My 45 Minutes In A Japanese Police Station

I have done no fault but nevertheless I had no other option. It was all voluntary, no one was to blame not even the person whose wallet I found in front of my apartment. Yes, I picked (not steal) someone's wallet and because I cannot personally communicate with the owner, I surrendered the item to the police.  

Police Station

A successful trip to the koban (police station) took me 3 days...sometimes it would rain, other times no one was there (which was kinda strange). And because my Japanese is barely survival level, I had to explain how I found the wallet, when I found the wallet in ways which showcased my acting and drawing skills in what seemed like the charades/guessing game.

The wallet I found

But time ticked by as the police officer examined and listed in great detail (credit card number, ID number) all the items in the wallet. He made some calls and later on he was able to obtain the owner's contact number.  He counted the cash placed it inside an enveloped, which he sealed and he had me sign some documents which I never really understood. 

But the final 20 minutes was actually spent on some Q&A which could have been quick had my Japanese been a lot better ^_^ In an attempt to solve the issue they showed me a book with many dialogues in various languages and I also had to call a friend who speaks Japanese.

Police: If nobody claims the wallet after 30 days, would you like to keep it?

Me: No

Police: If nobody claims the cash, would you take it?

Me: Thinks for a while (just kidding). of course I said no

Police: Would you like a reward for returning the wallet?

Me: (shocked for a bit) No thank you

Police: So arigatou gozaimasu is enough?

Me: Hai.

2 days after the incident, the owner called me thanking me for his wallet but actually "arigatou gozaimashita" was all I can make out of what he said over the phone. Too bad I cannot speak Japanese, it was really one of those moments when I wished I could at least say something other than "Iie, dou itashimashite" (you are welcome).

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Scooping For Your Life in a Japanese "Perya"

Goldfish Scooping (Photo Credit)

Okay I admit, the title seems to be an exaggeration but really there is a lot of scooping going on in a Japanese "Perya". For those who may not know the term, it is a shortened form of "peryahan"- a Filipino word (maybe Spanish-derived) for mini-carnivals present in town fiestas or matsuri as they call it here in Japan. When I was young, I loved going to the peryahan and playing all those color and tossing games which I found to be uncommon here.

Typical Philippine carnival game where you need to toss coins into small squares
in order to win a price (Photo credit)

Scooping games, on the other hand, will never be absent in any of their matsuri or even mini fairs. Primarily they are scooping for goldfish which they call kingyo in a traditional game they call as Kingyo-sukui (sukui means scooping). It is not easy but rather tricky because you have to catch the fish using paper nets (poi) which could easily tear if handled wrongly. The goal is to catch as many as you can and put them in a bowl until the poi completely breaks. Don't ask me for any tips though because my best record so far is catching only 2 fast swimmers. :(

Scooping for bouncy balls

Scooping for long fishes (sorry I do not know what they are called)

If you still cannot imagine how they actually do it, you can check out this video below of a previous Japan Goldfish Scooping Competition (Yes they have those too).

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Why Election Campaigns Don't Accumulate Trash

Where I come from, elections and the election campaign greet you in the FACE. What would not be more obvious than this photo below? And because posters would tend to pile up one on top of the other, or the same face would be repeatedly posted in a row, tons of paper and tons of trash will find their way on the busy streets... an eyesore really but surprisingly, things are different here in Japan. The election campaign is as subtle as the personality of a typical Japanese. 

More campaign materials More FUN (really???) Photo credit

Campaign posters are only allowed in designated areas and at least here in my city it is strictly implemented. They have boards which are scattered in various places within the community with each candidate assigned a number in the board. 

And while I don't really understand what they are campaigning for, I find some posters rather interesting. And I have some of them here below...I assume they would be representatives of different kinds of people in the local council. The last candidate is actually a housewife and she has a very interesting slogan, something about "Change in the Kitchen to Change in the Government" 

Campaign materials

While I don't really have any participation in their local election and have only voted once in my lifetime for our own government, I am sure about one thing. Whoever you write in the ballot, irregardless of whether he/she wins or not, defines you as a person. So let us write our definition wisely.

Vote wisely Mina-san

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Mama Mary and Her "Chinky" Eyes

I usually attend mass in a chapel in Suita but not on this special Sunday. We are celebrating a mass for the International Day so we traveled for an hour and a half by train to a cathedral in Morinomiya. It was the first time for me to see a big Catholic church in Japan, much more attend a Japanese mass. And upon entering the church, something or rather someone inside really caught my eye. She was surprisingly unrecognizable at first glance but after peeling away the details I soon realized that it was Mother Mary herself in a way I have ever seen her before. She had chinky eyes and she was clothed in Japanese kimono.

One of the early Japanese martyrs who supported Christianity in Japan

The church was no different than what I expected it to be. Aside from some portraits of Japanese martyrs, typical elements such as tall windows adorned with stained glass, the stations of the cross, the crucifix..they were all there.

Stained Glass Depiction of the Holy Family

Outside the Church

Song book and verses in many languages

What is most interesting is the mass itself, where songs, prayers and readings are in different languages. There were so many people from different countries- Koreans, Spaniards, Vietnamese, Japanese..it was so diverse. And while I find myself often lost in translation, the feeling of solitude and peace I feel in the Father's presence is still unmatched. 

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Japanese Fitting Room Surprises

Shoes Off Please 

OFF WITH YOUR SHOES THEN OFF WITH YOUR CLOTHES

Clothes are not the only things you take off (and well of course put on) in a typical Fitting Room in Japan. As what they would traditionally do before entering a house, customers are expected to remove their shoes as well.  I think it is very convenient because you would easily figure out whether someone is inside the room or not (avoiding bending down to peak through falsely closed doors which I would usually do back home..hahahah)

Facial Covers for Make Up Users

OFF WITH YOUR SHOES THEN COVER YOUR FACE FIRST??

But another surprising addition to a typical fitting room ensemble would be this thin delicate facial mask usually boxed in the corner of the room. While I would often disregard it, I wondered for a while whether this was really necessary for hygienic purposes. As I read through other blogs I later on found out that these masks were designed to protect clothes from female enhancement products (read:make up). It would not take some time for you to notice that Japanese women are indeed make up lovers and as a precaution masks prevent the unwanted transfer of glitters and colors to clothes when they are pulled over the face. Makes sense I guess..^_^

Cover Up Please (Photo Credit)

Happy shopping!

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5 Things To Try For A Better Hanami Experience

This is what Hanami is all about (Photo credit)

When spring is around the corner, Japanese people have this custom of enjoying/viewing the flowers or what they call Hanami (花見 or "flower viewing"). In most cases, Hanami refers to viewing cherry blossoms ("sakura") which usually bloom at the end of March until late April. Families, couples or friends having picnics under sakura trees then become a normal sight. I also like watching cherry blossoms, especially under the bright sun. Biking to school along sakura covered pavements is my morning candy. Oh perfection and happiness!!This year is my first taste of spring ergo my first Hanami experience. We had hanami for our laboratory, hanami with friends and another hanami for my Filipino community and all of them were so delightful. And along all these firsts,  I noted down 5 things that makes/can make Hanami an even more enjoyable treat. Here goes.


1.Eating and Sharing Good Food (and good drinks??? ^_^)
Whether it is home-cooked, fast food, straight from the supermarket or from the food stalls/booths, good food can lighten up everyone's mood. Conversations over good food are always as hearty as the meal itself, and even "heartier" over a bottle of beer or better yet Japanese sake.

Food stalls around the park (yum yum)

Yummy Hanami barbecue (Photo credit)

Enjoying sake under the falling blossoms  (Photo credit)

and other drinks too!

2. Sakura Pictorials and all those photo shoots   
Who does not love pictures, either taking them or being in them????(I prefer the second actually). Enjoying hanami comes with taking hundreds of pictures or just a few beautiful ones, spiced up with a little bit of creativity and excitement.

Jumpshots will always be best for all seasons (Photo by Rafael Cabredo)

Mothers taking pictures of their babies side by side (kawaii!!) (Photo by Rafael Cabredo)

3. Playing games or sports
I saw many people playing games or sports too. I saw father and son playing badminton, and kids playing catch or soccer. Hearing a lot of laughter all around you is just so wonderful - as beautiful as sakura flowers themselves.

Cute kids playing badminton (Photo credit)

4. Wait for the Illumination The beauty of sakura extends until evening as they are accented with lights during illumination. 

Toshimaen, Tokyo Sakura Illumination  (Photo credit)

But ultimately, simply..
5.  Share it with friends and loved onesAny moment spent with loved ones will always be a sweet memory...(and suddenly I am missing...^_^)

"Two things fell for you that day, the cherry blossoms and my heart" (made this "cheesy-ness" up, sorry)

I love you Sakura tree! (Photo and model from Rafael Cabredo)
P.S. I am selling Danboards (the cute little entity hugging the tree)..Just send me a message anytime.

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How a Japanese Saved My iPhone from Destruction

I just cannot let this day pass without dedicating a blogpost for today's blessing so here goes...

While the rest of the world and most of my guy friends are having a blast destroying monsters and devouring each other in the recently released Diablo III, my iphone also had a little adventure of its own. What I thought was an ordinary dinner time with labmates turned out to be a fatal moment for us both - a possible irreversible separation was bound to occur (I just love exaggeration). As a backgrounder, I often eat dinner in the school cafeteria or shokudo as we call it. After one dines, we have a customary procedure to bring our trays onto a conveyor which then carries them directly into the wash area..and when I say directly, the trays are led into water sprays and water baths and all those other gadget-threatening experiences. And being the absent-minded person that I always am (leaving and losing things ever so constantly), I put my tray on the conveyor after putting the spoon and the glass into their respective containers, not noticing that I mistook my iphone for a plate.

Typical shokudo food and the distinct blue tray which carried my iPhone to its possible "end"

The tray conveyor looked something like this, bringing the food trays towards the washing area (Photo credit)
I dont have the picture of the real one.

shokudo/cafeteria (Photo credit)

I went back to the lab and went on with my merry ways only to realize 20 minutes later that my iphone is gone. I silently panicked and then retraced my steps until it led me to the dreaded cafeteria wash area. I never walked so fast going to shokudo until this day and it was an agonizing experience thinking about my wet, unusable phone and figuring out how to ask the staff about it in Japanese (hahahahah) But as they say, Japanese people are an honest lot and today I can really testify to that. I went inside the wash area and I just said one word, "ketai?" and allowed the rest of my sentence to drown in itself as if saying "chotto...". The Japanese staff then said, "purple?" referring to the color of my phone and I just want to hug him right there (did I actually type/say that? Anyway no erasures). "Arigatou gozaimasu!" was all I managed to say over and over again. I got my phone from the cashier, signed the Lost and Found booklet and was then happily reunited with this "purple entity". What I realized is that I should pay more attention really, so it does not happen again (btw I also lost my school ID and almost lost my wallet when I dropped it at the bus stop). Nevertheless I am happy to meet such honest people. I just can't imagine leaving my phone somewhere else.

To the Japanese cafeteria staff, honto ni arigatou gozaimasu! ^_^

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Rainy Day Umbrella Etiquette That You Must Know

When it rains here in Japan, blogging ideas pour because there are so many rainy day customs here that may seem normal to a Nihonjin (Japanese) but entirely new to a Gaijin (foreigner) like me. Take for instance this rainy day addition that will greet you as you enter supermarkets, malls or most establishments in general.

Before you enter a store, it is a must that you have to bag your dripping umbrellas in specially-made plastic bags  to avoid wetting the floor and causing harm to other customers The phrase "Slippery when wet" might ring a bell. And these plastic bags, take note, are made especially for umbrellas and will most likely fit umbrellas of all sizes. I guess you can say that Japanese people have everything for anything (or maybe almost). 

Rainy  Day Umbrella Etiquette as demonstrated by my ever willing friend (Thanks yet again Joaqs)

Buying with an additional umbrella baggage

After your umbrella has been bagged and deemed safe for other people's shopping experience, you can then bring your bagged umbrella wherever you go, as you continue on your own shopping routines. Once done, you can remove the plastic bag and just throw it in appropriate trash bins (sometimes located in the same spot where you got the plastic bag in the first place). I just have a question though, If it is always like this when it rains and they do not reuse the plastic bags, where do all the plastic bags go?

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How to Bag Groceries in Japan (Meet the "Packers")

Typical Supermarket Counter is Manned by One Cashier (Photo credit)

I am used to having at least 2 regular figures behind the grocery counter- a CASHIER who takes your items one by one and inputs the prices/quantities of the goods you bought, and a BAGGER who then takes your goods and stuffs them into a box, plastic bag  or paper bag (whichever is applicable). And after your groceries have been "processed" the bagger hands you your items, and you are good to go.

Not in Japan though. Here, you have to BAG IT FIRST BEFORE YOU GO.  That is how it works.

So in a typical Japanese Supermarket, only one personnel cheerfully greets you at the counter. You place your basket on top of the counter and she/he will scan those items one by one and transfer them into another basket. This is actually quite different in my country. We have to take out the items from the basket/pushcart by ourselves and put them on the counter. I remember a friend who got it all mixed up when she went home, and the cashier got a little annoyed because she suddenly put her basket on the counter. @_@

My friend paying in the counter (Thanks Kuya Ronald!)

Anyway, the Japanese will then ask you if you want to have plastic bags  (in Japaneses of course, which I could not quite catch most of the time). I just answer "Hai" (Yes) or "Onegaishimasu" (Please). And after paying for what you bought, the responsibility of packing the goods is all yours.

everything you will ever need is on the bagging table

On a detached table after the cashier, you will find all the space and all the items you would possibly need for packing your groceries. Stuff like plastic bags, scissors, rope, and cutters are yours for the taking. Sometimes the cashier would bag one or two items for you, but for bulk purchases you have to bag them yourself. Once done, you are expected to return the basket and the pushcarts in their proper places. Nobody is actually exempted from this according to my observation, young and old people alike are responsible for themselves.

Meet the "Packers"

bagging groceries Japanese style

my friend posing for demonstration purposes (thanks Joaqs!)

Now is this a good or bad thing? Personally I find it okay. It adds a little physical activity to your otherwise sedentary routine. Also it teaches us to be responsible for whatever we choose to buy. We can control which items go together in one bag. We can divide the items according to how we will carry them/how we will arrange them bike baskets. But on a higher note, I find it a simple gesture to practice independence. We have to start doing what we can do by ourselves and not to depend so much on other people for simple things that we can actually do on our own.

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Japanese Rainy Day Acrobatics

grace under pressure (girls riding bikes with umbrellas on one hand during
a typical Japanese rainy day)

This is something I have been wanting to write about because I am excited to share my fascination with you. And because the weather today is very timely, there is no perfect moment to blog about this but now.

Man's reaction to rainy days varies. I personally like it when it rains because it feels colder and the sky has this downcast colors which lulls me to introspection. When clouds shed tears, I am easily invited to do the same both because of sadness and happiness about things that were, are and will be. But rainy days here in Japan sometimes distract me from solitude because sights of local folks doing some sort of circus act paints a smile of amazement on my face.

My country is not a biking community, rather we rely either on walking or riding public jeepneys to get to us to where we want. Normally, rainy days in my country would be something like this. People just walk with their umbrella's or ride jeepneys with "trapal", a plastic sheet to cover the open windows. People would never dare to ride the bike or if they do, they usually wear raincoats. But not in Japan...

A typical rainy day in my country

This is how a Japanese commutes to work/school when it rains. Fearlessly and with great skill, he maneuvers himself on the slippery streets in a balancing act-holding an umbrella in one hand and the bicycle handle on the other. And let me just add that biking routes here are seldom flat. Going to school from my apartment entails traversing  3 hills (not an exaggeration I promise). The Japanese people are among the best bikers I have met in my life and their exposure to biking traces back  to childhood.

A typical Japanese act when it rains

Of course bicycle shops here in Japan have cool products too, especially for the rainy days. If you have a very faint heart but is eager to avoid the downpour, you can try out this umbrella holder for a price.

an umbrella holder might save your rainy day life (Photo credit)

I have tried biking with an umbrella once or twice and I can manage to do so if the road is flat. But once I feel a slight wiggle, I tense up and then hold the bike handle altogether. From trying and trying this simple thing, I have realized something. You just have to pedal continuously and without fear because it keeps you going and stops the bike from falling. Holding the umbrella is not the most difficult thing to do, it is trusting that even if you hold just one handle you are going to be safe. The same goes in many of life's challenges, I guess.

stunts that know no age

And once a biker, always a biker because this challenging act can be done by people of all ages. Mastery comes with constant practice and once learned and continuously applied, it will never be forgotten.

One last look with the rain so you can see what I mean (Photo credit)

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