Moved-In

Well, I moved into my new apartment today.  Every Westerner who comes to Japan experiences "culture shock" at some point after arriving here.  I think I'm going through it now.  The act of moving out of the hotel, away from the gaijin-friendly world of Roppongi, which is essentially a game-preserve for foreigners, came as a bit of a wrench.  The Japanese that I have been learning for the past years seems laughably inadequate.  What the hell was I thinking?  My efforts might impress a waiter or two, but they cut no ice with real people.  You would have gotten quite a laugh out of the spectacle of me buying sheets, a blanket and a pillow this afternoon - a moment of low comedy.  Unlike Peter Whimsey, my saddle shoes were definitely in order, although I emerged with the required items.

The room is fine, and you'll be pleased to know that I am working my way through loads of laundry.  Actually, the room isn't fine.  One of the A/C units is not working.  The solution is to move me upstairs to the room above, where presumably the A/C IS working.  Housing managers are the same the world over, it seems.  He wanted to move me this afternoon.  The electricity wasn't on, so no A/C plus no lights, or anything else.  Additionally, some unknown person's boxes were strewn about the kitchen.  I was hot, tired, annoyed and despondent from trekking around Tokyo in search of soft furnishings and bedding, and I felt the distinct urge to choke the living sh*t out of him.  Through gritted teeth, I told him to get the new room ready first, and I would inspect and inventory it tomorrow at 9am.  Meathead!  I felt better after I had a shower and started the laundry in my half air-conditioned room.

I am writing this from an internet cafe in the basement of the New Sanno hotel, so you will surmise that my in-room internet does not work.  This is just as well, since I am moving to another room tomorrow, depending on the new room's state of disrepair relative to my current one.  My first room is next door to the Chinese officer, the upstairs room is across from an Indian officer and his family.  They have lots of children- or at least it seems so because they are loud and in constant motion.  Hey-Ho.  Meathead says that the NTT technician will come to my room between 3pm and 5pm Saturday to do something about my internet service - fingers crossed.  Everyone is very  kind but also very vague about how all this is to be paid for...