KQX vs Tokyo

[KQX]

So i've been keeping a secret from you guys for about a week. As part of my new summer job in an options trading firm, i have the incredible opportunity to work for the company in its branch in Tokyo, Japan. I'm working as an assistant to one of the option's traders. Since he is also a family friend he is providing his guest bedroom for me while i work here for the next month and a half. Since Tokyo is one of the most expensive cities in the world, that'll definitely save me a lot of money.

I gotta tell you, the feeling is incredible for a variety of reasons. Growing up in Serbia during the 90s i could only listen to stories of world traveling from my parents when they lived in better times. Then during the first half of this decade i could not leave the United States because of my extra long naturalization proccess. Well, this year has been very fortunate for me. Not only have i obtained my green card and the right to travel, but i got a chance to visit Japan of all places. Tied with this is the job i have tried to get for several years in the past.

Ok some details: Even though i'm staying here for a while the largest portion of my time will be spent in the office learning to trade. I'm working Mondays through fridays from 8am to 7pm, excluding the 30 min commute on the subway back and forth. It's been rough for the first 3 days i was here since i started working almost as soon as i landed here last Wednesday. The 14 hour jetlag with a 12 work day can be a little hassle, so i was feeling like shit up until Saturday. That was the day i could finally go out on my own and do a little exploring. So each weekend i think i'll be able to go out, take some photos, and maybe write a few paragraphs on Tokyo.

3 albums for the past weekend:
http://public.fotki.com/Viktord711/

Since it's getting kind of late and i have work tomorrow, i'll just mix up some first impressions and descriptions:

Very crowded with both cars and people. If you think traffic is bad in the States, trust me it's nothing compared to here. People actually have TVs on their front dashboards because they can be stuck in park on highways for a long time. They drive on the left here too. The annoying thing is that they also walk on the left which is really throwing me off, especially on the stairs.

I haven't been to the downtown area yet, but the Southern parts of the city where i live and work in (Moto-Azabu and Akasaka) all have very narrow and winding streets. The funny part is that addresses here have nothing to do with the streets. The city is divided up into puzzle pieces which is even further divided into smaller pieces. Each piece has a number assigned to it and that makes up the address. As a result most of the streets don't even have names (!), although some major ones do.

Garbage is an important thing here apparently. Each house and office has 4 different types of garbage cans: Burnable, Unburnable, glass and plastic. It can be annoying when you just have a bunch of garbage you want to throw away quick, but instead you have to sort it out.

Toilets are interesting here too. I haven't seen the traditional japanese toilets yet (the squat ones) but i have seen their high tech ones. Remember that episode of the simpsons when the family visits Tokyo and Homer talk with the toilet? Well it's not so far from the truth. They certainly do have a lot of buttons on them. I didn't want to experiment too much, i don't want to release some mechanical tentacle. I'll take a photo though.

i've been here 7 days but already there has been an earthquake and a Typhoon. Neither has been anything special, although the wether really sucks now. They are predicting heavy rain for the remaineder of the week.

Hmm there's a lot more to be said, but i'll leave some stuff for later. I hope i can make this thread interesting for people in the following weeks and have better pictures. Until then please ask any questions and post suggestions on what i should do here. I'm sure you guys have some ideas.

 

[Lukus]

If you die under mysterious circumstances, can I have your position? It sounds completely awesome, dude, I'd easily kill to be in your shoes (while still being myself and get to keep my own shoes since I kind of like them).

 

[Murdoch]

If you die under mysterious circumstances, can I have your position? It sounds completely awesome, dude, I'd easily kill to be in your shoes (while still being myself and get to keep my own shoes since I kind of like them).

Like you, a music nerd, could handle 12hrs/day in an investment banking firm!

Sounds like fun KQX. Bone some natives and make Luke even more jealous, k?!

 

[alec]

You have to work 12 hours a day? That's fucking insane, KQX. If I would be in your shoes, I'd tell them they can keep their stinking job and I'd be out of there. Tokyo or no Tokyo. I'm working 8 hours a day now (plus 1,5 hours sitting on an overcrowded train and metro back and forth) and it's already killing me. Just 39 more years and I can retire. Oh, whom am I kidding... I'll be dead before that happens...

 

[Loxley]

Ohh allways wanted to go to japan. Though i bet you will hate it there when you leave and you will say something like: "Nah it was fun, but now i cannot wait to go home. "

Do they sell comic books there in english?

 

[Lukus]

Like you, a music nerd, could handle 12hrs/day in an investment banking firm!

Heey! I'm pretty sure I could fake it.

Bone some natives

He won't be able to prove it without pics, and if he posts pics It'll be just like I'm there with him.

 

[Maphusio]

Yeah 12 hours a day, you can do that n/p. Granted the work ethics there are staggering. I DEFINATELY say hook up with hot Japanese chicks. *nods*
I wish I could have rain here in Wa. State. Nothing but sun *sobs*.

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

I worked in Tokyo for 4 years, definately a great experience but takes a major adjustment in the first few months. Tokyo and Tokyoites can be very frustrating to have to live with. Just keep an open mind, and you'll enjoy it.

 

[KQX]

First of all check out the new photo albums:

http://public.fotki.com/Viktord711/

This weekend it's mostly Japanese gardens. They are simply amazing. Seriously that Shinjuku Gyoen one...they must have used a few G.E.C.K.s on that place. I used about 4 different subway lines and despite how they look on the map, it's not difficult to find your way around once you're in the stations.

Some details. Sorry, but I'll work without transitions:

The people here really like obeying the rules. For example: if there is a small street and the pedestrians have a red light, most people will not cross it even if there isn't a single car in sight. Their explanation would be that they want to set a good example. Coming from a place like Belgrade, where the opposite is the usual policy, i am slightly shocked. Sometimes i get the urge to step in the middle of the street and yell out GAIJIN POWER...but with my luck, i'd probably get run over by an ambulance.

They really know how to maintain the people in shape here. First of all, they overcharge all the food. Plus, when you buy your expensive food, you will not get much. The serving sizes are small for everything. I'd always get the urge to buy double but that would mean spending $20 or more on lunch. But it doesn't stop there. Most of the time you are forced to walk (not drive) from point A to B on roads that are oftentimes on 45 degree angle hills in sauna type temperatures. So if you want to lose weight and go broke fast, Tokyo's the place.

Building security here seems like a joke to me, especially since i've worked in the Sears tower (which has become worse than an airport in terms of security). When i come to work in the morning i think i can flash my blockbuster video card to the guards and they will still say "ohayo gozaimasu", bow and let me in. Even in buildings such as the Tokyo government Metropolitan Tower they simply open your bag and glance inside it without touching anything. I guess I've just been brainwashed by all the security checks i've been though in the States.

I ate beef tongue. It's hard to chew.

The japanese are very stylish and opsessed with looking good. I went to a mall to see a movie Saturday night in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and i felt like a bum. It doesn't matter if it's 85 degrees F and humid as hell, people will still wear fancy dress pants and shirts (even jackets!!!) when they go out, even if its just a movie with friends. A little bit too much for a blue collar guy like me. And even though you see people dressed in all sorts of styles, they all look like they got the clothes, along with all the accessories, directly from a store manikin. I definitely feel the peer pressure, but i'm not sure if i'm up for spending money on clothes here; i need to eat. Oh well, at least i brought my Adidas superstars, which seem extra popular to wear here.

As i said before, i'm working in an options trading firm, so i spend a lot of time with established traders here. They form an interesting subculture. Most of them are Ivy league school graduates who came here during the early 90s when they were around 25 years old. Slowly but surely they just raided as many asian markets as they could and eventually they were working with million dollar portfolios. Areas in Tokyo such as Roppongi, and Moto-Azabu have become the place to be if you're a gaijin trader looking to make business partners. They have really formed a sort of mafia in these parts. Most of them know each other and hang out in the same bars after work. The majority of them married Japanese wives and now have young children who go to international schools in the same areas. They have even become a sort of an attraction for the locals. Every halloween, many Tokyo people come to the Gaijin neighborhoods to watch the Americans parade around in costumes. But things are evolving and i'm already seeing some conflicts that might soon occur. The trader subculture have by now mostly established families here and have enough money to buy some Tokyo land. I heard that some of them are running into problems and are finding out that owning land here is much more difficult than what they are use to in the States. Regulations are much stricter and the procces of building is much slower. Japanese people typically do not sue each other, even when a matter involves legal issues. Two conflicting partys are more inclined to reach an agreement amongst themselves in private. Unfortunately, the American-born traders that i work with are less patient and are very willing to take matters to court. I have a feeling that this can cause future problems and changes as more and more foreigners increase their influence.

Anyway, Cimmerian Nights, nice to know some one here has had a similar experience. I`m interested in more details. What did you do here for 4 years? What was it you found frustrating about Tokyoites?

again, photos

 

[DirtyDreamDesigner]

I always wanted to visit Tokyo...
Anyways, I'd rather starve than work 8am-7pm, but that's just me...

EDIT: Oh, yeah, congrats, KQX.

 

[Briosafreak]

Great stuff, tell us more.

And they never learned how to make beef tongue, ours is much better.

 

[The Vault Dweller]

KQX your living a dream...lots of money in a prestigious job in probably the most crowded city in the world.

So the Japanese really are that odd? Really it justs sounds like there very regimental in their lifestyle which makes sense.

Sincerely,
The Vault Dweller

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

I worked at a huge language school in Ikebukuro, but I only worked a measly 8 hours a day.  About 50-60 teachers from all over the world UK, NZ, Germany, Austria, Canada, France, US, Australia.  Pretty cushy, we were "conversational" teachers so basically we got paid to chat with people.  Most of us were young college grads and partied like fools.  Gai-jin power indeed.  It's pretty liberating being held to a different standard.

I did have frustrations though, but I don't want to go off on a Japan-bashing rant.  I went through phases, but reality is people are people, and we all have good days and bad days regardless.  

The best thing though is being immersed in such a foreign culture you learn so much about human nature (the good, the bad, and the ugly), and makes you reflect long and hard on where you come from and what you are.  You're dead on about them being underfed and overdressed, but when i came home and saw all the fatties in sweatpants at the fucking buffets back in the states, I had to shudder.

That being said, if I started telling you about the odd shit I took in and partook of I wouldn't be able to stop.  Japanese chicks shave their faces and pluck the hair on their legs.  People bow when on the phone.  Beer from vending machines.  Subway ass-gropers. etc. etc.   

I highly recommend you go eat some Shabu-Shabu or Yaki-niku, check out some castles, go to some hot springs, and absolutely go on a sake fueled rampage in Kabuki-cho with some Philipina whores.

Tokyo is great though, it's such a man's world.  You can drink and smoke anywhere, anytime.  Political Correctness doesn't exist.  The women take damn good care of their men.  A city with that many women is numbing, you think you've seen the hottest woman ever, and then 5 hotter chicks walk by.  Oh, and mushrooms are legal.

Live it up bra'.

 

[KQX]

Live it up bra'.

Hmmm.

Friday night was adult entertainment night. 5 traders from my company invited me to an extra special night out in Tokyo. They warned me that this will certainly be an expensive adventure but that each of them will try to help me out financially with some things. However i was told that i am definitely going to spend several $100s (for the traders, the night was certainly going to be in the $1000s). They said they often like to do this with interns since they just love laughing at noobs that get shocked by the weird activates that go on at night in Tokyo. So i had a little thinking to do. Sure i'll be spending money that i really should be saving (the way things are going looks like i'll be glad if i break even this summer), but this is an opportunity that i might never have again. So i went and im going to tell you the story. I was advised by my fellow co-workers that this is an experience i should keep to myself, but...fuck it. I'm a member of this forum and people here have shared things like masturbation techniques and anal sex experiences so I see no harm in me sharing my story also.

The evening started right after work at around 6:30pm. First stop of the evening was a place called the "no panties" Shabu-shabu (Shabu-shabu means "swish-swish," referring to the swishing action when you cook a very thin slice of beef in hot water). The six of us walked in and were escorted to a private room with a large japanese-style table. After we settled down, 6 japanese girls in small dresses came in and sat next to each one of us. Since i don't speak japanese they asked for an english speaking girl for me. I'm very happy to say that the one i got was the second hottest in the group (to be fair all but one were very attractive. one was just atrotious). Apart from the food and booze, the dinner involved some other activities. First thing, you get to undress your girl...completely. When you order a drink, the girl has to stand up above you and pour the drink from the ceiling. Later on, you can have a flashlight and go under the table to "explore" while all the girls spread their legs. If you want, you can take off your pants and let the girls spank you, or you can spank them (I passed on this one, not my style). Some of the girls put their panties on their partner's heads. Oh and the hallways on the way in and out of the dining rooms have mirrors on the floors. In addition to all the activities, another nice part was that the girls were very friendly and actually fun to talk to. There was food served throughout the activities, but to be honest i don't remember much about what i ate.

The next stop was a Japanese hostess club. Before i tell my story i'll explain what these places actually are. The girls in these clubs or bars are not prostitutes. THey are called hostesses and they basically act as your date while you're in the place. You come in with your friends and each of you is approached by a different girl. Then you sit down, order drinks (you pay for hers), and start chatting about anything you feel like. After about 15 minutes or so the girl will ask you whether she should stay or not. Basically she's asking are you satisfied with her company or would you like to "try" a different girl. You can keep rotating girls until you find one you really like talking to, but you are being charged by how long you stay in the place (in addition to your bar tab). As i said before, the girls try to be very polite, friendly, and fun, and want you to have a good time. This is an important factor in japanese adult entertainment; Its good for business. The club owners are hoping that you'll find a girl that you really like and keep coming back to their place to see her (and of course spend more $). After a couple of visits, you can ask the girl to meet you somewhere else for a date. After you spend some more time and money with her, she might agree to become your girlfriend. But besides that, you get the chance to be seen in public with an extra classy lady.

Ok, the place we went to was a fancy club with incredible furniture and a great view of the city. Everything looked ridiculously expensive. Now the girls here were different from the girls we hung out with earlier. While the Shabu-Shabu girls were cute, the (japanese) hostess girls in this club looked far superior in their hotness. They were all tall, thin, and wearing expensive evening dresses. Some of them really looked like they could be models. The girl i was with was great, although we did have some trouble communicating at times because of her english. Sometimes i would ask something and i'd get a completely random answer. But since she could speak english better than most japanese people (and the hotness factor) i decided not to do a girl rotation. Anyway, what sets this club apart from the others is that they had private rooms. After you have a couple of drinks, the girl you chose to stay with will invite you to join her in one of these rooms. Naturally, i accepted the invitation from my hostess. There were some rules in the private room however: Your clothes have to stay on but the girl takes off everything except her panties. Touching, rubbing, kissing is all allowed though.

We left the club at around midnight and by this time, i was out $380. I had more cash in my wallet but the way the drinking and bills were going i knew i would probably end up broke by morning. The fact that i was up since 6am that day also reminded me that i probably won't be able to rationally think in the next couple of hours. The traders were planning on going to a russian hostess bar next, but i decided i would be heading home instead.

So, um...questions? Comments? I know i kinda went through everything very generally and not in much detail (sorry alec) but if someone's very curious about some aspect of the evening, i'll try describing it more vividly.

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

Sounds pretty expensive just for a case of blue balls.

My wife was a hostess before I met her.

Hostess clubs are too geared towards Japanese guys. I'm too cheap to pay a girl to pour me drinks and stroke my ego.

I think the amazing thing is not the open acceptance of prostitution, it's not like that doesn't happen in the states, but the diversity of establishments in Japan. Ask your co-workers about "SoapLand", pink clubs, love hotels etc. Love Hotels are a phenomenon in and of themselves, they're pretty damn cool, especially the themed ones.

 

[DJ Slamák]

Decadent. Don't you have better things to do in Japan?

Then again... Japan. Okay, I see your point.

 

[DirtyDreamDesigner]

Sounds pretty expensive just for a case of blue balls.

Exactly, that hostess thing is crap, either get a girlfriend who you can hang out with or get a hooker who will take her panties off and who you can do more with than just rub.

 

[KQX]

Hostess clubs are too geared towards Japanese guys.

Don't you have better things to do in Japan?

It's funnier when i put these two comments together. Yes, don't i have better things to do in Japan than do very Japanese things? You guys are looking at this from the wrong angle. First of all I'm not going to be writing about everything i do in Japan. Of course i'm doing different and "better" things while im here. I'm out in different areas of Tokyo every weekend all day. I think posting about each touristic area i visit would be pointless since that info could be found in every Japan guide book and online. I'd like to share some experiences and observations that you will not find so easily if you're looking for info on Japan, Tokyo, and its people. For the touristy stuff you can check out my photo albums (there's two new albums, btw).

My previous post was not an OMG, i saw Pussy!!1 type post. It was about describing what kind of adult entertainment one can see in Tokyo. Hostess clubs/bars are a very important aspect of that so why not visit one and why not tell you about it. Keep in mind that I'm not here for only one weekend but two months. There's plenty of time to do the "better" things.

Also, i had no idea where the traders were going to take me on that night. The only thing i had to consider was should i spend money tonight or not. Well if it comes between going out somewhere japanese in Tokyo or sitting at home staring at the cash I'm saving I'm definitely going for the first choice.

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

I know, just busting your balls. No Pants Shabu-Shabu though? Your co-workers definately know how to bust your cherry. There is something to be said about the resemblance of thin slices of meat draped over chopsticks that evokes the imagery of...well... meat drapes, so why not combine the two?

I think you're right though, and the most exciting thing about being over there, is that for every beautifull, culturally-rich, humanity-affirming aspect of their culture you're exposed to, there is an equally dark and depraved one as well (or any culture for that matter). And you have to expose yourself to both to get the full experience. Because you can eat at McDonald's, watch american movies and tv, drink Jack Daniels and hang out with ex-pats everyday in Tokyo - but that defeats the whole purpose.

Go native dude! Puke on the subway platform! Play pachinko until your eyes bleed! Grope a schoolgirl on the Saikyo-Line! Neglect dental hygene! When in Rome...

Just kidding, it's good to go out and explore, but on the other side of the coin, I hit a wall as far as doing touristy stuff, I can only look at so many temples until they start to look the same. And a lot of the best stuff is outside Tokyo - Kyoto, Nara, Niko. Trips well worth taking when you have enough time.

BTW Have you eaten natto yet?

 

[KQX]

Time for some more brief observations:

People bow when on the phone.

In general I've noticed that japanese people use a lot gesticulation when speaking. One time i went to starbucks, the cashier was showing me where to puck up my coffee. I swear, all he needed were 2 flashlights in each hand and he could have been signaling a landing plane the way he was waving his arms around. I don't know much about the japanese language but based on the amount of gesticulation Id say its not easy nor efficient to describe things with words.

Neglect dental hygene!

Very true. It's like they never heard of braces here. I can't believe how many people have fucked up and crooked teeth. Sometimes it's really a shame. I've seen so many incredible looking and well-dressed girls but all of a sudden she opens her mouth and there's a trainwreck in there. Kinda ruins things. One guy told me that if a girl has her upper incisors sticking out a bit, it's considered attractive. Can't say i agree. Don't get me wrong though, there are plenty of extremely hot girls walking around along with straight white teeth. Seems like everything goes in extremes here.

BTW Have you eaten natto yet?

I've tried lots of traditional Japanese food and spent a lot of money on it. Shabu-Shabu, Yaki-niku, Sushi, Bentos...all great stuff. Can't say that about Natto though. It takes some time for the disgusting taste to kick in, but when it does it takes a while to get rid of it.

Subway ass-gropers

I haven't seen any subway ass gropers but i did see one guy on the train looking at a porn mag. It was so weird. Here's some guy, 40 something years old, dressed in a suit. All of a sudden he takes out a porn mag and starts browsing. He was studying the pics very closely, rotating the magazine around often, and not being discrete about it at all. The train wasn't crowded but still there were people sitting and standing around him that could clearly see what's going on. No one minds though.

But porn can be seen pretty openly displayed around town. For example: Akihabara is known as an electronics district. There's countless discount stores selling just about everything. But one thing that all the stores have in common is porn. It doesn't matter if a store primarily has video cameras, or music CDs, all of them must also have a porn section. I remember one store that had 5 floors of porn DVDs of anything you can imagine (lots of hentai too.....mmmm tentacles). Another place was selling all sorts of cameras disguised into things like briefcases. Haven't seen any of those cameras with the nightvision that can see though clothes, even though it seemed it would fit in with the other equipment.

The homeless seem like they are pretty well off in Tokyo. There's plenty of places for them to sleep since there are so many parks. If its too hot they crawl into the cool subway tunnels. Most of them put up little tents in some parks and just hang out. It's funny because these bums are not like the American ones that have only one set of clothes for all seasons on them at all times. They actually hang up their wardrobe on coat hangers in front of their little tents. And with all those vending machines with beers around, it's not too hard for them to gather around and let the good times roll. I sat down on a bench in some park and one of them approached me with a can of beer and a cigarette. He was laughing, pointing at stuff around him, and probably told me his whole life story (too bad i don't understand bum japanese). I was hoping he would try to molest me, but looks like you can't get as lucky here as in Croatia. None of the bums ever stuck out their hand asking for money; they all seem like happy town greeters.

That's it for now...oh and three new photo albums. Later on I'll make an album dedicated to only the homeless.