Days 5-8: 5-8 April 2009 (Fukushima)

LOCATION: FUKUSHIMA
MOOD: CONTENTED
LISTENING TO: SHERYL CROW – IF IT MAKES YOU HAPPY

A WELL EARNED REST:

Tokyo was awesome. It really does give you the headrush that people say it does; the vibe of the big city and the sheer scale of everything overwhelms the senses. However, as anyone who has been to a big city and stayed in dorm accomodation will tell you, it's not a long term option. Tokyo wears you down enough by itself; when you throw in the fact that you share your room with seven strangers all with different sleeping patterns you're about ready to leave after a couple of days.

Getting up to Fukushima was a relief for two main reasons: firstly, I got to catch up with a mate of mine that's been teaching English in Fukushima since mid-2007 (the last time I saw him). Secondly, I could finally sleep without having to lock my bags at night.

Living with Henry was awesome because not only is he a terrific host (he showed me all around town even though it was his last day of holiday before the new school term), but I also get insights on what it's like to live in Japan as a foreigner. As some of you might know, I was originally planning for my 2009 Japan trip to be a much longer, live-in affair, but due to circumstances that just wasn't feasible. So living with Henry and watching him explain the postal service, bill-paying facilities (all electronic) and the phone networks was invaluable as a truncated education on life in Japan.

The road outside Henry's house. A little more pedestrian than Tokyo, but no more so than a suburb in Melbourne. Plus, I have a batting centre across the road from me - cop that, Greensborough!

MONEY – IT'S SO FUNNY IN A RICH MAN'S WORLD:

Upon arriving in Fukushima I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had well underspent during my time in Tokyo. Perhaps it was because I spent so much time just visiting places and not doing/buying anything, but I was well and truly underbudget.

This came in handy because I encountered a couple of unexpected expenditures in Fukushima. The first was my phone. Before leaving I had canvassed a number of options, including international roaming for my Australian mobile or picking up a prepaid SIM card for a second hand phone. Henry's mate kindly offered me his old handset, so the second option looked to be the cheapest. Unfortunately, a conversation with the local phone dealership revealed that they didn't actually sell prepaid SIMs by themselves; they came packaged with the phone. I ended up having to buy a low-end Samsung model for 4830 yen, which together with 3000 yen credit ended up costing me 7830 yen (around $120). Luckily for me however the plan I'm on allows me the option of unlimited text messages for 300 yen ($4.50) a month. Henry and I have been abusing this feature ever since.

A phone with Japanese text capabilities is a must if you're planning to have any Shane Warne moments while over here.

The other major spending point was actual spending – I bought a bucketload of CDs. I've always been into the Japanese music scene, and whenever I'm in Japan I always leap at the opportunity to pick up a few discs. Luckily for me, Australia's backwardness actually works in my favour – the artists that I've been listening too aren't exactly the latest and greatest, meaning that their CDs are usually sold cheaper and can be found at second hand joints.

Second hand is a massive industry in Japan, with several prominent chains devoted solely to second hand goods. My personal favourite (a love affair that started last time I was in Japan) is a chain called Book Off, which sells second hand books, comics, CDs and DVDs. For popular titles with plenty of copies, a CD will set you back as little as 250 yen ($3.75). Second hand goods are generally in excellent condition, meaning that if you're willing to accept that someone else's fingers pried off the shrink wrap before yours it's an extremely appealing proposition.

Admittedly I may have gone overboard a bit.

ISN'T IT NICE WHEN THINGS JUST WORK:

After catching up on old times, Henry and I found that our conversation often turned to how much he would miss Japan upon returning to Australia (he's scheduled to leave Japan about a month after me). The thing that figures most prominently in his thinking is the level of service in Japan.

The trains are a no-brainer; I'm pretty sure that Somalia's public transport system has the wood on Connex. But so many aspects of life in Japan are just so much smoother and more efficient than they are in Australia. Package delivery is a prime example. In Australia, packages are delivered only during weekdays, and can arrive at any time during the day. Usually it's more convenient sending the package to a person's place of work, but if it's a cumbersome item this can pose difficulties in getting the item home. In Japan, you can specify when (within a three hour period) you want the item delivered, and can even request night-time/weekend delivery (one delivery that arrived during my few days was delivered at 8pm on a Sunday night). Furthermore, you can even elect to pay upon receipt of the goods (for a small fee).

Henry and I really are pop culture tragics. Full Metal Alchemist remake, anyone?

Other examples are more mundane. Take convenience stores and McDonalds for example. In Australia, visit a convenience store and you're likely to be served by a surly Asian/Indian person who wants you to plop the cash on the counter and then beat it. In Japan, you're greeted by a cheerful 'Irrashaimase!' and served with promptness and efficiency. How much of that cheerfulness is contrived is not the point; the level of service is. And as for McDonalds, let's just say that you don't have to worry about your meal being made by a snotty-nosed 14 year old being paid below minimum wage. McDonalds in Japan is well-presented and generous in its serves. And they have a shrimp burger instead of a fillet-o-fish. Come on, you know you want it.

Throw another shrimp on the burger, mate?

In my opinion one of the main reasons for the difference in service levels is that Japan has a much lower threshhold for crapness. Things are expected to work, and work well. If they don't, it is expected that effort will be expended to fix them. It really is the market fuelling progress; the public doesn't wait for one business to improve its service above its competitors, it simply expects a high level of service to begin with. As John Butler says, “Life's not about what's better than.”

ULTRAMAN AND ULTRA COOL:

Eventually Wednesday rolled around and it was time for me to leave Fukushima for the time being – I was off for a 14 day dalliance in the Kansai region, beginning in Osaka. I'm extremely excited because I've never been to Kansai and I've heard a lot about it. Not only that, but on Thursday night I'll be seeing my all-time favourite Japanese band, Do As Infinity, live in concert. I consider my extremely lucky as they disbanded in 2005 (shortly before I arrived in Japan last time) and have only just reformed, now playing a reunion tour across Japan.

I fell in love with the girl at the rock show.

In another lucky coincidence, Fukushima airport is only ten minutes away from Henry's house. My flight was at night, so he got back from work, we ate dinner, and then we were off. Fukushima airport is a small operation, but a clean and well-run one. The staff were very helpful in the check-in (it helped that there was no one else to serve at the time), and the flight went by without incident.

The thing I did notice about Fukushima airport however was the preponderance of Ultraman statues around the place. For those of you who don't know, Ultraman is a children's show that involves a guy in a red jumpsuit and silver mask who fights giant monsters by transforming to their size (think Captain Planet VS Godzilla). He's pretty much a low-level deity in Japan, and well known all through Asia. And apparently the creator of Ultraman comes from Sukagawa, the town within Fukushima prefecture where Henry lives.

I never could tell the difference between all the different Ultramen. I'm sorry, is my white side showing again?

It was curious to see the massive Ultraman statue outside and the Ultraman displays inside, all with commemorative plaques to give an intellectual veneer. But who am I to judge; if Coolongatta had come up with Superman I wouldn't blame them if they did the same thing.

If you have it, flaunt it.

PS: In a reference to my earlier post about the water bottle debacle at Gold Coast airport, in Fukushima airport (a smaller operation than Gold Coast) they had a machine that scans the bottle to determine the nature of the contents. Bottom line, I got two 600ml bottles onto a plane. I think I'm going to miss Japan as well.

PPS: As a special gift to all of you who read the whole post, here's a little something to continue my line of phallic jokes:

Do I have to put a NSFW tag on my posts from now on?

It's a penis lollipop, given to me by one of Henry's neighbours who had just returned from a fertility festival in Kanagawa. She not only had a handful of the fun-size penis popsicles, she also had a full-size one and a flower-shaped lollipop with a vagina in the middle.