All the old posts from the old Your-Japan.com on the Your-Japan Blog Network

I met up with a friend of mine the other day who had just arrived in Japan and is going to start job hunting much the same way I did. He and I had studied together during a year abroad in Japan 2 years ago and had become pretty good friends. After the year abroad ended, I went back to America and he went back to England to finish up our respective undergraduate work. It was only coincidence (and a haunting feeling of unfinished business) that brought us both back here to Tokyo around the same time. It seemed like we had both come back to Tokyo for the same purpose of employment with the same background. If I could find a job without too much trouble, he would be fine too, right? After talking with him a bit, I became more aware of the fact that we were here with different backgrounds, for different reasons, and with different goals.

You’re basically selling yourself to a company, so what do you use to make yourself look all bright n’ shiny? For me it’s my language skill. For my English friend, it’s a combination of language as well as business education and experience. So take a look at yourself. What assets do you have?

Top: Masculine Man - Primarily for the Girls’ Pleasure (succeed through sexual state based on horniness of desire and excitement about pleasuring her)

Fantasy - her having the time of her life at your hands even though no one else will ever know. Private giving of pleasure. De-emphasis of blowjobs, of pure pleasure of viewing her naked, and of other pleasure YOU’LL be getting from her. It’s always about achieving a great connection where you BOTH enjoy it incredibly, but it’s coming from a place of you giving to her and her receiving with ultimate joy.

You can hold off cumming because you aren’t in it for that, and after you cum once you can continue much more easily because your primary purpose is in no way finished. You wish to pleasure her until she simply can’t take any more.

This level is about self-discipline, self-control, and being a real man. What is being a real man? What are the defining mental characteristics of a man? Being in control of yourself, lack of self-indulgence (a feminine characteristic)…these are very central characteristics of a man, although we have forgotten this as a society.

This level therefore asserts as its worldview that a woman’s job is to receive pleasure, to be indulged under the man’s lead.

Other benefits: Healthier hormone balance, deeper voice, more kakkoii’s from J-girls, easier to do pickups, more self-discipline in all areas of life, more life drive, easier to manage relationships, less likely to get in arguments with chicks, pickup lifestyle remains very easy to maintain, sex is an ever-increasing source of pleasure.

Mid: Feminine Man - Primarily for Your Own Pleasure (still can succeed through sexual state based on horniness of personal desire to see her body, get your dick wet in her, etc.)

Fantasy - Getting to see her naked, 69-ing her for the great view, getting a great blowjob from her, feeling her super-soft pussy wrap itself around your steely cock, cumming in her mouth / on her face, threesomes, booty call mentality…besides the last one, none of these things are inherently bad and they are in fact all part of the top level, but NOT as the focus. In this mid-level these elements ARE the focus, while her pleasure becomes a side dish. You want to see her horny and happy, and you’ll make efforts to pleasure her to a degree, but do not go all out.

When you have cum once you notice your desire to continue is massively curtailed, as your main purpose has been achieved. Therefore you are in little position to give her great sex.

This level is about self-indulgence, an inherently feminine trait. If you base your pickup around this, you’ll little by little paint yourself into a corner with all your chicks and it will damage your success with increasing severity at all levels…as you essentially become a girly-man! This level is easy to slip into, even if you started out at the top, not just because humans tend to be lazy, but also because women do not generally understand their role and this will cause your frame to wear down over time as you are exposed to many different women, unless you consciously and deliberately reinforce your top-level frame as you go.

This level therefore asserts as its worldview that a woman’s job is to give pleasure, to indulge the man. Hence the "booty call" mentality. Note that girls who naturally allow themselves to be booty call girls create a dangerous temptation for the man at the top level. But there’s no problem as long as the man ensures it’s a booty call for her, not him In other words, booty call girls are great as long as you can remain committed to giving her awesome pleasure every time she comes, sending her home extremely satisfied and walking on air for the next few days because of it (top-level).

Other detriments - possible damaged hormone balance, higher voice, laziness and lack of control in all areas of life, difficulty in managing relationshps, getting in more arguments with chicks, losing your meaning and purpose in life, (ironically) not enjoying sex as much over time, and risk slipping into the lowest level (see below).

Low: Desexualized Dude - Primarily for Validation from Others (motivated by fear and feeling of emptiness, lack of pear acceptance, desire to create envy in others, rooted in low self-esteem…no sexual state - HA!)

Not even coming from a place of horniness or excitement in the pickup. It’s pickup divorced from it’s reason for being: hot sex (whether primarily for her pleasure or for yours). Ouch.

Fantasy - showing up other guys by walking arm-in-arm with your trophy girls, having people think of you as the scoring machine, the guy who gets all the hot chicks with little effort.

In this level sex itself is not that important and probably not that good unless by fluke. Many guys in this category will being interested in making girlfriends more, because sex just doesn’t interest them that much. They more desire validation and perhaps security.

Really, at this level things are so screwed up that any number of strange problems may result and the pickup lifestyle is in grave danger of collapsing on itself under the weight of myriad failed relationships, fights and bitterness. Either that or Mr. Pickup Artist continues with this, addicted to the peer validation and warm chummy relations with other guys, and simply becomes more and more of a fucked up character as his life progresses.

My aim in pickup is a 90/9/1 ratio of top-to-mid-to-low motivation.

In other words 90% of my motivation should come from desire to pleasure the girl I am picking up. My excitement about the amazing pleasure that’s in store for her is the primary driving force in my sales pitch to get her to come home with me.

9% should come from my own desire to get pleasure. A significant factor still, which I will enjoy in the margins as a side dish - the fruits of my efforts to pleasure women in general.

And 1% should come from validation from others, as something I never focus on but it sits there in the background reassuring me in any time of weakness. When I am really on the ball, I am always careful to deliberately keep this element extremely low by not telling others I meet in real life about my abilities, etc. I know if this element is growing out of hand whenever I notice I’m having trouble breaking it off with a really hot girl that I know it’s time to stop seeing. At times in my life I’ve succumbed to the urge to keep her around a little longer because it’s just so great to see the look on other guys’ faces, but that is BAD! I strongly advise making every effort not to indulge yourself like this if you intend to continue this lifestyle.

Note that I’m definitely not saying it’s wrong to desire pleasure from girls, to want to see their hot pussies spread out in front of your face, to feeling their velvety tounges wrapping around your member. I am saying that you want to show self-discipline and enjoy those things in the margins, knowing that if you just focus on their pleasure you’ll have way more than enough pleasure for yourself. Focusing on their pleasure will, over the months, build you into a super pickup artist who gets all the benefits of all these levels in spades and enjoys it more and more all the time, as you are truly making the world a better place through purely positive, happy interactions with the people in it. Heck, you are even making it better for the next guy as the girl will be better adjusted and more ready for great sex with him, and less tolerant of bad sex and his self-indulgence.

As my third week in Kanazawa comes to a close I am able to collect my thoughts in a more positive, logical manner.

The main obstacle that I had to overcome was not one of necessifty but of luxary. Everything is so familiar, simple, and even expected. I can easily navigate through any situation because they are all simply altered states of past experiences. I take for granted the fact that I can speak and read Japanese-Explaining to my peers where a certain resturant or shop is, I can’t remember if the landmarks I have given them are written in Japanese or English, or if there will be any sort of English support for them assuming they reach their destination.

Day-to-day life offers no difficulties. Rather, it is an internal struggle with myself to challenge my expectations. Coming back to Japan is like a second marriige on the coattails of one that ended not due to divorce, but because my wife died unexpectly and tragically. I still love her so, even though she treated me badly at times. And so Kanazawa doesn’t have my favorite Japanese resturants. It doesn’t have my favorite grocery stores or shops. Most importantly it doesn’t have my favorite people.

These are all problems that could only exist because of my past experience. Coming to Japan the first time, everything was so fresh, exciting, and NEW that it didn’t matter what happaned to me. This time my mind is older, harder, and slightly less forgiving.

This is not without its advantages.

I am able to brace myself and accept the inevitable unplentries that life will bring. In a foreign environment, once the honeymoon period wears off every bad thing that happens to you is three times worse then it actually is. In particular making real friends can be daunting, seemingly impossible task. Knowing the problems you face ahead of time allows you to accept them for what they truely are: Not problems, but truths.

If you go into a situation with an empty frame of mind you will fill it with new insights. Go into a situation with a mind filled with expectations and bias and you will find that everything is just how you thought it would be. In other words I have learned to expect nothing from people and chreish whatever I get in return.

Kanazawa In a Nutshell
People from Kanazawa are proud of their city’s history and culture. Although this can be said for every region of Japan for they each have the ‘best’ something, be it apples, water, or neighborhood baseball team, Kanazawa makes (mostly) good on its boasting. For a modern city it has done a comparitively good job of protecting its historical gardens, temples, and crafts. In comparison I visited Kobe and Osaka last weekend and I found nothing to enjoy but concrete. To be fair, Kanazawa has its share of concrete riverbeds and dams, but the city feels more alive then other man-made tombs that dot the island.

The breathtaking view from my window

My apartment is located in the old Samurai district, with wooden architecture, shrines, and temples on all sides. Stepping out one evening the distinct plinking of the shamisen floated through the open second-story window of a classic home across the street. Unlike many other areas in Japan the link to past culture has not been severed.

This is perhaps due to Kanazawa’s long history of political and military amnesty. After the region was conquered by the Shogun in the early 1600’s it was designated as a cutural stronghold for the arts and local handcrafts. Kanazawa’s massive rice yield allowed it the resources to amass the greatest creative brain trust in Japan at the time.

Since then Kanazawa has become famous for seafood, sake, gold leafing (guess where all the flattened gold sheets that cover Kin-kakuji came from) and whatever else people feel like bragging about. This is, however, the dogma of tourists and Kanazawas elderly. Ask people my age inside the city what makes Kanazawa unique, and they respond with a dry laugh-"It’s close to Kyoto!"

Which is not entirerly true. There are beutiful beaches on the east, west, and northern coasts, as well as mount Haku-San in the south that becomes a mecca for snowboarders and skiiers in the winter. There is a lot to do just outside of Kanazawa, but it lacks the well developed train system that most other big cities in Japan enjoy and as a result you need a car, or someone who has a car, to make the most out of living in the region.

Bike 20 minutes outside of the city to find the real countryside

Work In a Nutshell
I work for the Kanazawa International Exchange Foundation (KIEF) under the employ of Kanazawa city. This distinction is important. While there are other CIRs on the floor above me, they are employed by the prefecture and as such operate under a slightly different set of regulation and bosses. Across the city there are more city CIRs working in the city hall, and as fellow city CIRs I see them more often then the folks above my head. Kanazawa has a comparatively large foreign population (1% of the total) with people from America, Russia, Europe, Korea, Brazil, China. As a result we have CIRs from these various countries to help those from their respective countries.

The contents of my work can be broken down into three catagories- In office, out of office, and events.

In office work includes translating/creating fliers for various events that are put on by the various international groups in Kanazawa. I also am in charge of other mundane tasks such as maintaning KIEF’s English homepage and assisting English speaking foreigners that wander into our corner.

Out of Office work includes interpreting and school visits/lectures. For example, execs from Thailand are coming in two weeks and I will be in charge of interpreting plant tours and lectures on Kanazawa’s history. Sometime in December I will be visiting a "Volunteer College" to introduce my country to senior volunteers. After that I will be going to a school for children with special needs to play games with the students. The context and content varies widely.

Events, or "Culture Classrooms" as we call them around the office, are short cultural events that I plan and put on for whoever is interestest, usually bored housewives and their children. In October I’d like to do a pumpkin carving event for Halloween, and in the Winter I’m planing to teach people how to make American chili and cornbread.

I’m not sure if I’m providing an important social service or just helping people to kill time and allow them to feel more cosmopolitan. In any case, I am my own boss for these events and am free to present whatever strikes my fancy. The possibilities are intimidating, but I’m going to have more fun working with kids then I did working with suits from the automotive biz.

My Life in a Nutshell
Work is 9:00-5:45 Monday-Thursday, and 9:00-12:00 on Friday. Japan gets dark around 6:00 (no Daylight Saving Time) and most shops close around 8:00, meaning, by the time I get home, shower, eat, relax, and head out into the town, Kanazawa has already called it a day. Generally I study for a few hours at a coffee place or fast food joint, then wander the streets until something grabs my interest.

Bars in Japan are very different then in the States. On top of absurd drink prices, most bars have a cover charge, generally 500-700 yen, although this can go up to 2500 yen for singles bars. Generally cover entails snacks to go with your seven dollar cocktail, though this eliminates the possibility of bar hopping.

And when you are the only patron in an establishment, you will want to hop, and quickly. Another interesting characteristic about bars in Japan is their size. Generally they are just that-a bar, with 6-10 stools. This creates a very intimate setting which while condusive to meeting people can at times be overpowering.

I have crawled through a great many bars and met a great many people these past few weeks. Connections were made, but will they lead anywhere? I have made acquaintances with the "English Leech" more times then seems probably in this short period of time. The English Leech is a person who is interested in becoming friends with you solely on the virtue that you can teach them English or that you will become their Gaijin buddy, a living fashion accessory much like pet or a baby.

I am willing to be suckeled by the English Leech.

The biggest problem I faced in Otsu was making friends. I’d meet someone at a party, have a great time, make some fun conversation, and exchange contact information, then never see the person again. This is a common pattern, but even knowing so you can’t help but feel that there is somthing fundamentily wrong with you that is keeping people away from you. Since then I have learned that even if it is a problem with me (which it isn’t, for the most part), but rather something about Japanese culture that I have to work through.

My first weekend I didn’t have a bike and had my hands full with mapping out my neighborhood by foot. My second weekend I was in Osaka. This weekend was my first chance to really explore the shops and malls that close before I can get to them. I discovered that my method of meeting people was terribly flawed. Previously I had been effectively paying for a Japanese conversation partner through the price of my drinks. By going into small shops staffed by the manager and his friends, I was guarenteed to meet people my age with a conversation piece, for free! What’s with these Cheech and Chong stickers, most people in Japan have never even seen marijuana. I saw a concert flyer on your door, are they any good? And so on. People are so shocked to see a foreigner that can actually speak Japanese that they do most of the bridge-building for you.

This leads me to my hypothsis-

In Japan, you need an "in."

Water in a concrete tomb.

The easiest way to reach the ocean is to follow its streams. If you know one person, even if that person just wants to use you as free English teacher, you can go through them and meet their friends, and that person’s friends and so on. This may not be the best approach, but it’s better then no approach. My neighborhood, Nagamachi, is well known for its man-made waterways, which while beautiful to look at are depressing to think about. Is the social stream I find myself wading in as similarily shallow and artificial?

Time will tell.

See you then.

The basic plan is always the same: get to sex ASAP. Recent posts elucidate great ways to go about this.

More important is WHY. Why approach? Why "get" a girl? The answer for me is, "to set up the basis for giving her amazing pleasure and maybe later a fantastic relationship." To do this, in present society around the world, it’s generally required that men get to sex with the girl ASAP first, just to get it out of the way so they don’t fall into friend zone or worse.

That’s why the blog was formerly titled "Get Girls." For me it’s never been about just "getting girls," it’s about what I do after I get them. However, the ways and means of getting girls are the focus of the blog, and I leave readers to decide what they want to do after that. I trusted that guys would hold to the maxim of "always leaving them better than you found them."

Given that the title could confuse people and attract guys who just want to "get girls" and use them, leaving them worse off than before, I’ve decided to change the blog title to something more fitting. Guys that just want to get trophy girls or get their dick wet first and foremost will find little of real use here, because the methods espoused will ensure that your agenda sabotages you along the way, at least often enough that you’ll turn to more calculating pickup methods propounded elsewhere on the net.

It turns out that WHY you are interested in "getting girls" is closely connected with what kind of girls you’ll end up with, and with what rate of success.

The most basic element of success with women and relationships is the desire and commitment to give happiness, pleasure and love and knowing that you have a lot to give. Once you’ve had sex with a girl it’s not usually hard to keep her for as long as you want (as long as you treated her well, YOU clearly enjoyed it and the sex was GOOD). So the issue of giving love and happiness, while of the utmost importance later on, ironically have little effect on whether you actually hook up with a given girl and get into a position to give her those gifts.

So we are left with one critical element for making the hook-up happen - before you even approach her or get hot for her or anything. That element is simply your desire, will and commitment to giving her the time of her life in bed.

This is the gift you bring to her. You are not "getting" her pussy; she is "getting" the benefit of being with you. In terms of sex, SHE is the primary beneficiary of the interaction, and you are the secondary. Who knows if she is a good lay or not? But you know that YOU are a fantastic lay (if you really are). She might not know this right away, because people are not very intuitive, but the point is you have no interest or intention of taking anything from her, only of giving. Plus you know what you’re offering is amazingly good.

This conviction - and the confidence it gives you - is what underpins the whole pickup and indeed the whole lifestyle of getting sexual with many fine women. If you are out there to give, and you know your gifts are truly awesome, your success is literally unlimited.

I started off this way, which is why I progressed very fast when I found the right methods, and how I knew to avoid the bad methods. It’s all too easy to think you are in this for all the hot pussy and T&A you get to see, touch and taste, the jealous stares, the personal validation. Especially the first one is very good to enjoy, but it is critical to realize that NONE of these elements can come anywhere near your desire to pleasure the girl! The moment it does, the quality of the lifestyle takes a massive hit. It creeps up on you. People just naturally get lazy. This lifestyle is not for the lazy. It’s for those who are committed to making women happy, through sex and whatever other way they want to. Those that follow this will become very happy themselves, because you get back what you put in. Those that don’t follow this will either burn out very fast and hurt people along the way or they’ll burn out slow and live a meaningless and tragic life in this regard. Learn to have great sex, commit to it, and you’ll have the strength to press through any kind of interaction.

Honestly, I thought I would have much more time to myself, to be able to spend as I pleased while visiting my aunt and uncle up here in Maryland, and update regularly as I promised. INSTEAD, I seem to be a 24-hr babysitting service for my spoiled-rotten baby cousins. They’re ages eight and 4, and they never shut up. They TRY to think of ways of getting into mischief. For them, playing and fighting are the same thing, so when one of them screams bloody murder, I usually run to see what’s the matter, only to catch them in the middle of a tickle fight. They’re with me all damn day, too, following me around and asking me obnoxious questions. I HAVE to play with them, too, or my aunt won’t pay me for watching them. Subsequently, I haven’t been able to write ANYTHING (I write short stories and post them on the internet, too) let alone keep up with my blog here. I’m really sorry. Luckily, I managed to convince them to give me just a half hour of alone time, so I’ll write what I can. Thanks for understanding.

Anyway, to continue with my story:

Fujiomi and I headed out fairly early, and once he bought our train passes, I knew we were headed into Shibuya. First of all- he’s never bought me anything. Ever. And I knew that he got special pleasure watching me battle the Ticket Machines o’ Evil every morning on the way to school. However, this time, he seemed all too eager to buy my ticket for me, and even take my hand as we boarded the train. I was about to pull away from him, but he tightened his grip.

Him: What? You don’t like holding hands? How un-Japanese of you.

I wanted to correct him SO bad, and say that the Japanese were actually reknown for their strict social standards on physical affection; but I knew he was just using it as an excuse to win the bet we had, so I kept quiet. We got to Shibuya, and the first thing he did was ask me what I wanted to do. And it wasn’t one of those careless, “What-do-you-wanna-do?”’s that ALL guys ask, because they’re too lazy to think of something themselves. He looked me in the eyes, smiled, and asked me what I would enjoy doing- like he really cared!

IT WAS FREAKY. Like, Hitler-watching-care-bears kind of creepy.

I muttered something, so Fujiomi dragged me around and we window shopped for a bit. Again, the clothes I was wearing made me REALLY stand out, and those shoes were murder. It felt like everyone was looking at me- something I’m not really used to. About half an hour later, Fujiomi lead me into this cafe. Well, THEY call it a cafe. It actually looked like an botanical garden filled with french maid cosplay girls serving tea and really extravagant desserts. On a side note, maid cafe’s are getting to be REALLY popular here, especially in the nooks and crannies of Shibuya, Shinjuku, and a few in Harajuku.

We sat down, and Fujiomi IMMEDIATELY turned back into his usual self.

Fujiomi: What’s the matter with you?

Me: Huh?

Fujiomi: You’re acting quiet and shy.

Me: Isn’t that how I’m supposed to act?

Fujiomi: Yeah, but now that you’re actually acting that way it’s boring. So go back to your usual loud self. Seeing you so reserved is giving me chills.

Me: You’re acting weird, too. You’re acting nice, kind, and thoughtful.

Fujiomi: I’m always nice, kind and thoughtful.

Me: Not to me!

Fujiomi: I never said I was nice, kind, or thoughtful to YOU. but I am nive, kind, and thoughtful.

Me: You’re evil.

After that, we talked more about each other, and the subject of our homes came up. Fujiomi actually asked me quite a few questions about America, like how much I had travelled around, what the social norms were like, and what kind of traditions we had. He ordered for the both of us- miraculously remembering that I like black coffee over tea- and some kind of frou-frou dessert. When the waitress gave it too us, it wasn’t very large, but it looked like it was made of about nine different kinds of pure sugar.

I don’t like sweets.

Period.

I have ONE piece of chocolate a year, and that’s the truffle I get from my father every year on Valentine’s Day.

This THING in front of me made me want to gag just from the sugary-sweet smell of it. And what did Fujiomi do? As soon as the waitress approached again, he turned back into the Nice Fujiomi, pasted on a smile and thanked her for it. Then, taking the spoon out, he scooped some of it up- and held it in front of me, telling me to open my mouth.

Not ONLY had the waitress not even left yet, but about six other people from surrounding tables were openly staring. AND I HATE SWEETS.

Me: You MUST be joking.

Him: -SMILE- Nope. Now open your mouth, like a good girlfriend.

The way he said it was SO perverted, too.

But if you can’t beat ‘em- shock ‘em.

So I pressed my breasts together as I leaned forward, licked my lips and shut my eyes as I opened my mouth and went, “Ahhhhhhnnnnn”.

I’m shocked he didn’t drop that spoon. Instead, he SHOVED the hunk of sugar into my mouth and asked sweetly, “Tastes good, huh?” to which I answered as femininely as I could: “Uh-uh! As sweet as victory!”

Actually, I felt kind of bad, because between the two of us, we only had three bites of the entire Banana chocolate parfait. As a Southern girl, I hate seeing food go to waste– but I sure as hell wasn’t going to eat it.

Fujiomi dragged me out of the cafe and to a large building on the corner. There was a huge screen on both sides of the building, showing music videos and news clips and commercials. When I looked at the sign, I saw it was a movie theater. He asked me what movie I wanted to see- again, with that kind smile on his face, like he genuinely wanted to do something that I liked. However, I still had to get back at him for the parfait, so I pointed to a poster on the wall of a Japanese man and woman in a passionate embrace on a beach at sunset, with a title something like, “My heart, your body, our future” and said THAT was the movie I wanted to see.

Fujiomi’s face fell as he looked at the poster, and I had to EAT MY OWN LIPS to keep from busting out laughing. Fujiomi has a special loathing for chick-flicks. According to Sukiko, he took his first date to a move, who- naturally- wanted to see a chick flick, and he mistakenly agreed. Not only did the movie and plot itself make him want to punch a baby, but apparently, the girl he was with would randomly throw herself at him throughout the movie and try to molest him, thinking it was romantic. Knowing this, I picked the sappiest, most feminine movie I could.

And, heroically enough, Fujiomi accepted the challenge.

OH SHIT!! One of the kids just fell down the stairs!! I’ll update later!

I apologize for the lack of updates. The reason I haven’t been updated is because I’ve been busy. The reason I’ve been busy is because I’ve done got a job! Huzzah! Let me try to recap so as to keep the timeline progressing smoothly…

I left you fellow readers with the interview at investment company number five. I came in around 10am for what I thought was the usually half hour deal (unspoken agreement, of course) and was unknowingly taken on a rollercoaster of interviews. I was first interviewed by the foreigner head of the department, who then handed the baton to his Japanese second-in-command. Those two took about an hour and were actually quite pleasing to speak with. They then left me with the words "Don’t screw it up." and before I had a chance to really ponder the deeper meaning, five or six other people from one of their operations teams came to interview me in succession. Yes, I got a little tired of explaining why I chose Japan and Japanese six consecutive times, but you know, you make these kinds of sacrifices when you do an interview. Well, there are ‘other’ kinds of sacrifices, but we won’t get into that.

As the foreigner department head was leading me (I was very disoriented at that point) to the elevator, he gave me a verbal offer. This was pretty cool, I thought. You know when you apply for college and you send that one application to your dream school knowing that you won’t get in but figure it’s worth the shot anyway? Yeah, that’s me and this company. I got in.

They rushed the whole process pretty quickly to get me started on the immigration procure as soon as possible. They gave me a verbal offer last Wednesday, a written offer on Friday, I turned in the signed written offer on Monday and I’m on my way. But folks, immigration takes forever and a day. Seriously, if I can actually be working by early next year, I’ll be surprised. In actuality though, I’ll hopefully be starting around early October, but still. The image of me working in Japan actually consisted of me working. Behind a desk. With, you know, computers and stuff. Not just twiddling my thumbs, waiting for the Japanese government to give me the ‘ok’ to start working. Oh well, you take what you can get.

Besides the immigration procedure, I have a whole bunch of fun stuff I get to do in the interim. First, and most importantly, I need to find a place. I’ve been staying at various friends¡Ç places for the last six weeks, and I think I may be running out of friends. I went apartment hunting with my ladyfriend and a real estate agent (yes, they are necessary to rent an apartment) and found a really great place just a 10 minute train ride from where I work. Hopefully I can get the paperwork started on this too.

Before I move into my own place, the company will provide me with a ‘temporary residence’ to use. As sketchy as it sounds, I think it will work out pretty well.

Anywho, more updates as they come. My life is pretty much filled with paperwork and processing right now, so don’t expect anything exciting.

Not that anyone really noticed, but I skipped town for the last four days to head up to Nikko (read: cooler mountainous area) for some hot springs fun. I also brought my laptop along, mistakenly thinking that I would have a chance to post from a more natural setting than Tokyo. What I forgot (and this is entirely my own fault) was that while Tokyo is one of, if not the most technologically advanced city in the world, the rest of Japan somehow missed the boat. Oh well, even though I couldn’t connect to the internet I still was able to catch up on some episodes of House M.D. (one of the few tv shows I actually kind of follow). This also has the added fun of having my ladyfriend ask me to translate parts of the show to her ("How do you say sickle cell anemia in Japanese?" "……I think my dictionary s’over here…").

We went down to the main part of Nikko, which took a few hours by bus and train (it¡Çs a big area) in order to get to this place called Edo-Mura (or literally Edo-town). For those not ‘in the know,’ Edo was what Tokyo was called back in the Tokugawa/Meiji periods. It was pretty surprising to me though, because it was the first time I’ve ever seen Japan package its own culture and sell it back to itself. I mean, they had ninja training houses, geisha courts, etc., basically everything needed to cheese-out their own culture. It kind of felt like a renaissance fair back in the states, but more fake and marketed towards children. I can see them packaging their culture and selling it to foreigners (they¡Çve done that countless times), but this was the first time I’ve seen it ‘for Japanese, by Japanese.’ Go figure.

Job hunting seems to be a little slower this week because of Obon. I had an interview at hotel number two today which went well. Two of their hiring managers sat down with me and took turns asking me questions, one in Japanese and one in English. I have to admit, it was a little weird going back and forth every minute. Usually I feel more comfortable setting the dial internally and sticking with a single language for a little while, especially for sticky situations like interviews. It turned out well though, and they said they’ll get back to me in a few days (they always say they’re going to call but they never do. They don’t really love me.)

I have one other piece of really good news. I got offered a position at investment company number two! I only really know which department the position is in, so I’m going back on Wednesday morning to talk with them about the job specifics and hammer out the details. Nothing is set yet though.

I got an interview with another investment company (number five) through one of the recruiting agencies here in Tokyo, so I’ll be going to that interview before the one at investment company two on Wednesday.

So…Wednesday is pretty packed, but other than that my week is completely free. I’m looking forward to finding out the specifics on the offer so I can compare it to the first one and see what it is I’m actually looking for in a job, what is reasonable to ask for, etc.

As I’ve been writing this blog I’ve felt kind of bad for keeping this all anonymous. I guess it doesn¡Çt really help people figure out how to get a job in Japan unless I actually post the names of services I used and so forth. I’d actually post the names of companies if I wasn’t worried about you ambitious readers going out there and taking my jobs *suspicious face* I’ve actually tried (and failed) at several blogs throughout high school and college based on this whole ‘how much do I disclose’ issue. If you reveal too much, well, let’s just say there are some aspects of your life that others just don’t really prefer to read about. If you don’t tell enough of the story, well then, that’s just boring. I think I finally decided that a good rule of thumb is tell it like you would be telling a friend at a crowded bar. You can pretty much tell them the story, but just be aware that other people will probably overhear you and check yourself accordingly. Well, as soon as this job hunt is finished, I’ll give people the scoop of exactly what I did to get a job in Japan (with only a tourist visa no less). And of course, if people email me directly I¡Çll be more than happy to help.

So I’m on the flight to Maryland now. It’s not too bad, but WHY IS IT that no matter WHERE I’m going, as soon as I step onto the plane, my period starts?! I’m also starting to get a headache and the coffee I’m drinking tastes like raw sewage.

But all is not lost. I’m really starting to look forward to my trip. My aunt and uncle are nice people (though wallpaper has a more interesting personality than the two of them), and their kids are…well….brats. They have an eight year old boy and a four year old girl, both of whom are pissing themselves with excitement at my visit. Beats me why. I’m horrendous with children.

I know I’ve been absent for quite some time now, but I still have loads to tell about my recent visit to Japan.

To get the ball rolling, I guess I could tell you about my date with Fujiomi. See, we had been officially dating for a few weeks, but had never been on a date before. I was actually wondering for a while when we would get to that part, but seeing as I had never really been on a real date before, I was afraid to bring up the topic with Fujiomi only to get mocked for my own ignorance. However, one afternoon, only days away from final exams, Fujiomi walked into my classroom during break and tugged me from my group of friends.

Fujiomi: Don’t make any plans this Saturday.

Me: Huh?! Why not?

Fujiomi: I have plans.

Me: Okaaay….Well, good for you.

Fujiomi: Idiot- I have plans for US on Saturday.

After that he turned on his heel and walked away. I told the girls what happened and they LOST IT. All of a sudden they were yammering on about what to wear, how to do my hair, my nails, my makeup, where we were going and how "far" I would let him go. I wanted to talk to Fujiomi about it more, to know where we would go or what kind of "plans" he had in mind, but he never brought it up again, and when I asked, he’d give me his patented *shrug* "Whatever" move. It seemed like Saturday would never come, either. But finally, it did, and I was woken up at the buttcrack of dawn by Sukiko.

Sukiko: Hurry, Pandora-chan! Fujiomi is already awake and getting dressed! If you don’t hurry, you won’t be able to leave with him!

Me: Nnnghhhh….bwahhh…..? Leave…Go what? I just….I’m gonna play….one more level, then….zzzzzzzzzzz

Sukiko: PANDORA-SAN!!! pelase wake up! Today is your Super Special Date!

Me: ……………………Date?

Sukiko: Yes! Remember?! Your date with Fujiomi! Hurry and take a shower, and get dressed, please! We all worked hard to put together the perfect outfit for you!

Me: "We"? Wait- what outfit?

I looked around, and I saw that Sukiko had no less than six different shopping bags with her.

Sukiko: Nana, Mai, and myself all pitched in to buy you a really cute outfit today! We all took turns going shopping and taking pictures of different styles to find clothes that fit you. Pandora-san, you’re pretty, but we know that you rarely think of fashion or what to wear. Since today is your offical First Date, we wanted you to look the part! Also, we want Fujiomi to be suprised; he’ll be the envy of every guy he passes, with you on his arm today!

I honestly didn’t know what to say. Sukiko was right- I tend to find clothes that (mostly) fit, in colors I think look okay, and wear whatever’s clean. I’m not a big jewelry fanatic, and I HATE accessories like purses and hats and belts. I’m the epitome of simple style- and the opposite of what’s fashionable in Japan. The three of them had worked so hard- I could just imagine Mai snapping a picture of a blouse in a store window and sending it to Sukiko’s cell phone to get her opinion, or Nana in her Goth Loli strolling up and down the streets of Harajuku, looking for just the right shoes for me. I thanked Sukiko profusely, but she said the real way to thank her was to not let her efforts go in vain, and I swore that they wouldn’t. I would work hard and really clean myself up to be worthy of the clothes they had chosen. I took a quick shower, and when I was walking back to our room, I walked past Fujiomi’s room and caught a glimpse of him putting some spray stuff in his hair and styling it, while muttering a few choice swear words in English and Japanese. When I got back to the room, Nana was there. She said she had come to help me with my hair and makeup while Sukiko was taking out and laying down the clothes from the many shopping bags. I told her that I wasn’t used to makeup, but that I trusted her judgement and appreciated her help, all while thinking, Don’t make me goth loli! Don’t make me goth loli! Please, for the love of all that’s good in the world, don’t make me into a goth loli!!!!

Nana got to work on my hair immediately, blow-drying it straight with curls on the ends. I was suprised at how proffessional she was, but considering how much time she must spend on her OWN hair each day, I guess I shouldn’t be too shocked. After she did my makeup, I put on the clothes they picked out. The shirt was a bit tight, but they had purposely picked out a shirt with these weird adjustable straps on the sides. "Well, considering your large chest, it was only fair. We wanted you to be able to breathe." Nana said. The next part was really suprising- they had bought me Daisy Duke-esque shorts to wear with it. I NEVER WEAR SHORTS. EVER. But I put them on at their insistance, and sure enough- it made my ass look wider than the whole country of Japan. "You have such long legs, Pandora-chan! It would be a shame not to show them off!" Sukiko said, "Besides, the jacket will cover the shorts anyway." Jacket? On cue, Nana pulled out a tailored jacket that went down to my knees. If I buttoned the jacket up, I looked like a flasher. I didn’t say that, though, considering how much thought and effort they had put into it, so I let them put the matching belt, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, hair clips, and shoes on me. the outfit all matched perfectly- like something I would see in a fashion magazine on a woman half my size. Sukiko and Nana ooh-ed and ahh-ed over it, put the final touches on my makeup, and did my nails. Actually, they had these weird acrylic nail machines where you, like, put fake nails inside a tray, put it inside the machine, pick a template and colors, and press start, and it actually airbrushes the nails for you. Fake nails were a new thing for me, but some girls change their nail style every day!

When they finished, I looked in the mirror and abrely recognized myself. The makeup and hairstyle really called attention to the fact that I was a gaijin, as well as the rather tight top. While I looked at myself, Fujiomi knocked ont he door and said it was almost time to go, and he hoped I wasn’t still asleep. Sukiko and Nana beamed with pride; I could only hope Fujiomi would feel the same way, and not laugh in my face. I opened the door- and he froze. He looked me right in the eyes, then scanned me up and down, then back at my face. After a moment, he opned his mouth and said: "Ready to go?"

Sukiko just about fell on the floor, and I swear I heard Nana weeping over Fujiomi’s heartless response to all of her hard work. Fujiomi, though, grabbed my hand and led me downstairs and straight out the door. I noticed within the first forty seconds that the shoes nana and Sukiko had picked out for me were nearly impossible to walk in; they were strappy and awkward, and nothing like the flip flops I usually trekked in. We didn’t say anything on the way to the train station, and I didn’t even know where we were going until Fujiomi bought us two tickets to Shibuya. It was pretty crowded in the train, and it was difficult to stand. It felt like everyone was looking at me- though I noticed quite a few girls looking at Fujiomi.

I took the time to notice what he was wearing: A button-up shirt with a simple jacket over it, and designer jeans and shoes. He had undoubtedly taken almost as much time as me getting dressed and styling his hair. It made me wonder if Japanese guys were really all that different from American guys. The train got more and more crowded, and I was getting SUPER uncomfortable, because Fujiomi was right behind me. The more packed it got, the closer he and I were pressed against each other. At one of the stops, the train halted suddenly, and he wrapped his arms around my shoulders to keep me from "falling on my face like an idiot." I remember smelling his cologne for the first time at that moment- when I turned my head to look at him and my face brushed his sleeve. It smelled….really nice. It didn’t seem to me like it was manufactured, like Axe or Tag, but it was just as inviting.

We got off at our stop in Shibuya, and Fujiomi stopped, took my arm, wrapped it underneath his, and patted my hand- like some kind of escort! And he STILL hadn’t said a two full sentances to me! Finally, I broke down and asked him where we were going. He grinned like an evil magistrate and said, "You’ll see…"

To be continued…

Coming up on a month, huh?

More updates to come as the week progresses.