There is Still a Line You Know

So judging from the last post it is pretty clear that I am in a mood to say somethings that need to be said. For now, I will leave the Japanese to be who they are. They are human just like the rest of us. They have their good points and bad. In this post I need to talk about folks who come to Japan and think that somehow it has magically become okay to be a raging self-serving asshole. I`m not talking about the regular brand of asshole. The cure for those kind of folks is a good old fashioned broken noise. The kind of asshole I am referring to is those who will do anything to have their cake and eat it too.

While I was living in West Virginia I didn`t come across this unique brand of asshole so often. This is due to the fact that such a person did not live long enough to really cause a lot of trouble. Japan having such a passive mind set allows such assholes to succeed. I have seen many times in Japan people take the opinion that, `Well he is an asshole but he does get things done so it is okay.` I am sorry yall but it is not okay at all. Just because someone can do something well does not mean they get a free pass to bully, play games with people`s lives, and generally fuck everyone over who they don`t like. The kind of person who does the above mentioned things is the exact kind of person I am talking about.

These kind of people look at Japan as a place to exploit rather than a place to be explored. I can be honest and say that I don`t accept everything about Japan but at least I don`t try to exploit everyone living here. There are people I know who I can have a beer with any night of the week yet will have no bones about screwing me over to save their own sorry hides. I deal with a lot of people like that. Sneaky cunts who think that they are the only person of value on the planet earth. Well, I am not going to put up with such shit anymore!

It would be real easy for me to just say `fuck off` to these kind of folks but I know that is not going to work. Any kind of overt resistance they will take it as a challenge. Hell, I have been known to like a good challenge myself. I am the kind of guy who says `Oh yeah, now you`re talking` when a gun is pointed point blank to my head. Yet, my reason for taking such a posture is very different compared to the kind of asshole I am writing about. I take such a posture because I believe that there are situations when you have to out crazy someone in order to prove a point. Although these shitty assholes I am referring to take said posture for the simple purpose of stamping you out and putting themselves on a golden pedestal in order to look good in front of the Japanese. Why would someone do such a childish thing you might ask? Well, as most of us know looking good in front of certain Japanese in certain situations can bring a little extra cash in your pocket and a few extra benefits. For such seemingly small rewards a lot of people are more than willing to fuck you two ways to Sunday. They will do this shit for money, pussy, and position.

So, how am I going to deal with these very special brand of shitty asshole? Usually these dicks pick on something small and make a big deal about it or order to attempt to screw me over. What I am choosing to do is act it is not a big deal to me. This in turns usually leads them to press the issue in a slightly rude way. At that point I have two options. I can either explain things to them in a clear simple manner or stonewall them until they give up. Either way I choose to do things, the one thing these people need to know is I am fully aware what they are up to at all times. There is still a line you know!

I`m Not Crazy, I just live in Tokyo

I guess you reach a point living in Tokyo that you kind of start to fight back. For a long time I gave the Japanese the benefit of the doubt even when no one else would. I still do this to some extent but not like I use to. These days I have simply had enough of people`s shit. I take the stance that `yeah I am not Japanese so get the fuck over it already.` I feel that a lot of Japanese need to grow the fuck up and accept the fact there are actually people living in places other than Japan. Further more these people who are not from Japan have a culture rich in history and do not speak Japanese. Not all Japanese are THAT retarded as to think Japan is the end all of end all but in my experience at least 30% of the population believes it to be true. I could just as easy say the same thing about my mother land America. Yet due to America`s unique diversity the effects are not as extreme as compared to Japan.

So yeah, I have been fighting back. I really don`t live by the Japanese thought process anymore. All of the insane ideas of what a `gaijin` should and should not be just does not fly with me at all. I am not a goddamn monkey. I do not put up with any disrespect from these people anymore. If they want my respect they will have to earn it the good old fashion hard way. I don`t give a damn if they feel Japan is special and the Japanese should get special treatment. They are human just like me. If they fuck with me I fuck with them twice as much right back. If they are nice to me and show REAL respect I will do the same. Now, let me stop for a minute and say that I do not hate Japanese people. I feel they have a interesting culture. At their best the Japanese are polite and caring people. At their worst they are backward and racist compared to the rest of the world.

Let me give yall two perfect examples of the best and worst of Japan.

The best: One time I had been getting drunk in Shibuya. I got pretty damn drunk that evening and ended up missing the last train. After wondering around the area I passed out in front of the now closed HMV. It was a nice warm night and I thought since the damn homeless bums can sleep on the street it would be okay for me as well. I don`t know how long a was sleeping there but I was awoken by a damn Metro cop working the late night beat. He said me to me in Japanese, `Are you okay? I don`t care but HMV get very angry to you for sleeping here. Please drink at bar for first train(Japanese language is hard to translate for me, they really do speak this way)` He did not arrest me or anything. He even showed me an all night bar for me to chill until the trains started running again. He was a really cool dude.

The worst: I had been working in Kamata. It had been a long day of working and I wanted nothing more than to go home and have dinner with my wife. I got to the station and goddammit here comes a fucking cop. He stopped me and demanded I present my `gaijin` card to him(gaijin means outside person. Gaijin card is an id card all non-Japanese are required to carry with them at all times).  I refused of course because I know that by law no cop can ask me for my `gaijin` card without giving a reason. He refused to give me a reason and arrested me. He took me to the piggy box beside the station. For the next 3 hours I was asked a shit load of questions and treated like a common piece of trash. The bastard slapped me a few times and tried to get me to admit to some crime I did not do at all. He let me go when he realized I was wise to his game. That experience has caused me to totally not trust the Metro police. I got the asshole back the very next week. I puked all over the piggy box when they were on a smoke break.

So there is a fine example of the best and worst of Japanese people. I could give some more examples but I do not want this post to drag on. So at this point I cannot and will not put up with any Japanese bullshit at all. With that said, I still enjoy living in Tokyo. I have a hell of a good time on a regular basis. It is just that the Japanese will not fuck with me without getting a fight on their hands.

Fucking Cats In Adachi-Ku!

 I don`t know when it started or how it started but my beloved Adachi-ku has been invaded by cats. For the past several years Adachi-ku Tokyo has been under attack by loud, nasty, hungry, fighting, fuck loving cats! This problem would not be so bad if it was not for the amount of hell this gang of cats are able to produce in just one night. After one night in Aoi you would think that some twisted feline WW3 had started. What do people in Tokyo consider Adachi-ku? Did the Japanese secretly decide to declare Adachi an official dumping ground for all the metro area fucked-up out of control cats?

I have done my best to accept and even befriend our invaders but they are not interested in being friends. These damn cats want to take over I tell you! I can deal with the fighting because sometimes that shit is real funny. What is really driving me up the wall and costing me sleep is the fucking. Cats fuck in the loudest most god awful way possible. It sounds like a gang of demons from hell and ugly Star Trek aliens having a porn quality orgy. Go ahead and let that visual sink into your head for a minute. Now you know what I deal with every night. Cats get pure fucking crazy when they fuck. There is no sense in that shit! By far, cats are the most insane fuckers on this mud ball called earth.

Even though I don`t like these crazy goddamn cats I still have to share the hood with them. So how do I deal with little bastards? I have tried several things to cope. I have tried music, which just distracted my mind even more, and movies which failed to drown out the sound. I got really pissed off one night and threw rocks at the cats. They only left for a few hours and when returned and started fucking again. At this point I am pretty much out of ideas. I am now asking yall what I should do about these no good fuck crazy cats. I need some good suggestions before I go into the street with a bottle of wine and a hammer!        

Japan`s Troubles With Moving Forward

I was looking around Japansoc.com and found an article from TIME on Japan`s slow slide downward. You can read the article here. Anyone who has lived in Japan for a few years should be able to clearly see that this is not a nation which accepts change very well. At times it can appear that it is a nation which lacks the ability to change all together. I try to resist such thinking but it is damn hard when I deal with the ethic majority up close and personal on a daily basis. You know, I have this habit of watching the Japanese pretty close at times.  I try my best to understand what is going on with the ethic majority but they can be a tough bunch to figure out at times. What is certain is that the nation of Japan is in serious trouble on many fronts. It seems that almost every serious problem that could face a highly advanced industrialized nation has befell on Japan.

I don`t think it can be argued that Japan is a nation in serious decline. The aging and declining population is one hell of a problem all by itself. They got a suicide rate that is startling. Japan has the fourth highest suicide rate in the world. The Federal government is in a constant state of either instability or a complete stale mate. Japan has had six prime minsters in four years. On top of these issues is the fact that Japan has a economy that is almost completely stagnant. This nation has so many issues they need to invest in a magazine rack!

Why can`t Japan seem to get it together? They have been in this situation for decades now. Even since the bubble meltdown at the end of the 80`s Japan has seem to have lost it`s mojo. I live and interact with the Japanese on a daily basis and I see a lot of empty pride combined with a kind of collective self loathing. They seem to love themselves and hate themselves at the same time. It is as if they have given up on themselves. When I talk to a lot of them they tell me about a lot of things they want to do but go on to say they don`t have the confidence to actually do it. It is clear that there is a kind of national sadness the Japanese are rolling around in like a pig in shit. Yall every seen a pig roll around in shit? The more a pig rolls around in shit and stinks the more a pig likes it. This seems to be what the Japanese are doing as a whole. The more they stay stuck in this odd national sadness the more they like and accept it as normal.

What can they do to get things back on track?  Well, the aging and decline in population is a bit too far along to fix from inside Japan. It is clear they are gonna need outside help. The solution would seem simple enough. Increase immigration and the number of permanent residents in order to balance thing out a little. What makes that complex is the fact that the ethic majority suffers from extreme xenophobia as a whole. Hell, I have lived in the same neighborhood for years and my neighbors still do not talk to me. If the Japanese do not become more accepting of foreigners and diversify a bit more, the population and work force may very well become unsustainable. 

The suicide thing is very disturbing. It has become so common place that most people are not even phased by it anymore. From my experience when someone throws themselves in front of a train most people don`t even care that a human life has just ended tragically. Most of the people on the train are just pissed that the train is stopped and they are going to be late getting to where ever they are headed. The indifference toward suicide in Japan is something which is not being addressed at all. There are very few outreach programs and people are not encouraged to seek the programs that are available. This problem is more a cultural problem than simply a lack of proper funding of needed outreach programs. The only thing I can say is that they needed to start admitting it is a big problem and talk about it openly.

Overall yall Japan needs a new direction.They need something to fire them up again. So far the government seems to want to spend its time pointing the finger at each other and trying to find ways to make outdated methods work. The people are doing their best to make their way in very uncertain times. The ethnic majority are mostly alright people overall.. They just got some deep rooted problems which have no easy answers. I like living here and am happy to call Japan my home. Maybe things will change for the better in the future. Lord knows the Japanese could use a little inspiration.



   

     

A Tokyo Life: Welcome to the World`s Largest Rat Race

The suns raises at 4:30 a.m. and already the city stirs. There is a man riding around the hood on a loud scooter dropping off the morning paper. A few gals and guys are rolling in from a long night of partying. Old men hobble along the street spitting their guts up while making their way to buy some cheap sake. In a few hours a sudden mind numbing sound makes your ears bleed. Your eyes open and are burned by an already punishing morning sunshine. You smack the alarm clock like a red headed step sister and reach for a pack of Lucky Strikes. Your day has begun.

After a cup of coffee and hacking up something nasty from your lungs it is time to shit shower and shave.The process is the same everyday. You rush to get though the daily personal hygiene ritual in order to have enough time to smoke another cancer stick, suck down another cup of coffee, and check your e-mail. With 20 minutes before you have to catch the train you throw on your suit like a coke fiend; leaving just enough time to fix your hair. You run your ass to the station and get on the train just before the doors coldly shut. The journey to work has begun.

You have to transfer three times to get to the hell hole called a job. The mass of merciless business men and crazed city dwellers push, punch, poke, grab, and cram onto the trains like a pack of starved cannibals fighting over virgin flesh. You are the virgin flesh offered up as a human sacrifice. They are the hungry masses foaming at the mouth. You must fight for your life or be eaten alive before you even get the change to sell your soul the waiting slave master.

You somehow arrive at work in one piece. Everyone is just as pissed off and on fire as you. All of your fellow slaves are hustling to prepare for another day of thankless service to the all power company. Big Brother is watching of course and he loves you dearly. Don`t fuck-up or you will have to be reeducated with a trip to the Hello Work office. As the work day progresses you feel as if you are one day closer to jumping in front of a train; then lunch break arrives. You run away from the place of your torment to the nearest restaurant that serves up food which would make the average person kill over. You eat with joyful glee and stare at the other customers with a cold glare.

When your slave master finally releases you from your daily habit of S&M bondage known as work, you dash to the nearest low down bar to drink until you cannot feel feelings anymore. You have developed the ability to drink and smoke enough poison to kill an African elephant during your time in Tokyo so far. The natives dare not try to out drink you for fear of death by alcohol poison. The waiter always looks at you with a hateful glare when you order the all you can drink option. They not making any money off of you tonight because you always drink enough to get 20 navy boys from Yokosuka drunk.. Somehow you make it out of the bar just in time to catch the last train home. The cannibals are almost as drunk as you hence not as hungry for your virgin flesh. 

When you arrive home you spend a good hour emptying your stomach of the poison which did not manage to infect your body. After which you pass out with you head resting on the toilet seat for a good 30 minutes. You finally make it to your bed when you are awoken by the sounds of a fight on the street; but don`t remember how you managed such a feat. You are at peace for now.  

Keeping Money on My Mind in Tokyo

Money has been in my thoughts a lot recently. To be more exact, I been thinking about how to make more money. Living in Tokyo is damn expensive. Having enough money to pay the bills,put food on the table, and have a good time regularly can be a challenge at times. It seems like if I could just earn a little more yen things would be a lot easier. I have still been able to keep my full time gig my some unseen miracle(English teaching in Japan can be cut throat at times). Yet, I am gonna have to get a part time gig on the side. I just need a little extra money. An extra 20,000 or 30,000 yen a month would really mean a lot to me. How the hell am I gonna pull this off?

Well, I have been talking to a few folks and there does seem to be options. More than one person has mentioned to me that doing some corporate English teaching part time is a good way to make extra yen. I have never done it before but I am sure I can handle it. I have been teaching English for several years now so I should be able to handle just about every kind of English lesson. I am not saying that I can walk into a class and hit a home run from day one but I am sure I can adjust pretty quickly. I guess the added flexibility of doing corporate lessons would be nice. I like the flexibility I have with my private students. I can pretty much put together a lesson using my own method while at the same time customizing the material to meet the needs of the student.  Making my own lessons is always fun. The drawbacks with corporate lessons might be stability. If a company does not need me anymore or they want to change teachers for what ever reason I might find myself in a tough position to be assigned another corporate gig.

Another thing to think about is which kind of company to try and get hired by to do corporate teaching. Currently, it looks like I can try to get on with a dispatch company or try to get hired on the corporate side of an eikaiwa company. Both kinds of companies could be alright to work part time for as well as be a foot in the door for a full time contract down the road if I so choose. As long as they got a place for me and I fit in well where they assign me either kind of company could be alright. The thing about dispatch is that I might end up doing ALT work and I would rather not do that right now. Corporate English teaching is what I am most interested in doing part time for now.  Doing my full time gig and then turing around and pulling a day or two at a jr. or senior high school would a bit of a drain on me energy wise. So I guess I will focus on trying to get a part time gig working on the corp. end of a ekiaiwa company(hence avioding branch work for two different companies) while holding onto my full time gig.

From this point all I got to do is update my resume and apply to a company or two and see how it goes. No matter what, I really need something on the side. I don`t have enough private student yet to rely just on that alone to pad my monthly income. Well yall, welcome to the life of a English teacher in Japan.

Don`t Call It A Come Back!

Hello Japan! You motherfuckers! Yeah, that is right my ass is still here. I have been keeping my head low for a while. A lot of crazy ass things have went down. A hell of a lot of stress and general bullshit kept my attention away from The Ghost Letters Blog.. I have collected a few good tales during my absence; some are worth sharing and some are not.

Anyway, my ass is still in Tokyo going strong. Despite all the insanity, low moments, fighting, drinking and tears I have survived all that Tokyo has thrown at me. I have pretty much come to point of `Fuck most of shit people in this city try to pull on a daily basis` kind of mindset. People can be damn brutal selfish assholes in this city. I used to smile and try my best to put up with all the sociopath like behavior I deal with. Not any more! I really can`t put up with it anymore yall. If I am going to keep calling Tokyo home I have to draw a line in the sand. At this point when someone pulls that brutal selfish shit all I can do is let them go their own way. I don`t even have to be rude for someone to take a hint.  All I have to do is simply stop the good time with them as soon as they pull any shit with me. I tried it recently and it worked like a charm.

Well, besides dealing with sociopaths I also been doing a lot of drinking with many different people. It is good to feel people out from time to time. Folks lighten up a bit after a few drinks. I get to see what kind of person they really are. I have found that most gaijin in Tokyo are totally in a near constant state of stress. I can relate for sure. People do some pretty shitty things in order to purge their stress. Some of the stuff they do is understandable but others things are really unacceptable. Yet, I can`t life their lives for them so I say, `have at it you`re a big boy.` You know, it is like when you hang-out a few times and all of a sudden they do something so horn-dog that you can`t look at them the same way anymore. What happened to simply hanging out with friends? I can recall so many evenings in which I just wanted to hang-out and have a few beers. Sadly, what ends up happening is I get to watch someone hit on chicks they will never get and basically babysit their drunk overbearing ass.

Hell, not everyone is fucked-up and crazed in Tokyo. I have met some really good people here. I know some people I would trust with my life; a very short list might I add. I wish I had more good-hearted funny down to earth people around me. I like going out and having a damn good time but all the horn-dog shit is really a drag. I don`t mind people going out and looking for a gal to fuck. Getting laid is a very good thing indeed. I am married so I don`t really care about picking up chicks so much. I am happy with what I got at home.

Any damn way, my ass is back and blogging again. I am also going to start taking a more active role in the English speaking J-web again. I miss a few folks here on the web so I look forward to reconnecting with a few of yall. So until next time, have a cold one for me.