Boys Stuff

Hi All, Ross here, making my first blog posting. Having seen the style that Julie has been writing with over the last week, I have decided that I need to provide a different perspective on life in Japan. I shall focus be focussing on "boys stuff". I intend to cover motor cars, technology, bicycles and all manner of exciting things not yet mentioned.

First of all I think I need to correct some of the errors made on the previous posting regarding Bic Camera. This is the mother of all electronics stores. There are a number of these shops around the centre of Tokyo and in fact last Saturday I spared the family the journey to the really big one in Shinjuku and settled for the little store in Shibuya. 5 floors of everything electrical that you can care to mention. You could wander for hours looking at all the things they sell (well I could) What is incredible at many Japanese stores is the vast choice of items that you are presented with. The Japanese must think they have entered the stone age when they go shopping in the UK.

I needed to purchase a ethernet cable last week. They stock several different manufacturers, a couple of types from each manufacturer, in sizes from 1m to 30m and then in at least 4 different colours. What joy. Even the mains extension leads come in at least 6 different colours. Kids managed to find TV showing Kill Bill. Not exactly family viewing but they were still riveted to it long after I have worked out which of the 862 different ethernet cables I was going to buy.

We have also managed to aquire a car whilst in Japan. Well Julie did, she mentioned to the Boss at work that we were planning on getting a car. A little later he reappeared to say that he had solved the problem and would call me. Julie rang me to explain that she wasn't sure what she had arranged but the Boss would ring. By this time I have visions of the brand new vehicle they have aquired on our behalf and expect us to pay the bill for. It turns out the company has a lease car that never get used and we can have it for free. All we have to do is fill it with petrol. Fantastic, so whats the catch? ...... Yes you guessed it the car is an Toyota Corrolla saloon (automatic). Having spent years priding myself on selecting exciting and unique vehicles I am now driving the dullest vehicle on the planet. I'll attach a picture.

I had to take it to the garage the other day. When I dropped it off they were all ready for me and had their only English speaking assistant to sort me out. When I collected the car it was a little more entertaining as it was somewhere in their garage and I couldn't remember what it looked like or the registration. Try explaining that to the assistant that only speaks Japanese. It's silver I said, feeling a proper girly.

We've only made one journey it it to Costco to do a big food shop. The traffic was dreadful and the kids managed to fight in the back all the way there and all the way back. Not the best conditions for getting used to a new traffic system. Still to figure out the motorway systems. Most are toll roads. Apparently you need a card that plugs into the dashboard and opens the toll barriers. You drive at these things and they read your card and open the barrier just in time. Not sure what happens when the card expires, I guess you demolish the barrier.

We cycle a lot around the centre of Tokyo. You are allowed to ride on the pavements which is where most of the cyclists are found. Its great with the kids but if you want to get anywhere quickly you need to venture onto the roads. As a veteran of cycling in Central London (student days) it no worst than London. In fact it's probably a lot safer. It would seem that if you run a cyclist over it is your fault whatever happened. This seems to lead to some cyclist considering themselves to be imortal. It is not unusual to find cyclists going the wrong way down the street being avoided by two lanes of traffic.

One morning I saw a cyclist, that must have been hit by a taxi, ranting and raving at the taxi driver whilst a policeman looked on. The poor taxi driver looked very embarrassed and could only bow repeatedly at the cyclist. Can't see that happening in the UK.

Julie is away with work in Korea at the moment so I have been looking after the kids. Not easy when work is 90 minutes away. (I must tell you about commuting on the trains at some point) So yesterday I left work at 1445 and got into work at 1015 this morning. Neve is away on school trip tonight. The school have taken them to Mt Takao where we went last Tuesday and Felix had play date at Flynn's. That meant I could at least stay in work to normal time today.

Flynn is Felix's bessie mate from school. They seem to have a lot in common. Flynn was heard to say 'Felix and I get on really well as we think just like each other' As parents we have interpreted this to mean that neither of them think at all before they do something. By end of play Sunday, Felix had crushed his testicles on the cross bar of his bike whilst trying some trick cycling down Omotesando (Like Knightbridge) and then put his foot through Flynn's bed whilst trying some sort of acrobatics. One skinned shin later....