Busy, Busy

I had a really busy day yesterday. Got a lot done, but it was really hectic. Our HR OAP girl and one of out teachers picked us up at the hotel at 8: 30, and I didn't get back for more than 5 minutes until about 1 AM.

First we went to open bank accounts, which we could only do at the branch that Honda does it's payroll through, which was 30 minutes away. It took forever, since we only had one translator for the 3 of us. Actually, took about 2 hours, but they were long hours.

Next stop was Yamada Denki for cell phones. That took another couple of hours, and we had to run out of there to get to the next stop before we were even finished. First we had to figure out how the system works here. In the US they give you a free phone and charge you monthly for the airtime. Here, it's sort of opposite. We pay monthly for the phone, and then the service is on top of that. So I have a minimum of 2200 a month to pay at least, but if I use more than about 20 anytime minutes, it goes up from there. At least that's how I understand it, I may be wrong.

I got a crazy phone. It's got a 3.2 MP camera, GPS, and a TV. A little 3 inch TV. It only gets Japanese channels, but it's a cell phone with a TV. I don't have a clue what else it does. I didn't even know about the GPS until after I checked out.

Anyway, we had to run out at about 1:30 to go through the McDonalds drivethru before Driver's Ed at 2. It was just like high school, but on the other side. Drove around the school's little course for 15 minutes with the teacher up front (with the auxiliary brake) and the translator in back. Then we headed out on the roads. The teacher and translator pointed me towards my apartment. We drove from there to work, with the teacher telling me to slow down, and then back to the school.

After we finished there, we went back to Yamada Denki to pick up our phones. I was thinking it would take 5 minutes, and then they started to try and sell us Internet access. It took about an hour to figure out how it works here, and then another hour for the lead singer of a Japanese reggae band to sell us all the package and schedule installation.

I had just enough time to get back to the hotel and drop things off before we went to a party they had set up for us. I only had the energy to go to stage 2 before I called it a night. I hear it went to stage 3, but I didn't have the energy.

Tomorrow I move into my apartment, and then there's another party to go to. It's supposed to be low key, which is good, because Saturday I'm going to the Tokyo Motor Show and then Roppongi (a big nightclub district)for the night.

Next weekend I have yet another party to go to. This one is for one of the current OAPs that's going home soon. Another guy found out that you can get nomihoudai and tabehoudai (all you can drink / eat) at TGI Friday's, so as a last Japanese hurrah, we're taking him there. Then another wild night in Roppongi.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to update this for a few weeks, so you won't get to hear about any of that. Japanese-Rasta-Internet-Salesman guy couldn't schedule installation until the 18th, so once I move out tomorrow, I'm incommunicado until then.