The J-Files: The Scene: JAPAN

Geography

Location: Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean peninsula

Area:
total area: 377,835 sq km
land area: 374,744 sq km
comparative area (for you, Jon!): slightly smaller than California
note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okinotori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)

Climate: varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north

Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous

Natural resources: negligible mineral resources, fish
natural hazards: many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis

People

Population: 125,506,492 (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.32% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 10.66 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 7.46 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: 79.44 years

Ethnic divisions: Japanese 99.4%, other 0.6% (mostly Korean)

Religions: observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including 0.7% Christian)

Languages: Japanese

Government

Type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Tokyo

Independence: 660 BC (traditional founding by Emperor Jimmu)

National holiday: Birthday of the Emperor, 23 December (1933)

Constitution: 3 May 1947

chief of state: Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989)
head of government: Prime Minister Tomiichi MURAYAMA (since 30 June 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Yohei KONO (since 30 June 1994)

Flag: white with a large red disk (representing the sun without rays) in the center

Economy

National product: GDP - $2.5274 trillion (1994 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.7% (1994)

Unemployment rate: 2.9% (1994)

Exports: $395.5 billion (f.o.b., 1994)
commodities: manufactures 97% (including machinery 46%, motor vehicles 20%, consumer electronics 10%)
partners: Southeast Asia 33%, US 29%, Western Europe 18%, China 5%

Imports: $274.3 billion (c.i.f., 1994)
commodities: manufactures 52%, fossil fuels 20%, foodstuffs and raw materials 28%
partners: Southeast Asia 25%, US 23%, Western Europe 15%, China 9%

External debt: $NA

Currency: yen (Y)

The J-Files: The Scene: Tokyo

So there's so much to see in Tokyo! So much to do! First of all, there are the tourist spots which I'll get to first. Let me begin with the Imperial Palace which is right downtown Tokyo. No no no, let's start with a bit of history. Well, what I know (which isn't so much)

OK so Tokyo wasn't always the capital of Japan, on the contrary, it barely existed before the 1600s (which is actually relatively new in Japanese standards). Originally, the capital was Kyoto. But then there was a showdown between two Shoguns, and the guy who won out got the whole country to his control. So he decided to start a capital in Tokyo (formerly called Edo), and made every single daimyo (feudal lords - the big hot-shots) live in there for at least one year out of two. Consequently, in just 100 years Tokyo grew to have a population of over 1 million people! Wow! At the time, it was the largest city in the world. And so the capital was moved from Kyoto to Tokyo. BTW, Tokyo means "Eastern Capital" (Tokyo's on the east coast, nitwits)

Let me add here (again) that this is all coming from my head, so it could be wrong. Mostly the dates. But the ideas are there.

So anyways, Tokyo lies on the largest plain in Japan, since Japan has the highest concentration of volcanoes in the world. *yoiks*. The current royal family are decendants of that Shogun that founded Tokyo, and they live in the Imperial Palace right downtown in Tokyo. This place is pretty nifty, but I'll get to that later.

As for Tokyo -- it's a curious place. It's your average busy metropolis, but more. Every once in awhile you run into something that brings you back to the traditional Japan. For instance, sometimes when I'm on the subway and it's rush hour... buisnessmen in suits and women coming home from shopping are cramming in to the cars and we're more squished than a can of sardines... and then I'll suddenly catch sight of a woman in a fully traditional kimono -- right down to the shoes, hair, and makeup... or I'll see a sumo wrestler... completely out of place yet I couldn't picture it any other way.

As for the architecture in Tokyo... it's not nearly as bad as everyone made it out to be before I came. I was under the impression that I'd be living in a concrete block. But that's not the case. Sure, there are high rise buildings... but at least they're original. And of course, there are always crowds, and narrow streets, and small houses, and apartment complexes, and more crowds, and subway trains everywhere, and cyclers everywhere... you get the point. But it gives Tokyo a certain pizazz, ya know. I like it. And I don't feel to cramped. Then again, I don't live in that area.

As for the old style architecture, unfortunately Tokyo has had a string of disasters. Most noteable are: the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, and WWII bombing. Let's start with the earthquake, shall we? Well.. here's the story. It hit at almost exactly noon on a day in September, 1923. The day may be off, but the time is definitely correct because everyone was cooking lunch. The earthquake itself didn't do so much damage -- it was the fires that consequently were set from all the gas ovens and burners that were being used to cook food. These fires caused mass destruction -- most of Tokyo was destroyed, and 120,000 people died.. I mean, the fires were actually travelling at a speed of over *80 kms/hr*. That's damn fast, if you ask me. Houses were collapsing everywhere -- fires were raging and spreading faster than you can imagine. People were also taking this as an opportunity to slay their worst enemy (since no one would be able to tell if it was the fire, the earthquake, or murder - plus, no one could care). It is said that many of the gaijin (foreigners) in Tokyo were murdered in the few hours after the earthquake because there was a rumour that they had caused it. Keep in mind, this *is* 70 years ago. Anyways, in Japan they find it imperative to never be set back and to keep on going forward, so instead of taking this opportunity to rebuild Tokyo with wider streets, and a more organized layout, they tried to reconstruct their city as fast as possible -- most stores were opened for business again within 3 to 4 days.

And as if this weren't enough -- then comes WWII. Downtown Tokyo was pretty much destroyed -- over 80,000 lives lost. Many areas of Tokyo had been completely abandonned. Again, business resumed too quickly to make any changes for the better, so Tokyo remains a bit worse off for its narrow streets and jumbled up neighbourhoods -- but then, I wouldn't have as much fun getting lost!

I guess I should comment a bit on the weather. Ummm... Tokyo has kinda pleasant weather, if you ask me -- but it all depends on what you like. In the summer it gets a bit hot at about 30C, but that's mostly downtown Tokyo. I think that it's usually hanging around 27C in most places. Late June/early July is the tsuyu (monsoon season) which cools things down a bit, and gives you some awesome storms and _lots_ of rain. In the winter, the temperature rarely goes below 0C, and there's the occasional snowfall - but it doesn't stay for long. As for the Spring -- that's supposedly the best time to visit Tokyo because the temperatures are pleasant, and the cherry blossoms are out. Tokyo is beautiful, and there are lots of parties goin' on. Neat. And then there's Autumn, which is the 2nd best time to visit because again, the temperatures are nice, and it's also very beautiful with the autumn colours (yes, trees change colours over here too!). Also, the air is clear.

Now let's get down to specific areas:

The Imperial Palace

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• [journal entry #2 - better stuff]

The Imperial Palace is situated in downtown Tokyo, but it's surrounded by the Imperial Gardens, which are huuuuuuge, so it's quite a beautiful place. Actually, visitors are only allowed into the palace itself twice a year, but there is one garden (the East Imperial Palace Garden) that is open for visitors during the day, free of charge. I went there once with Jason, but it was already closed, and then once again when it was open. Although the garden only takes up less than a quarter of the grounds of the whole palace, it is very, very big. I'd say you could easily spend half a day just wandering around. There are huge green lawns (very well taken care of, of course), and many different types of trees. There's the old donjon (is this a dungeon? I don't know - but it was pretty funky.), and an auditorium. There's an iris garden, which is famous.

As for the whole palace -- it's spectacular. Jason and I walked about one third around its perimeter, and it took way over an hour. The whole place is surrounded by the most beautiful moat I've ever seen (like - I've seen a lot of moats?). To make it short, the moat ressembles fjords, but made out of bricks. There are low hanging trees, and swans in the rivers. And oooogley fish! I've seen the sunset there twice already -- and I'd say it's worth checking out.

Shinjuku

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OK, so Shinjuku is one of the main downtown centres of Tokyo -- that's where the famous Shinjuku Station is located (biggest one in the world - it's got something like 8 floors). Of course, it's almost impossible to meet anyone there, but it's been done. Actually, at the East entrance of the station is a huuuuge TV screen (see picture in my Snapshots), and that's where everyone meets. That's a _lot_ of people.

Well, there's basically the East and the West sides. The West Side is the high-rise centre of Tokyo, and that's where Jason and I went wild going to the top of the buildings to their galleries. Of particular interest are the Tokyo Municipal Government buildings with their funky architecture, and high gallery (free of charge...), the largest pendulum clock in the world, and the building with the hollow core. Check out the journal for more info on this place.

As for the East side, we didn't spend too much time there, but it's completely different from the West side. The West Side is not too crowded because it's the business area (we went on a Saturday), but the East Side is *packed* with people. There are lots of shops, street busquers, cheap restaurants, and Tokyo's red light district. Quite a happening place, that East Side.

Asakusa

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OK, I went to Asakusa with Hirabayashi-san and Gupta-san to look at my calligraphy teacher's show. But this place is famous with tourists - not just gaijin, but Japanese as well. That's because there's the Asakusa Jinja (Asakusa Temple) which is positively huge, and very, very neat. It has two gates, and the road in between the two is lined with small shops selling all the souvenirs and treats that you could possibly want. This is actually a bit uncommon in Tokyo, so if you're looking for souvenirs, it's the place to go. As for the temple itself, there are *plenty* of goodies in there. Definitely head over there if ya can.

And the other curious thing in Asakusa is the Asahi Building. Asahi is a Japanese brand of beer. Now the reason this place is interesting is because the building was designed to ressemble a mug of beer -- a high rise building!! Needless to say, it's quite the sight.

Downtown Tokyo

Well to be honest, I haven't really checked out downtown Tokyo too much. It's adjascent to the Imperial Palace and Ginza though. There's not toooo much of interest there, but it's where the Tokyo Station is located, and that's a pretty large centre of Tokyo. Hmm.. there's the Nihonbashi (Japan bridge) which has a pole on one end that marks the old geographical centre of Tokyo. And quite a few random museums, but I haven't been to them yet. I *did* go to the Yaesu underground mall, which is really worth going to. I didn't go there to shop -- just to check it out because it's a whole mall underground. This is really, really neat! There are lots of restaurants down there, so it'd be a good place to go for some grub. Hmm.. you wonder about the firehazards of having a restaurant underground...

Rappongi

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I've only experienced Rappongi at night, but I have a feeling that that's the only time it's really alive. But boy is it *ever* a place to see! It's the nitelife area for foreigners, and anyone in search of a wild night on the town. I went with Jason, and we got out of there pretty quickly. Well, it's just that the atmosphere there is a bit sleazy. If alone, be prepared to be accosted by numerous people offering you pamphlets of prostitutes, or foreign women stopping you asking if you'd like a young beautiful girl, and well, just tonnes of people! I've heard that the clubs there are good though, so maybe that's worth checking out. Definitely a place to meet all the gaijin you could possibly want.

Ueno

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Ueno is quite a place to explore, but I've only been there at night so I'm not completely knowledgeable on this one. Jason knows more, ask him. Well, I'm going back there soon so I'll update the info. Anyways, the main thing there is the Ueno park, which is huge, and full of museums, galleries, and even a zoo. Supposedly this park is the best place to go for hanami (cherry blossom viewing) in early April.

There's also a great black market there, with just lots of things there. It's called Ameyoko Arcade, and it's got things like fake watches, vintage jeans, dried squid, shoe stores, and luggage shops. Really, just lots of things. Ueno is cool.. neat to go to.

Akihabara (Electronic City)

Ahhhh, the infamous Electronic City! This is where you can buy any type of electronic equipment for a reasonable price. There are blocks and blocks of just electronic stores... it's really quite a sight! That's where I bought my stereo - the prices are very, very reasonable. But I'd like to warn the visitor that although the prices may seem cheap, sometimes you *can* find a better deal in a discount store elsewhere in the city. It might not be tooo much cheaper though, and you'd have a lot more fun here.

Ginza

I still have to explore Ginza, so I'll get to this place later.

Inokashirakoen

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Inokashirakoen. That's a mouthful. Anyways, this is the coooolest place. It's in the area of Kichioji (on the Chuo line for anyone who's gonna go), which has got a few things to offer for an curious person. So this park is actually pretty big, and it's very interesting. There's a very large pond in the centre, with rental peddle boats. Ducks, swans, turtles, birds... all those park-type animals. But what makes this park particulary spectacular is the busquers that come out on the weekends. Every little corner has a street musician playing -- and not necessarily on your everyday instruments! I mean, there is definitely diversity there. And lots of people. I went on a Sunday, and it was a happening place! *Definitely* go here.

Other than the park, I've been told that Kichioji is a good place to do some cheaper shopping. I believe it, because I saw many stores. This is mostly for the younger generation, I think.

The J-Files: The Scene: Hino

So although Tokyo is flat, Hino is in the middle of hills - don't ask me how this works. There are 2 rivers going through the town, and all along the riverbanks are bike paths and basically green space. From the river you can see the green hills of Hino (there are many parks), the local temples rising above the low houses, the pale purple mountains to the west, and occasionally, on a lucky day, Fuji-san. It's actually quite beautiful. There are rice paddies in Hino - quite a few actually. And a few apple orchards, and vinyards, and lots of trees and streams. I run across (literally) the occasional "mini farm" with vegetables, wheat, etc. As my boss said last week, Hino is actually quite a farm town in the middle of a huge city. It's great in that way.

There's no "downtown" area - no high rise buildings... most people live in small one- or two-story houses, and those (like myself) that live in apartment buildings enjoy the luxury of being in a two-storey place as well. Rarely do I see an apartment complex with more than 4 floors around here. The streets are narrow, but that's typical for Japan. I'm not sure how they manage to fit 2 cars on the roads. There are big orange or green bins on every block - those are the mini-garbage dumpsters. So you don't get your garbage picked up from in front of your house -- you have to carry it a bit further. But for me, it's not so far.

Hmm.. there's so much to say? Should I put it in? Ok, a bit more. The air in Hino is pretty clean. Actually, I don't believe that Tokyo is a polluted city considering its population. I think this is mostly because the average person commutes by train or bicycle - to take a car is too much of a hassle, and too expensive. There's no litter on the street, and no graffiti (OK, one *little* thing right by my house, but that's it, I swear!). There's a really cool statue of Buddha right by my place. It's actually pretty big. There's a picture of me sitting in his lap, and that'll give you an idea of the size.

And then, there are just the little things that I discover everyday. A new temple here, a small park there... it's always an adventure.

The J-Files: The Scene: Epson

OK, I'm going to be talking about Epson's Hino office but there are many, many more, and I'm sure that they're a bit different.

The Hino building is 6 stories tall, and has a big "EPSON" sign at the top -- it can be seen from anywhere in Hino at all times. That's kinda cool. So when you walk in the automatic doors at the main entrance, there's someone there to bow. That's actually someone's job... neat. Makes you feel very welcome! There are men and women's locker rooms on the first floor -- I get my own locker! But I've only used it once. Hmm.. the cafeteria is on the 6th floor, and I work on the 3rd.

You need a security card to get into the room that I work in, but I think it's the only one in the building. The room itself is big -- it holds about 35 cubicles. As for the cubicles -- they're Canadian size.. large enough for 2 computers and a printer, comfortably. And although the dividers between individual cubicles in a row are pretty low (chest height), the dividers between the rows are higher (my height, so 5 foot 5?) or a bit taller. Anywyas, tall enough so that you don't feel like you're working with no privacy.

So the Epson Software Development team occupies this room - there's 25 of us. We have a daily meeting, at 1pm. They actually ring a bell throughout the whole building to signal the start of the meeting. They also ring a bell at 8:45am (start time), 12:15pm (lunch time), and 5:30pm (quit time). There are more, but I can't remember when. The point is, I feel like I'm back in elementary school. OK, returning to this meeting idea, it's really short. We all go to our conference room (no one's ever late because it's everyday) and we take turns leading the meeting. Yes, I've had to lead the meeting... which consists of asking if anyone has any announcements. Usually, no one does. Then the person who is leading the meeting usually gives a very short 3 minute presentation about the topic of his choice. Now, you would think that it would have to do with work, but it never does. Let's see... there've been presentations on TV shows, license plates, cooking, flowers, fishing, ice cream (no, it wasn't me!), Kabuki,... basically, anything you want! It's a good idea because it only takes about 5 minutes of your day but you get to have contact with everyone in the office. It makes you more of a team, I think.

Speaking of teams, this group of 25 people is divided into 4 teams. My team consists of 7 people. And a team we are! I mean, we do things on weekends together!! It's really great because I feel I know them really well. It makes it easier to work when you're having fun...

At lunchtime everyone goes up to the cafeteria to eat. They serve just tons of food there. Because I'm a vegetarian, I usually bring my lunch, which some other people do as well, but no one on our team. We all sit together at one table, but I think that I stand out because I'm a female sitting with a table of males. I realized a few weeks ago that I'm the _only_ female that does this. At every single other table it was either all men, or all women. How strange.

So I guess I should commment on the male-female ratio. Well, in the group of 25, 4 of us are females: 3 programmers and 1 secretary. But in the business sections there are loads of "office ladies" who are kind of like secretaries, I guess. Except that there's so many of them. They actually have to wear a uniform - ugh.

What else can I say now... oh, many of the guys in my office speak English, but everyone prefers Japanese (a duh). The working hours are from 8:45am to 5:30pm, with a 45 minute lunch break at 12:15. BUT, there is flex time! You just have to be in the office from 11am to 2pm -- the rest of the time is up to you. And if I want to, I can build up 9 hours of overtime and take a day off. I don't necessarily have to work 8 hours in a day. This is very cool.

I usually get into the office at around 8:15am, but I'm usually one of the first people there. Most don't start until 10 or so, and work late. They usually do the 10 hour work day thing, but I try not to do too much overtime because they're not allowed to pay me anymore with the visa I have. But I *do* build up time and take afternoons off, and stuff like that. Why not?

OK, in conclusion, Epson is a cool place to work. I'm realllly enjoying myself!