I’ve been in Japan for one week, and this week have had two interviews for teaching positions. I applied to about a dozen jobs last week, mostly on http://gaijinpot.com/ which is a great website to find employment, housing, etc. Lots of Tokyo opportunities. A few other jobs have replied to me but I’m saving those as back-up choices (particularly the one-off Halloween Party event where, rather than the ‘teaching event’ that was listed, what I have been contacted about is coming in for an interview so I can ‘learn the dance moves’ for the performance… uhh, no thanks!) The first job interview was with a Kindergarten that teaches in the Montessori style. I really liked the environment and the job is for the age group I most like to teach, but the pay isn’t so great and it’ll be over two hours of commuting each day. On the subway. Which I hate. So, pros and cons. The second job is with a very professional company that pays quite well, but the age group (12-15 years) is older than what I prefer to teach. Depending on what I’m offered, I could be at a school just a few metro stops away, or I could be more of a substitute teacher, going to a different school every day with no regularity. So, both jobs have ups and downs. At the moment I’m just waiting to hear back from them with firm offers and the like to make my decision.
I’ve really been enjoying the shopping experience in Japan, where customer service is excellent and the items seem good value. For the first few days we were going to the supermarket pretty much every day, making the most of the late-night discounts. We got overexcited the first time we saw this, then we realised that they have this deal every day. Japan has high food safety standards and as such they never sell food that is out of date, particularly fish. When at the supermarket, we make a beeline for the fish sections to see what’s on offer. The first reductions happen at about 6:30, where sushi, sashimi and fresh fish is marked with 10% off. About half an hour after that, they go around again and mark it down to 20% off. Finally, if there is stuff that really needs to go that day, you sometimes see fish with a 30% off sticker on it. You’d think the best way would be to go to the shops late to get the best deals, but of course if you leave it too late, the best offers have gone already, so about 6:30 – 7:00 is a good time; the fine science of when to buy your sushi.
In the Aeon supermarket, they have duplicate sections for popular items. For example, there are two fruit and vegetable sections in the store – they are completely separate, selling fruit and veg from different suppliers and at different prices. It seems a bit mad to me, but I guess it’s a way to offer customers lots of choice. The main point is that, in this one shop, there are three separate sections that sell fish. That means three lots of sushi, three lots of sashimi, three lots of fresh fish… it’s great. We’ve pinpointed which section has the best deals and head to that one first, of course.
Something else I love about the Aeon supermarket is that the checkout is super-efficient. As you approach the desk, there are channels marked on the floor, like the start line at a race-course, so that you don’t block the way of people trying to cross the aisle. As you put your basket on the counter, the checkout girl will place another basket on the other side and put your items into the new basket once they’ve been scanned. This is pretty much the most organised thing you’ve ever seen. The way they pack the basket for you is far beyond the ‘heavy at the bottom, eggs on top’ mantra. Basically, it’s like a game of edible Tetris, and they win every time. There isn’t an inch of space in the basket that is wasted. Then, to make things even more orderly - rather than packing your shopping into bags at the end of the counter (while getting in the way of the person behind you) what you do is take your intricately-packed basket to a separate packing counter and pack your bag there. It’s amazing. Perhaps I’m getting carried away with my shopping experience, but I love how methodical it all is.
Back home, ‘ready meal’ is a bit of a dirty word. It conjures up images of nasty, microwavable packages filled with indiscernible gloop. The kind of cheap, unhealthy muck that burns on the outside while it’s still frozen on the inside. You know what I mean. But the ready meals in Japan are awesome. I think it’s got something to do with the working hours of your typical ‘salary man’ who works long hours and needs to grab something quick on the way home for dinner. These ready meals are great for lunch too, and I’ve been enjoying trying out different ‘Bento Box’ style lunches. Today I bought a boxed lunch from a convenience store that was epic. It contained three onigiri rice rolls, ginger, a sweet meatball, a few strings of spaghetti, sweet fried egg, deep-fried vegetables in an onion bhaji style, katsu-style fried fish, mushroom and carrot. Delicious, and it only set me back 298 ¥ (about £1.70). Also, it’s all pretty healthy. The Japanese love deep fried things, but they tend to be quite a small part of the meal with the majority just being plain rice. Good for me, good for my wallet.
I went to the 100 Yen store again today – we discovered a smaller one that’s near our house and I popped in the get a few things. It’s such good value! Better than Pound World, that’s for sure. I bought a small umbrella, a mini clothes drying rack (octopus type), tuppawear… all for only 108 Yen per item (the 8 Yen is tax added to the price of 100 Yen). Not bad at all. As for the rest of the day I’m going to do some more writing, and make a start on learning some Japanese. Sayōnara!
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