Neil Duckett

Last nights Nomikai with the guys from work was great. We went to `Teppachi` next to Hon-Atsugi station, a steak restaurant that`s been open for about 2 weeks. One of the guys from work grabbed the flyer from a girl near the station during the week, needless to say she was pretty cute and a major factor affecting out choice of  venue. that and it was roughly 30 bucks for all you can eat plus and extra 20 or so for all you can drink.

All up 10 of us ate and drank like kings for a few hours, fratenising with the cute staff was also at a frenetic pace after a few of the guys loosened up. The purpose of the night was to celebrate my first 12 months in Japan and that we did as we pushed through most of the menu, both food and drink wise. 

The food was sensational, Aussie Beef being one of the more popular dishes, that along with the usual tounge, pork and 30 or so other variations of food that once walked through greener pastures.  The king sized Ebi (Prawn) were the highlight for me.

Once the food was done the always predictable second party at a local hostess bar was suggested. Who am i to break tradition i ask, off we went with a spring in our step,  always mindful of the last Nomikai where my total spend for the night was a little higher than planned.  

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Today marked 12 months since i landed in Japan ready to embark on a new life. I`d been here twice before, once in 2002 and once in 2003, so i knew what to expect. This time was different though, it wasn`t a work junket for a week, to drink and eat all you can then head home, this time it was for good.

My meager possessions in Melbourne were sold or given away and after at least a dozen `last drinks` with Friends i was finally on board QF XXX and bound for Tokyo. This being the 3rd big move i`d made the feelings weren`t new to me, the difference this time was it isn`t so easy getting back home for the weekend. One thing that was the same, was when i got out at the other end there was no-one waiting for me, it was down to the baggage carousel and on the train to Tokyo.

Lucky for me i began my life in Japan on what could loosely be called an expat package, so lots of the bills were accounted for meaning more money in my pocket and hence reducing the stress to a manageable level. I also had the luxury of having a buddy here, who is hooked up with a local girl, so there was a level of security similar to the previous moves i`d made to Brisbane and Melbourne having at least 1 familiar face offering assistance.

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A few weeks ago i wrote about my Sony Living Room PC and extras which doubles as the home office after hours during the week and generally for extended periods on the weekend. I think if i had to sit bolt up right at a desk i`d be spending a lot less hours in front of the computer  but things are pretty comfortable so it`s easy to let the hours slip away. The only downside of the PC, if you could call it that, is the Japanese OS with Vista installed which as painful as it is at times it at least makes for some good  Japanese reading practice, don`t quote me on that when i`m having a fit trying to navigate the directory structure mind you.

I have a Sony 40` HD TV as my `monitor` … the left hand side of the screen i`m doing a little work on my personal blog, the top right hand side i`m catching up on the latest from John Chow and the bottom right hand corner i`m watching Survivor 15 China through Windows Media Centre. I don`t think i`ll ever tire of watching Survivor.

There`s also a wireless keyboard (Japanese again) on my lap and a 500ml can of Asahi to the left of me and a packet of hot beef jerky to the right, both just out of shot.

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Nampa, nanpa, or girl hunting, is Japan’s most visible courtship ritual. The most famous form of Nampa is “suto-nan” (street Nampa). Every weekend, across urban Japan, young men (”nanpashi”) and on the odd occasion early 30`s Gaijin (me) hang around busy streets or shopping arcades, trying to pick up passing girls … just kidding  about me doing it, my Japanese isn`t good enough yet! Sometimes the girl does the hard work - this is known as “gyaku Nampa” (reverse Nampa) - but it’s much less common.

A lazy stroll down Kabukicho anytime from lunch time onwards will see many a rooster parading himself, complete with a full blow wave hair-do and usually couppled with a Louis Vuitton Man Bag, it truly is a sight to behold.

I had a few Friends from Australia here a few weeks back and one was lucky enough to get a photo with a few of the boys in question.

Approaches vary from the clichéd “Ocha demo shinai?” (”Won’t you have tea with me?”) which really is the shittiest of tactics and is usually met with a sigh from those within earshot, to more sophisticated tactics, but it’s generally pretty obvious what the guy is really after. For serious nanpashi, the aim is to get the young lady into a karaoke bar for a few songs then ultimately into a love hotel by the end of the night, but a (genuine) cell phone number is a decent consolation.

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What a week it’s been. Lots going on at work and busily planning my trip back home for Xmas. Probably could have looked into flights a little earlier than yesterday but haven’t had too much spare time of late so a few things slipped. Anyway, return flight to Japan is sorted and only a few small details to iron out re accomodation to go.

Other things coming up in the next few weeks

Next week will see the end of my first year in Japan. What a ride it’s been so far, the first 9 months in the Century Hyatt followed by mountains of paperwork and a short trip to Korea to get my 3yr Working Visa. 12 months have gone very quick and i’ve loved every minute of it. All the ffort to get here, the 6 months prior to leaving Australia and the culture shock of living in Tokyo has all been worth it. I’m settled in my apartment and now i’m here for at least the next 3 years, so it should be happy days from here on out. The road ahead consists of many a party like the one i had a my buddy Ron’s place a few months back.

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