What the Heck is that Smell?

It took a few hours into my usual morning work routine before I realized that the musky, rotten egg smell I kept getting whiffs of was coming from none other than me. Not a great epiphany when you're sitting in a sea of desks surrounded by your co-workers. It happened to be a smell that haunted me throughout my Valentine weekend getaway with my wife, and now, as if to tease me...it was back.

Over the recent Valentine's day weekend, my wife and I thought it would be fun to getaway to the Japanese Alps - about 2 hours north of where we are living in Nagoya. We hadn't heard too much about the Alps other than the fact that Nagano was nearby (1998 Winter Olympic host City). Yearning for a little snow, and a new sight to see, we found a great B&B at the base of Mt. Norikura, and headed out for the weekend.

The B&B touted a nearby natural Onsen, which is a Japanese spa or bathhouse. Onsens are really popular amongst the Japanese and are deeply engrained in their culture. Americans don't normally bathe publicly, so it takes some getting used to, but having tried it a few times, I have to say I was really looking forward to escaping to a natural spa in the mountains!

I'm still new at this so, unbeknownst to me, Sulfur is a prominent bi-product of natural spas. I entered the spa house as giddy as a kid, but this being my first "natural spa" experience I was overwhelmed by the rotten egg smell that was hard to avoid. Needless to say, I tried to shake it off and enjoy my nice bath in the open mountain air. However, putting my clothes back on that had been baking in the Sulfur-rich air was not so nice.

I left the spa house feeling clean, but reeking of rotten eggs. I was hoping it would go under the radar and it was just a product of sensitive nostrils, but seeing my wife's face upon entering the room led me to believe otherwise. We put the clothes in a bag and sealed it for the weekend until the washer could tackle it.

Unfortunately for me on this odoriferous morning at work, the the sulfur was too much of a match for our washing machine...and I was wearing the T-shirt to prove it!

The Threshold of Hell

Okay maybe we're not quite on the threshold of hell yet - which I think is somewhere around 355 Kelvin (190F) - but I'd say we'd have to be close - say 322 Kelvin (120F) - after witnessing another brutal casualty of this horrendous economy today.

Despite the crazy world, I like to think I'm an eternal optimist. Heck, I still think Joey "Blue Skies" Harrington could have been the Lions savior. So, naturally, I had been trying to maintain a positive outlook despite the seemingly relentless onslaught of bad news lately. You know: the crumbling economy, Keynesian economics, GM in Washington on its knees, global weather catastrophes, terrorists, Iceland going bankrupt, Joaquin Phoenix, the Detroit Lions...the usual hellish threshold type things. Alas, my spirit took a major blow today as I felt one of the brutal realities of a recession - doing without my favorite beer.

One of our favorite things to do on the weekends is take the subway to downtown Nagoya, especially for the International Store there, Yamaya. It is one of the few places that I've been able to find something other than Kirin, Sapporo, or Asahi beer (a.k.a. Budweiser, Labatts, or Miller). At the risk of sounding like a beer snob, I became quite accustomed to the wide variety of IPA's, Stouts, and Ales back in America. Sadly, one of the biggest adjustments for me in Japan is doing without that variety. That is until I found Hitachino Nest beer at Yamaya!

Needless to say, walking through the aisles today something didn't feel right. As the pieces of the puzzle began to unfold...the boxes on the floor...the empty shelves...



and finally, the eerily half-stocked beer selection...



...it dawned on me that survival in Japan might have just taken a turn for the worst. The international store was going under and taking with it my favorite option for beer. The economy has really done it this time! Another brutal blow. And with that, this eternal optimist had to face the realization that I would have to deal without...



No more Hitachino Nest Beer..."Oh the Humanity."

A Note On Japanese Bathroom Behavior (Part 1 of 3: Schedules)

I am trying to remain sensitive to profiling the Japanese people and culture, so it should be noted that I can only speak for observations in my office alone, or similarly, restaurants/events that I have been to. With that said, I felt that while living and working here in Japan, there have just been too many intriguing observations coming from the world where all of us spend between 2.5%-5% of our lifetimes on average (my guesstimate). I am talking, of course, about the bathroom. There are three specific topics I hope to address at some point on this blog related to bathroom behavior, so we'll call this 'Part 1: Schedules'.

Schedule time is very reliable in Japan. Time is everything. Meetings start on time. Subways and trains arrive on time. Even a bus, amidst all the traffic keeps a tight schedule. And by on time, I quite literally mean to the minute. To be sure, I don't think the term 'fashionably late' is used often. Being on time is pretty nice, but took some getting used to. America is a little more relaxed I think. For example, back in college, there was a standard 10 minute rule for every class. Sure the syllabus says 10:00-11:00, but you could always be certain the professor would not start until 10:10. Even meetings in America tend to have a relaxed start as people tend to trickle in. And let's face it, public transportation in America is too much of a joke to even think about setting your watch to the reported arrival time.

So, here in Japan, schedules and plans are pretty reliable. However, little did I expect this scheduling to delve into the world of, ahem, 'Potty time' (Excuse the childish reference, it just seems so fitting). When thinking of the best way to explain this, I want to take you back to elementary school to the world of pre-arranged 'potty times'. You remember, don't you? Ok, maybe not. Hey, I went to private school growing up! Anyways, everyone would line up, boys in one line, girls in the other, at a specified time in the morning and afternoon, and promptly do their business when their turn was up. Gradually over the years - junior high, high school, college, and finally the business world - most of us sort of moved away from that and developed our own, you know...potty schedules. Here in Japan, however, I am becoming convinced this shift over time did not occur.

To best explain this phenomenon, I thought a graph would be appropriate:

This is a microcosm of my building. Here, I show the 3rd floor of a 6 floor building. There is a similar bathroom on every floor, with similar traffic. You can plainly see there are times when there is just too much traffic in the bathrooms. But what shocks me the most is the people that stand in line and wait. Standing in line at, say Comerica Park, doesn't seem out of the ordinary, but it just seems weird to see that at work, especially for stalls!

I generally prefer the comfy confines of my own home, but dealing with the unpredictable nature of being a coffee drinker, or those 'What the heck was in that miso soup?' emergencies every now and then makes a bathroom schedule a little more difficult for me. Fortunately, the surprising nature of the bathroom congestion and lines have allowed me to know when the 'peak' hours to avoid are.

"よいしょ" ... Splained

I first noticed the phrase, よいしょ, pronounced YOISHO, while working with one of my Japanese co-workers in the US. This, of course, was before my wife and I started our 18-month journey working abroad in Japan. So, naturally, I had no idea what he was saying, or how prominent the phrase actually is in Japan. What he said, actually sounded more like, "yooissshhhhhhh," pronounced in a strained tone as we lifted a crate. When I questioned what the heck he just said (or grunted), he shrugged it off and said that it was a typical phrase more for older people and is used for any sort of strenuous activity - like lifting a crate. 'Ok...’ I thought, and decided I didn't understand. Besides, I thought, he's 32...that's not old...?!

Not until I reached the land of the rising sun would I fully begin to realize how popular that phrase is, and all the different ways it can be pronounced, groaned, etc. Moreover, in the process of training my ears for listening for such nuanced pronunciations, I have since adopted the phrase in the same manner. It is quite addicting. What started as a mock joke with my wife and amongst friends has quickly become, I fear, a habit.

Translating Japanese words is never easy. Often times words don't directly translate. Type in "よいしょ (yoisho)" on my translator, however, and you get "Heave-HO." No other random explanations that usually accommodate a translation to put it into context. Just...heave ho. I love it. That was the first piece of the puzzle. Then I started hearing various mutilations of the pronunciations. When I began to realize I was hearing this phrase, or noise, during situations you might consider strenuous, I began to understand these people were actually saying...yoisho.

After almost seven months in Japan, here are my top 5 "yoisho" grunts:
5) My boss grunting as he gets up from his seat. Usually it is a distinct, "yoisho" but said really quickly with an extra emphasis on the 'yo'.
4) The lady who works the cafeteria snack shop. I usually call my wife after lunch near the shop. This is also when the lady, probably in her 50's, is restocking shelves. Every time she lifts a box, there is a high-pitched, "yoooisho," where the first part is drawn out. I talk to my wife for maybe 5 minutes. I swear I hear the lady lift a box 5 times!
3) The well-established version from the guys who have been saying it for a long time. They've said it so long, and so often, that their version has become, "yosssssssssshhhhhhh." A long drawn out shhhhhh sound accommodates the strain of say, opening a door.
2) The, "this is way heavier than I thought and requires a lot of energy," grunt. The 'Yo' part is way over-pronounced, most likely because it's timed with the initial lift. "YyyyOisho."
1) My favorite. Awkward conversation? Meeting finished? Awkward goodbye? Give it the ol', "sssshhhhhhhhhh." No, not a hush. Sounds like one, but it really means, "See ya."
And on that note..."sssshhhhhhhhh."

Feel the Waves, Soothe Your Mind

I only wish I could sing that catchy phrase like the radio station itself does.
Radio-i is one of the main radio stations offered here in Nagoya, and once you've heard the station's call phrase, "Feel the waves, soothe your mind. Raadioooo-iiiiiiiii," accompanied by the soothing sounds of waves crashing on a beach, you'd be hard-pressed to get it out of your head, too.

There isn't a large selection when it comes to radio stations here in Nagoya. In fact, I'd say my choice boils down to two, Radio-i or Zip FM. There are 4 other stations on FM, but I think two are NHK (Japan's public radio), and the other two I just haven't had the patience for. So, Radio-i and Zip FM are the primary selections that I flip between depending on the level of excitement in the DJ's voice, or the random song playing. Also, I should say, a lot of the programs incorporate some English. Some parts of the day are completely devoted to an English jockey - who's kind of a weasel to tell you the truth - but it's English and it's comforting. The AM dial...I won't even touch.

Most mornings, I'd rather listen to my Podcasts. I've become quite addicted to the day-old NPR and ESPN Radio Daily, but I do try to share a little of my work commute with Japan radio. I'm not going to pretend to tell you that I understand what the heck the DJ's are saying, but I do think you can get a lot out of training your ears for the different inflections and tones of the Japanese language. Plus, as I mentioned before, once in awhile there's English thrown into the convo.

But the real reason to listen is because you'll hear some real gems from the past. Last week, for example, I rocked out to Chaka Khan's "Through the Fire" (song that Kanye West sampled for "Through the Wire"), Outkast's "Sorry Miss Jackson," and Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl." Plus they usually mix in some of today's billboard hits, some awesome Japan pop, and sometimes even English word lessons. Where else would I have properly learned about the word, 'Recessionista'?

The Boss

It's no secret vending machines are everywhere in Japan. You can find them on almost every street, and usually find just about any kind of drink in them. We've seen a lot of various types during our time here - ice cream, beer, even batteries - but the most common is clearly a hot or cold beverage (coffee, tea, soft drink, etc).

One of the more popular vending machine leaders, with an ironically fitting name, is Boss coffee.
So popular, in fact, that Tommy Lee Jones is the random, American, "Do they even know what they are endorsing," celebrity endorsement here. Do you think it was Tommy Lee that finally convinced this guy that he needed to save up enough Boss coffee can tops to send away for the sleek, stylish, 90's era, Bomber jacket complete with the Boss logo on the back?

I suppose the more important question is whether or not this guy actually bought the jacket, that my theory of sending away for this jacket paid for in Boss can tops is actually true, or that this guy might actually be so cool as to pull off the Boss bomber jacket, whilst smoking, and whilst riding his bike nonetheless. I think he might actually just be that cool! Honey, add it to my wish list.

If Only My First Name Started With A "Q"

Inspired by the blogs of my wife, LJ, her cousin, Seth, my fellow co-worker and friend abroad, A, and her boyfriend, M, I have decided to get my own blog up and running (Their blogs are really fun to read - I hope you check 'em out).
What's with the abbreviated names you ask? That, it seems, is the preferred method of protecting identities, which has quickly caught fire amongst LJ, A, and M on their respective blogs. How does it work? My name is Mike, so I get dubbed rather cleverly, M. Unfortunately, I think this blog and my profile have blown my cover.
The nicknames are pretty cool when you think about it. After all, M is also the code name for 007's boss in the Ian Flemming James Bond classics. I just wish my first name started with a Q. I am a huge fan of Bond, and being an engineer, the man behind all of Bond's cool gadgets, Q, is one of my favorite characters.
Oh, well. Fortunately, for the other M in this group, there have been three separate actors portraying M in the 007 movies, so we have a few options to choose from. I'm actually a huge fan of the most recent one, Dame Judy Dench.