Retrospective: How to get sick in Japan

I'm not in Japan right now, but I thought I'd add something useful to my blog, and since winter is setting in here in Dogpatch, "What could be more useful than the differences in everyday minor medical emergencies between Japan and South Western Ontario?"

What if you are up in the wilds of Canada and that 2 week chest cold turns into something a bit more nasty? I smoke too much, and have smoked for much too long, so a chest cold can easily turn into bronchitis or worse. Over here in the land of free medical care this means a trip to the "walk-in clinic" and not too early on in the cold, or you will get to sit around in a waiting room full of crying children and finally a lecture about antibiotic resistance. "Thanks Doc, never heard that before, I'll be back when I am drowning in my own phlegm". We pay for our own prescriptions (and our dentists, leg casts, glasses, etc) here still. And the local tribe of white-coats think they are saving the planet by keeping antibiotics from anyone they think is poor and therefore irresponsible.

Good news: if you get that sick while visiting Japan, it is just about the same, only better and a bit more expensive because you are an uninsured tourist.

My 10 day cough kept getting worse and by a certain Monday, I was finding it hard to breathe. Yup, bronchitis or worse. Clear phlegm,  hacking cough, could feel my lungs with each breath. Of course I picked a long holiday weekend to die on, so even though it was Monday, the usual conveniently located doctor's offices were all closed. Fortunately Google found me an Emergency Clinic open not too far from a train line.

Well, screw the train. Pay $18 for a taxi and just get there now! My friend came along to help and interpret. The clinic was pretty well what you would expect; a big operation full of coughing folks and crying infants. After a check in and a 30 minute wait I saw a doctor, pantomimed my distress, coughed and wheezed and was given a prescription, filled on the spot for 5 days of Cipro and expectorants.

Now Cipro isn't usually used for bronchitis in North America, but as it can knock out Anthrax, it is a pretty strong antibiotic - which is what I needed. My friend did a bit of translating for the doc, mentioning an allergy to one class of antibiotics and a past history of pneumonia, so I guess he went for the big gun.

I paid the almost Y9,000 tab in cash and pocketed the little envelopes of pills, after gulping down my first dose.

A bracing, wheezing 15 minute walk back to the train station (interlude with longing looks at the butcher-block like shogi table out in the trash: Verboten!) Y280 back to the local train station stop and another 10 minutes walk and I was beginning to feel a bit better, or at least relieved that I had once again cheated death.

Don't you dare accuse me of hypochondria. Pneumonia is the real thing.

Now to attend to the lose ends. Wait until evening and fire up the Google Voice number so I can call CAA's traveler's insurance line; "Nope I am not in the USA - using the interwebs phone...  I am in Japan, got sick, had to, etc. Just letting you guys know. Thanks for getting the reimbursement form in the mail to me so it will be waiting for me when I return."

CAA charged me about $120 for a month of traveler's insurance and two months later reimbursed the clinic bill and the taxi bill. So kudos to them.  In previous years, I had used  a company called Special Benefits, who were a bit cheaper and they coughed up for the nasty spill I took on my bike as well. So both firms are ok by me, but CAA is a bit cheaper once you reach "a certain age". I think I got a $9 discount for being a member. Either firm can set you up over the phone in under 10 minutes if you are hale and youthful, but the Special Benefits firm wants paperwork for us middle aged geezers.

Moral of the story. Pay the extra for the traveler's health insurance!

A similar song and dance in South Western Ontario would have ended costing about half as much, or more than in Japan if I was a tourist without our wonderful socialist health insurance (for which the flame of the glorious people's revolution still burns in my heart to honour! Just teasing the cousins, ignore me)

One more lesson learned: Don't wait until you are about to drop and it is a holiday.

I hope to be back in Japan for March 2015. Cherry Blossoms for sure this time!

auctions.yahoo.co.jp X Japan Post Bank! Gambatte, Dai Gaijin !

Into my second week here, and a few minor injuries are keeping me from fully enjoying the nice weather and fine hiking paths around Kamakura. One of the posts I missed doing last year was about the mountain trails that linked the small coastal valley towns before trains and roads made travel faster, easier and less picturesque. Fortunately plenty of other bloggers have done so, so a quick Google of the term "kiridoshi" will get you plenty of neat pictures and information. The term means "pass", and there is usually a temple on one end or both or sometimes in the middle. These paths are often over 1,000+ years old and now are maintained as municipal hiking paths. Great fun - of which I am not doing right now...

So it was inevitable that I would end up on Yahoo Japan's auction site, furiously riding the Google Translate extension on my browser and looking at all the neat stuff that I, as a visiting furreigner, could bid on as long as the price din't go over Y5,000 (appx $CA55).  I want a used lens and another low-end android cell phone! Be careful what you wish for, boyo!

Unlike Rakuten, you usually can't march down to a combini store and pay at their odd electronic kiosk (used for bill payments, ticket sales, etc). Nope, you need a credit card (Western cards not accepted), a yahoo wallet account (sorry you can't have one) or an auction that offers COD shipping. Or you need to pester your friend living in Japan - who may hold a dim view of your habits of collecting odd bits of used Japanese tech junk as souvenirs. Sometimes you can get away with sticking the cash in an envelope and sending it "registered courier" via Kuroneko delivery service (Did ya know they were a sponsor of Ghibli's Kiki's Delivery Service?).

Sometimes you get a seller who just wishes the irritating tourist who won his auction would give up and go away.

Behold the object of my desire: one more ZTE "Blade" android smartphone. (AKA the Softbank Libero 003Z)  About 4 years old, a bit under-powered , Android 2.1, GPS, wifi, and very very unlockable, with a heap of hobbyist hacked custom operating system re-loads available for it. Also nice and small, so it fits well in your pocket. One day I will bust mine, and I want a backup. Hooray! I won the auction, now to settle up.

Of course Yahoo Japan has not fixed their credit card input section since last year. What do you mean input my name as on the card in Kana? I heard that one can use strange custom character called double-byte or something to do this, but the last time I tried it drove me mad, so this one is a fail, again.

Using Google xlate, I offer to tape the Y3500 into a letter and Kuroneko the seller the cash. "Just pay with Japan Post transfer" comes back as the reply.

Last time I tried something like this, I was told that Japan Post will not let me open an account because I am a short-term visitor. But I never tried a simple deposit to/ cash transfer. So off to the nearby Post Office for a bit of research...

First off, the Post Office does mail, banking and bill paying, so the 7 or so wickets are divided between these functions. Then I noticed that you had to grab a numbered ticket. Then a bit later I noticed that there were 3 different series of numbered tickets: separate ones for mail, banking and bill paying. Banking it is, grab a ticket, sit down and smile.

Now it may be my imagination, but both wicket-staff seemed to have noticed my presence and began to slow down whatever they were processing. Obviously a troublesome customer - let the other idiot deal with him. Eventually, the young guy left his window for something, leaving the young woman to deal with me. So up I waddled, with 3 pages of printed out web page, with the "Just pay with Japan Post transfer" part, in the original Japanese circled, as well as his Japan Post transfer number info circled on the next page with an arrow and the Y3500 drawn with thick magic marker next to it.

Well today is my lucky day! Instead of the expected crossed forearms "you can't do that" sign, I get a lot of polite instruction that I cannot understand, and then a calculator showing me that the transfer fee is going to be Y5,100 (appx $CA 5.50)

OUCH!

Oh well, chalk it up to research expenses and reply with a polite "Hai".

Next comes the transfer form: She cannot fill it out - I have to (I guess this makes sense). So she laboriously guides me by marking a note pad with what I need to fill in where, including the katakana for mobile phone account (I'm guessing) which I render in a horridly illegible way, but close enough for rock and roll. Finally all is done and she pantomimes that I can go have a seat and wait. No problem, I saw this with the last customer.

A few minutes later, I notice she is running into trouble, but is a bit worried as to how to bring up the subject. Finally she motions me back - there's something wrong with my name. I hope she doesn't want it in katakana! Nope: avoider guy next wicket over is back and has a few words of english - enough to tell me that my full name is too long! You to have a name that is at most 13 characters total to transfer funds via Japan Post. After another bit of back and forth, I settle on my first initial, last name, and after much confirmationthis seems to to be acceptable. Four minutes later, I get my change, receipt and get to thank both politely and profusely. I even throw in a "gomenasai", which is a serious "I'm sorry" apology rather than the more formulaic "sumimassen" excuse-me variety.

So....

It can be done! But the cash in the envelope sent kuroneko will run the cost of the envelope, plus Y90. Credit card payment from a helpful friend will run Y158. A bank transfer from a friend will run Y300- Y400.  Rakuten's 7-11 kiosk system is easier and in the middle range of these fees, but the best deals for stuff are on Yahoo.

Now for a bargain used lens.. Something aspherical,  Canon EF mount, zoon to 200 or 300 mm, no scratches or fungus. Japanese camera buffs are the pickiest in the world and bargains are available o'plenty, but summers are humid and mold spots in used lenses are common. Lets see how this one goes. Or I could try hiking some historic passes again.

Hayama fish market

One week into my vacation and a small problem has developed: I am really out of shape, and have managed to pull the achilles tendon in my left heel. This is going to cut down the number and range of walks I can do. Also, my friend's knees are hurting. Fortunately the buses run regularly up and down the "shonan coast". Here is a chilly visit on Sunday to the Hayama produce/ fish market at the docks... We made it as they were almost ready to close up.

Some fuji-porn from the marina...

The tiny beach next to it...

Mt. Fuji will come into view

The beaches near Kamakura afford a striking view of mt. Fuji across Sagami Bay. On cold, clear winter afternoons, the haze that sometimes obscures fuji-san lifts and people line up on the beaches to view the sunset

Contains %1 fruit Juices

In Japan it is traditional, as in many civilized countries, to bring beverages with you to a house party. Perhaps house party is too big a term - this would be more of an evening get-together where food and drink is partaken of with friends in a safe, pleasant and non-budget busting manner. Everyone goes home before the last train. In either case, tradition dictates that the unconsumed remains of the evening are left with the host: which explains how I had the opportunity to sample an Asahi beverages brand Cocktail Partner. I later found out that it contains %1 real fruit juices and %4 alcohol - if I had known this, i would not have mixed it half and half with shochu to create what only could be described as a blue citrus-y analogue to Prestone anti freeze.

Which reminded me of the in-flight movie I watched on my way here: Rather than Iron Man 3, I decided that I wanted something Japanese, (it would be subtitled) and cheesy. Air Canada provides free beer and seat back monitor movies to anesthetize its patrons during the 11 hour flight so why not see if i could make out every 20th word of dialogue and see what was popular in live-acion entertainment lately. What i found would later remind me that can of Asahi Cocktail Partner.

You see, this pretty young girl is the heiress to a vast industrial fortune, but she also likes her independence, so she maintains a secret life as a police detective. Taking time off to go on a cruise ship vacation (the liner is owned by her company, crap! it is named after her) she runs into her police boss guarding an ugly mcguffin and has to switch back and forth between evening dresses and office lady (OL) clothes, all while shadowed and assisted by her pretty boy butler/ bodyguard. There are lots of designer accessories, low quality slapstic, two afro-topped buffoon criminals, an unseen international master thief and two murders, as well as token gaijin actors (bulgarian?) who do their english lines with worse accents than the Japanese folks when they speak a few words of english.

The effect was reminsicent of "The Love Boat" meets "McMillan and Wife", only worse. Our heroine makes excited expressions and exclamatory noises a lot. And she gets to wear expensive stuff.

I later found that the movie was the end of a successful TV series "(The) Afterdinner Murder Mysteries", so it had a following. Bad TV and movies can be found worldwide, but I was hit by the naive charm of the whole thing. Sure it was cloying, and agency-deal derived, and full of placed talent, and placed products  but it was on a human scale, it had an endearing simplicity to it. It was like American TV and b movies from the 70's.

So I watched the whole thing.

It was also sexist, patronizing and poorly plotted as a whodunnit - who cares? The lead is no Makoto Kusanagi. Not to plot a line from one point, but live action Jp drama needs more strong female leads. On the other hand, Hollywood doesn't make movies like this any more, and even TV shows are seldom made this relaxed and cheesy.. It's all Sherlock, CSI, new-Dr Who quick-cuts and edgy plots and camera angles. Too many jolts per minute. The mundane, the unoriginal, the contrived, the formulaic all can be soothing and reassuring. All is right in the world, and everything is exactly where it should be.

It went well with 2 cans of free Air Canada Heineken. I swear I will remeber to bring Alka Seltzer tablets next trip, I always end up with heartburn after these flights.

Almost over the jet lag. Bike back in working order. Hooray!

Next time: the importance of OK stores, or something else...

There was a 2013, but now it is 2014

Hi folks

3:30am near Kamakura and once again I am back in Japan! Hooray!
Mildly jet lagged after 23hrs in transit - the last 153 minutes in the direct "limited express" Sobu /Yokosuta line really taxed the reserves but for 2,200 Y who can gripe too much. That's about $24CA, 130lbs of drag-on luggage no extra charge.

As usual Narita was helpful and pleasant - heck even Pearson (Toronto) worked well this time and I made the connection in time. We'll see how they handle the return: last year they stranded me on a snowy Friday night after 2 flights out were scrubbed - RobertQ shuttle got me home.

So what happened to this blog last year? I got lazy and had too much fun.

This year I hope to have more fun, but also drop a few notes here.

First thing I learned this trip.. When home from previous trip, do not put your Japanese cell phone "someplace safe where I won't mislay it" That meant I had to use the extra one, its sim & phone number were stale-dated, and that meant a new sim, new charges and slightly less smooth going before getting on the JR train. So 3,000Y top up for the phone can be paid on the Canadian credit card - which often does not work in Japan, but the new sim/phone number/ registration is another odd Y3,100 and they want cash, and an hour to register the new number on the network.. If I had my regular jp phone it would have been 5 minutes - the numbers expire after 420 days, so no problem with yearly trips. Oh and all the maps I jpegged and put in the phone , and the 2GB micro sd  with them and last years pix are also safely stored somewhere back in Canada..

No matter, I have a working jp cell phone and can call for help if I do something stupid and get into trouble.

My friend had renovated her apartment last year.. It is all spiffy and very modern looking. The hot bath was wonderful, but jet-lag is jet-lag and so here I am waiting for the ibuprophen to kick in, sitting on a cushion in front of her mini-space heater in the wee hours of the morning - or early afternoon, Ontario time.

Fortunately I found the carton of Sochu on the shelf besides the fridge.

Here is an enigmatic picture from last year. It is good to be back!

maybe next time - the naive charm of Japanese in-flight movies