I was driving through the streets of Ginza on my way home. Following a white car, I turned right on a street that leads to Tokyo station. Then, there was a guy directing the white car, in front of me, to stop. Before I knew it, there was another guy directing my car to stop…
Category: Japan
The Weak One
How big could a problem be to merit ending one’s own life? How weak could a person be to think there is no other solution? Yesterday, a person decided to end his life on the tracks of Tokyo’s Hibiya line. An hour later, the rails were cleaned. The trains resumed. Life moved on. Except for…
Defending Japanese Companies
Being surrounded by a lot of people who’ve never worked for a Japanese company, I find myself in a weird situation when people around me start raising negative stereotypes about them. It’s true that compared to American companies, Japanese companies may appear rather undesirable. They’re known to have relatively low pay, relatively small desks, and…
My Second Car
When I was in Kagoshima, I got me a second hand Toyota Allion, which I reluctantly sold before moving to Tokyo. Just last month, I got me one of these. I need to save money.
Return of the Super Yen
Just how strong is the yen right now? It’s so strong it’s cheaper to buy a book from Amazon US than from Amazon Japan! I bought a book from Amazon US and it only cost me 3,283 yen and that includes international shipping. Buying the exact same book from Amazon Japan would cost me 4,459…
Not On Time
Eight years in Japan taught me how to be always on time. Now that I’m again surrounded by Filipinos, I’m having problems adjusting back to Filipino time. It’s not uncommon I see myself waiting for friends who are always oh so fashionably late. Even if I try to force myself to just come in late…
Nippori to Narita in 36 Minutes
It looks like travel time from my place to Narita will be reduced by a whopping 15 minutes (!) although admittedly, the idea of saving 30 minutes (round trip) a year doesn’t sound very fantastic considering I only fly abroad about once a year. NRA Website (Japanese)http://www.nra36.co.jp
Tokyo Is The New Wall Street
With all these Japanese banks making their advances into American banks, I predict Tokyo is going to be the New Wall Street! All the world’s biggest banks will be based here and Tokyo will be the world’s biggest financial center! I told my gaijin friend this and he remarked it’s “actually not nice … it’ll…
We Have A Buyer
After a week of stressful waiting, Lehman Brothers Asia finally has a buyer. Nomura, Japan’s biggest brokerage firm, bought Lehman’s Asia units. What this means for me? I’ll be again working for a Japanese company. We’re no longer a Wall Street company as all connections to New York will be lost (Barclays bought Lehman Brother’s…
Bring It On
Yes, my company is having problems. Yes, I’ll be at work tomorrow. Bring it on.
Dried Mango Alternatives
On my recent visit to the Philippines, I decided to go against the flow and not go for the tried-and-tested Dried Mango omiyage. Success. Top 3. Pastillas de Leche. It is very popular among the Indians. It seems they have something very similar, also made from milk and sugar. It’s also popular among the Chinese…
My Japan Story
8 years ago today, I took a plane from the Philippines to Japan. Who would have thought I’d still be here 8 years later. Of the 9 people I was with on that plane, only 2 of us are still here and yes, we still work together, seated almost next to each other. Here’s my…
Enrico in Tokyo 