First, let us give a special thanks to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau for reviewing my visa after it had already expired for over a month, then taking just one day to issue the visa, but still not having sent my residence card to me by today!!!
Do you know how many things a foreigner can't do without a residence card? I can't even go to the driver's license center to get my license!
Sigh, every time I think of the Tokyo Immigration Bureau, I get so frustrated. Truly impressive.
Well, it's supposed to be a 2-year anniversary post, but I don't know what to say.
If I seriously talk about how to survive in Japan, it would turn into a long story, so this post will mainly be some complaints and simple thoughts about the past two years. I also hope to release at least five works within the next year (four are already certain to be released).
By the way, let me complain about the exchange rate—it's so great, I don't have to do anything and my wallet just keeps getting thinner!
Here is BBQ, once again astonished by the mathematical abilities of Japanese restaurants.
Suppose a single hamburger steak set costs 1200 yen, and a double hamburger steak set costs 1900 yen.
Now there's a set with a single hamburger steak + some delicious tomato for 1400 yen, but one hamburger steak isn't enough for BBQ, so BBQ added another hamburger steak. So how much did BBQ spend on this meal?
The answer is 1400 + 1200 = 2600 yen!
Oh my gosh, can't they be a little more flexible?
I've seen similar situations before in Tokyo, like when a 180g steak is sold for 1500 yen, how much should a 250g steak cost?
Normally, as the portion increases, the price per gram should decrease, meaning a 250g steak should cost less than 1500/180*250 = 2083 yen.
But some restaurants charge you 2200 yen! This isn't just an occasional thing; I once checked a kaiseki restaurant, and their steak prices also increased per gram as the portion size went up.
Oh, by the way, the accident situation is mostly resolved. The insurance company will cover BBQ's hospital and chiropractic fees for a month + 100,000 yen compensation. However, BBQ has to pay for the bicycle repairs, which is unfortunate.
On a side note, when I was negotiating compensation with the insurance company,
I didn't want to haggle back and forth (I don't like making phone calls), so I proposed a plan where they immediately pay me 80,000 yen for lost wages, but they wouldn't need to cover the chiropractic treatment costs. At first, they were happy, but after discussing it with their superior, they said the company doesn't allow paying that much for lost wages, so I had to go to the chiropractor or hospital for treatment (I'm not really injured; I just get neck massages at the chiropractor), and then they would give me 100,000 yen compensation. I don't know what insurance companies are like in other countries (because I've never had an accident before), but Japanese insurance companies seem to lack flexibility in their regulations. (This reminds me of how it took two months to get my graphics card repaired in Japan, haha.)
Here is BBQ, suffering through the scorching summer while learning to drive.
The CB400 is really heavy, three times my weight, making it very difficult to push. If it falls, I can only lift it with my back. However, riding it isn’t too hard; the instructor said I’m ready to pass the test.
But honestly, for someone of my small build, mid-to-large motorcycles are quite dangerous. I prefer smaller bikes.
By the way, riding in this hot weather is really tough. The combination of a big helmet and a black jacket is unbearable.
I usually use my right hand for work, so my left hand is weaker.
With motorcycles that don’t focus much on user experience, the clutch requires more effort to control, causing the skin on my left thumb joint to start peeling and the base of my thumb to swell. As of writing this, my left hand can’t operate the left turn signal while holding the clutch, so I’ve decided to take a few days off and go to the orthopedic doctor to heal.
Another thing is that I got COVID again, probably because the driving school in this rural area is full of people from Tokyo.
The funniest part is that when I called the immigration office to ask about my visa update, the guy on the phone coughed at the same time as me.
It’s obvious that Tokyo is having another outbreak.
Anyway, Japan has more tourists this year than it can handle. Whether you’re Japanese or planning to visit, I recommend avoiding major tourist spots this year. The experience isn’t as good as before, and the hotels are very expensive (last time I flew back to Tokyo, I couldn’t find a cheap hotel because I didn’t book in advance and had to sleep on my friend’s floor).
Postscript:
BBQ didn't buy bicycle insurance because during a year in Tokyo, I had zero accidents. BBQ always yielded to pedestrians and avoided vehicles, never having had an accident, not even in Kabukicho. So, when I moved to the countryside, I didn't buy insurance— but BBQ forgot that others can cause accidents too.
Yesterday I got hit by a car on the crosswalk near my house. If I hadn’t been practicing defensive driving, it could have been dangerous. Luckily, I wasn’t serious injured...
The police said I’m not at fault, but treating it as a personal injury accident would greatly affect the driver, so I asked for it to be treated as a property damage accident (the driver was crying quite a bit).
I’m not sure how much compensation I’ll get from the insurance company, but I hope it’s a good amount~
It feels like 2024 is a year of bad luck for me. Maybe I should get personal accident insurance.
This is BBQ, who applied for a visa renewal more than two months in advance, and now, over a month after my visa has expired, I still haven't received any news. The Immigration Bureau and banks are truly the two institutions most despised by foreigners in Japan. Last year, stocks in Japan soared, but banks alone did not rise, and BBQ thinks Japanese banks should really look into their own issues.
Recently, to ease my mind, I started gardening—essentially weeding the overgrown yard and planting some crops. Tragically, I bought watermelon seeds too late; out of seeds costing 1,100 yen, only one sprouted, what a loss! However, the sprouting of scallions, melons, and corn made up for it.
I also signed up for driving school. If I get the money, I want to buy a CT125, otherwise it's inconvenient when I want to travel farther. These past two years, my short-distance transportation has all depended on a bicycle, really takes me back to my high school days.
By the way, maybe it's because summer has started, but it feels like everyone's efficiency in the team has dropped a bit... It's a bit risky whether we can finish the Priest demo this month.
This is the ever-unlucky BBQ.
Recently, our scriptwriter fell ill, and on the very same day I received the email, our artist suddenly informed me that he was also sick and had been hospitalized.
At the same time, I just finished a dental visit to repair a tooth that had been fixed years ago, only to find it hurts even more now.
Returning to the dental clinic, the doctor gave me a "there's nothing we can do..." and then I was lucky enough to get a root canal treatment.
As of writing this, my tooth is still hurting. I guess the nerve-killing medication is working, but the pain feels like I’ve been beaten up by the doctor (which might well be true?).
According to Japanese beliefs, these last two years have been my unlucky years, and I'm starting to wonder if I should really go to a temple and have some kind of exorcism ceremony.
Jokes aside, let's report on the progress of the Priest RPG!