The six things I could never do without...in Japan

I was procrastinating this evening, not wanting to finish updating my resume or start cooking dinner, and found myself looking at my basically-abandoned OkCupid profile since I never actually do productive things when procrastinating (or it wouldn't be procrastinating, obviously). One of the profile sections is "The six things I could never do without." Some people write real answers, while others (like myself) write things like 'air, water, Internet...' I am a pretty goes-with-the-flow kind of guy, so there aren't that many things that I couldn't do without. In any case, I decided to sit down and think of six things that have defined my last two years in Tokyo, while leaving off the obvious things like friends, Internet, etc. (at least directly). These were written as they came to me, although you could argue that the order that I wrote them in shows their subconscious importance.

Akihabara

'Akiba' is basically nerd-central in Tokyo. It contains tons of game and anime-related stores, arcades, maid cafes, and lots and lots of otaku. If you have never been there, it might be a little hard to imagine, but if you can imagine four blocks of game stores, plus multiple random side streets, you might have a small idea of what it's like.

During my first year in Tokyo, this was my primary destination for fun, more specifically relating to playing Magic, sometimes spending Friday evenings and then the full day Saturday and Sunday playing in tournaments. I'd also walk around various video game and other otaku-related stores, but the bulk of my time in Akiba was spent playing Magic. Around March 2010 I more or less stopped going to Akiba - this was directly related to my joining the kickboxing gym, which I'll talk more about next.

Akiba is particularly important because almost every new friend that I have made since moving here has come from playing Magic. Not every friend that I've made here is a Magic player - I've met some really interesting people through friends, but those friends are Magic players. Obviously, this is just social networking, and the vehicle is less important, but my point is that Magic is more than just two nerdy guys (or girls!) sitting down to silently play cards with each other.

One last thing to add that is tangentially related: While I'll complain about being discriminated against or stereotyped here as a foreigner, and although Japan is a super-homogeneous society on the whole, I now have friends from all over the world, which is pretty awesome.

Punching bags

I joined my kickboxing gym back in February of this year, and for several months, it was more or less the center of my life, and everything else revolved around the gym. I have relaxed (or slacked off, as the case may be) in the last few months, although I am getting back into it more hardcore again. Just as Magic defined my first year in Japan, I have to say that Vos Gym has defined my second year, and although I'm not overly close with that many people there, it is one of the things about Japan that I will miss most.

My favorite memory would be from our summer training camp, when around twenty of us went to a beach in the middle of nowhere and spent the weekend training, barbequeing, and playing baseball.

If you are ever stressed or depressed about anything, I would whole-heartedly recommend exercise of some sort, regardless of whether it is running, joining a gym, or taking dance lessons. Personally, I like hitting things, but do whatever works for you. Of course, I would recommend exercise even if you aren't feeling down!

Aquarius

While the first two were somewhat insightful and/or sentimental, this one is pretty straightforward. Aquarius (along with bottled water) is the main thing that I drink over here. It's a sports drink, and it's way better than Pocari Sweat, Calpis, and Gatorade. Original Aquarius is the best, but the lemon flavored one is quite refreshing also. Drinks in Japan are very different from the types available in the US, and while I'll be happy to easily find fruit juice again, I will miss my Aquarius, since I've yet to find an Asian supermarket that stocks it.

Good hamburger restaurants

I complain about Japanese food a lot. I no-sir all sorts of foods - in theory - without even giving them a chance. However, if you sit it in front of me, I'll for sure try it. I may or may not like it, but I am willing to give everything a shot once. The reason that I no-sir things when they are suggested is because I don't like to waste money, so I would rather go with something that I know is good/something that sounds good, instead of something sketchy sounding like 'Cod roe, ham, and mayonnaise spaghetti.' You can tell me all you want that it tastes good, and I will tell you you're insane just as many times, but as I said, if it is placed in front of me, I am willing to try it. And while I might say, "I hate brown rice," I am also willing to give things a shot a second time, since people cook things differently. I love broccoli, but sometimes broccoli is just god awful. Do those people not know how to cook or something?

This past weekend, a friend insisted I try mayonnaise and potato pizza, and it was actually quite good, even though I told her there was no possible way that it could be.

My point is that there is lots of disgusting food in Japan, but some of it actually isn't disgusting. If you don't want to risk it, that is where the good hamburger restaurants come to the rescue. Or, you know, stop being lazy and cook your own damn food.

My bicycle

Although I have a dorky 'mamachari' instead of a super-sweet fixed gear baby, I don't know what I'd do without a bike in Tokyo. I guess I would take the trains everywhere. That seems terrible.

Trains stop running around midnight here, for whatever ridiculous reason, so having a bike is extremely convenient if you want to stay out past that hour, since otherwise you are stuck until 5 A.M. Fortunately, Japan is pretty accommodating to people who have missed the last train, with 24 hour restaurants (although 24h sometimes just means they're open until midnight, liars), karaoke bars, manga cafes, and capsule hotels. Also, while I think the train system here is generally very efficient, sometimes it really is easier to just ride your bike somewhere, since it would take longer to take the train after you factor in time for changing lines.

Trips home

As much as I love Japan, sometimes I really need to get away and visit home for a bit. This time, however, I won't be flying back after two weeks. I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this. I always get cold feet when it comes time to move to/from Japan, so the fact that I am feeling this way now doesn't surprise me, but I'll be sad to say goodbye to all of my friends here, and Tokyo is easily the best city in the world. Fortunately, the future is wide-open, so who knows what could happen!

Well, unless my flight is rerouted to Haneda and I am killed by feathers, I suppose...