Money in Japan

Hey gang, long time no see;

I`m currently in Kyoto Japan and let me tell you: Things are expensive. What`s worse is that Japan is a country that still uses cash for almost everything. Finding a place in a mainstream area like Kyoto isn`t too hard, but there are way too many places that don`t accept credit cards at all. Even when you find a place that accepts cards, they`re more than likely to only accept JVC (Japanese card), or if you`re lucky they`ll accept VISA. Mastercard is difficult to use here.

What I`ve learned: Expect to pack at least 10,000 JPY with you for your initial spending money This will cover the usage of conbini, short train tickets, and bus fare. If you need to bring a credit or debit card with you, be sure to take VISA! With a VISA card, you can withdraw money internationally through the Seven ATM service. These ATMs can be found at almost every 7/11 in Japan (There`s a lot of 7/11`s, let me tell you). Some post offices can also do money transfers, but any Master Card backed by Cirrus bank won`t work very well here.

One moon in China

Alright. I've been in China for over a month now. At the beginning it was pretty sweet. Five star hotels and all sorts of places to visit. I've been to the great wall of China (pictured left), the Olympic Stadium, and a few other points of interest. After four or so days in Beijing, I took a seven hour train into Bengbu, where I am currently staying. At first it was pretty nice. An even better room than the hotel and simpler food.

However, at the BBCA Group we're not allowed outside that often. I came to China so I could explore what life was like over here. But because I'm foreigner and I apparently am unable to take care of myself, we are not allowed to leave the company headquarters without a guide. It's a good idea in concept, but when you take into account that the guides never have time to take us anywhere, we spend most days working and most nights sitting around watching television. The Internet infrastructure in China is terrible. One can never guarantee proper connectivity.

My job here at the BBCA Group is to revise documents that translators have translated into English. However, very few documents come across my desk. Perhaps one every two or three days if I'm lucky. It only requires an hour or so to complete, so most of my time is spent reading the news online.

The food here in China is great. It's similar to what they have at the higher end "authentic" Chinese restaurants in the USA, but the ingredients they use are a little different because China has different resources.

To sum it up: It's boring. I'm constantly told by enthusiasts of China that there's a lot to do here and you could never get bored, but when you're restrained to a "safe house" for the entirety of your journey, it's hardly exciting.

Video Recording

When I was but a lad at the tender age of fourteen, my great grand-mother passed away. When she did she left me some money. I, of course, did the childish thing of spending the money on a video camera. I took some videos for a few months before I lost the power cable. The camera just sat in its case for the next eight years. Recently, I got a hold of this camera again and bought an all-in-one power cable. After a bit of fooling around with the camera, I got it to where it would charge up again. And after a bit of more hacking, and a purchase of a 4-pin firewire cable later, I found that by plugging in the USB cord -and- the firewire cord would allow me to use the DV abilities of the camera and upload videos to my computer. I've started a youtube page to index all of the videos I'll make while in China and Japan. I plan on getting around 100hours of Hi8 MP tapes for my adventure.

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/darkfoxtokoyami

Paper or Plastic

I'm considering applying for a credit card. I'll probably get around a $500 spending limit, but it's something I'll be able to pay off and the $500 will certainly help pay for some things. I need a VISA card, because I'm not sure how well accepted MasterCard is in Japan. I've looked into State Farm, CITI Bank, and some college's card thus far. CITI is the only one that actually lists the card's terms and conditions before you apply for the card. Although my mother has said that she prefers Chase bank's card. I'll do a little window shopping, but I'll probably decide on a CITI card, despite the low spending limit.

Oh well, I'm sure Japan has some very nice park benches to sleep on.

Incurring Debt

According to maps.google.com, a trip from Tokyo to Kyoto costs about 13,000 JPY, which is roughly $150USD. I didn't even think to check the price of train tickets when I asked for a host family in Kyoto. Perhaps getting a host family in Kyoto was not such a good idea. I believe akihabara is in Tokyo anyways, and all my acquaintances live around the Tokyo area. But then again, by staying around Tokyo I would be traveling the areas I already know about Japan. I think I'll have to apply for some credit cards or something. I need about $4,000 to live comfortably in Japan for a month, but I'll be able to make maybe only $1,500 at most. Time to start a borrowing spree.

Also, if anyone happens to ever be reading this, donations would -really- help right now.

Found a Host Family

So, I've decided where I'm staying. Using the LA PROVINCE website (linked at the bottom of my blog), I've snagged a host family that's apparently in high demand. I've paid the 15,000 JPY; or about $170USD for the registration fee and I've been given my host family's contact information. It will cost me 70,000JPY, or approximately $800USD, for 28 days from July 21st to August 18th. Wish me luck on raising that sort of money in two months!

Apparently, I will be staying with the Tanaka family, located somewhere in the middle of Tokyo by the Yamashina (Zarai Station [whatever that means]) railway station. They live within walking distance of the train station, which is good since I don't think I'll have to get a bike or anything to roam around the country.

None of the family are smokers, according to LA PROVINCE. They live in a very large house as well, by Japanese standard. My room will be 6 tatami large (approximately 9x12 ft). They also have Internet access, which I'm hoping is wifi.

Finally, the person whom I'm in contact with from my host family mentioned that Japan is nice and hot during the summer, and that there is a large lake called Biwa that's nearby. I'll have to remember to pack some swimming trunks!

I'm really looking forward to getting to know my host family better. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of them as of yet. So instead, I've enclosed a picture of the lake Biwa aqueduct, linking back to the Kyoto University website where there's quite the informative article about the lake.

Lake Biwa and Kyoto University

So apparently I'm either going to stay with a host family, possibly in Kyoto, or I'll be staying in DK Matsudo Guesthouse in Matsudo. The thing is, everyone has recommended a host family over the guesthouse; however, the host family service has yet to contact me at all, after I have already sent in my application and an e-mail asking if they've received my information. DK Matsudo, on the otherhand, has been very forward and kind to me via e-mail, and they are more than happy to help with whatever I need.

Kind of makes me wonder where the better experience will come from.