He's Baaaaaaaaaaaaack!

Well, as promised, I have made it back to Japan.

I have been here a little more than 1 week, and have managed a few interesting trips and activities.

As usual, i am most interested in day-to-day stuff, as opposed to big, expensive tourist attractions - which I cannot afford in any case.

So far:

How to buy ibuprophen in Japan.

More fun with cell phones.

Hunting Bandai kaiju figurines.

Buying stuff on rakutan, Yahoo.jp and Amazon.jp

Visiting the old haunts, and a few new:
Hard-Off, Katstudai, Yukarigaoka, and BEAR CROSS!

Bicycle maintenance

and

SUMO!

As well as...

Care for Okasa-san, and comfy low chairs

and

It might be warmer, but it is still WINTER here..

Let's start at the beginning:

After a long long Air Canada flight from Toronto to Narita Airport,

I get to deal with a few surprises.. The first is the guy in the blazer with

a radio and what looks like airport badge who is escorting me through baggage retrieval,

customs and immigration. He was waiting right off the plane ramp wit a sign, with my name on it.

I assumed that my friend had arranged for him. When I cleared everything, and got out of the gate, No Friend waiting.. So off to Information, where I got directions for the Softbank cell phone booth, the money exchange, and some information about my escort. Turns out he was a free service, because I had registered for assistance when I boarded my first connector flight to Toronto. The registration did NOT get me a better seat for free on the 13 hour plane to japan -no free seats, jammed with philipino travelers returning home, but it got me a free escort at Narita, and help with my bags. Thank You Narita..

More on Air Canada hatred later.. But first: You Bastatrds! You keep sending me emails with %20 discount codes AFTER I have booked my flight.. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

Back at Narita.. Currency exchange; don't do it at the airport. Your bank can't be any worse.

CA$ 40 became 2,990 Y . At current rates, their squeeze was %6 more than it should be.. Booo! HISSS!

Meanwhile at the Softbank counter, my prepaid sim from last time had run out, so it was another 3,000Y for a new sim and 3,000Y of minutes (90Yper.. a bit expensive, but deal with it..)

45 minutes later and a new sim and number, and I am connected. I will later find out that some phones and sim cards got swapped around and now I have 2 Softbank phones with phone numbers, so no biggie.. BONUS: the Narita Airport softbank booth took my Canadian credit card, so 3KY=appx CA$37

In the meantime, I had called my friend and found that she could not come to the airport to meet me. She was suddenly sole caregiver to her slightly demented mom, 86 years old, getting over a hairline pelvic fracture, so no time to escort me around. Thats fine, I know how to get to her place.

As usual, the subways/train were superb and easy to manage, except for the last stop, when I got help pulling my bags off the train, across a gap, onto the platform and lost my shoe in the gap.

The helpful salaryman wanted to STOP THE TRAIN.. No way... never stop the train in Japan, at least for anything short of life and limb! My cane easily snagged the shoe seconds after the train left. Score one for silly gaijin tricks.

5 minutes later, I was at my friend's apartment. Hooray!

The next day I pick up a few electric heaters and a padded indoor jacket (hanten) from the local home center. When it is sunny outside, the temperature in Chiba can often get above 45F, but at night, it drops down to a few degrees above freezing. Japanese houses and apartments do not have central heating, or double-pane windows, and custom dictates sweaters and chilly living areas, except perhaps for the kitchen /living room where everyone hangs out. With granny in one room, other relatives on the way, it was time for more heaters.

There goes the utility bill this month!

Next Post.. Granny furniture, fast...