally almost every street, that have these 2 swirling barber signs outside them. You know the red and blue spiral stripped poles that swirl and usually when you see them you think barber shop? Well, when you see a store that has 2 of them side by side, that means a brothel. Ya, who would have thought?

Anyways, I think thats about all for now. I have another full weekend of teaching coming up so it should be good.

Oh, and Happy Birthday to my sister Patricia!

Luv ya!

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Photos

Japanese guy
Notice the tight clothes, the hair, the Puma purse. I only wish I could have gotten a picture from the front.

Shinshabashi-suji
This is a huge outdoor shopping strip