Snow Flurries = Unhappy Steph

Today was our first day off from work after being 'official' for one week. We had a busy day today because we had to take care of business matters such as applying for Alien Registration cards and opening a bank accounts. Once we receive our alien registration cards (in two weeks) we will be able to just leave our passports at home. The Card then becomes our main photo ID. When thinking of taking care of business matters in Japan I cringe. What normally would take 30 minutes in the US takes us 2 hours here because of the language barrier. This was almost the case this morning when we stopped in a photo shop to take 2 passport photos needed for the registration card. In our orientation packet it said that we would be able to do this at the train station in a photo booth but since we have a photo shop closer to our apt we decided to stop there. We had a hard time communicating even though we knew how to say "Passport Photos" in Japanese. However, the smart sales clerk pulled up his laptop and used a "dictionary.com" type of website to translate from Japanese to English his questions and instructions alleviating our frustration.
When we opened the door to leave our apartment this morning we were surprised to see SNOW (as pictured above in a local park). Well not really, they were only snow flurries but it was still a big deal. We looked like stupid tourists taking pictures against a dark background hoping that the tiny flakes would be visible in the picture. Nick was able to get a picture of my hair with the snow flakes on it. I had heard that when it snows it's not usually really cold. This could be true for the most part but the part that's killing us is the brutal wind that's accompanying the snow flurries. We guessed that today's temperature must be in the 30's but when the violent winds come it might as well be below 0 for me.....it's almost unbearable. One thing that has surprised me especially today is the attire that school girls and even some women wear on days like this. For school girls it is not an option, no matter how cold it is they have to wear their school uniform that consists of a SKIRT, collared shirt, vest and a jacket. School girls are not allowed to wear pants even if it's snowing outside. However some women are still wearing their mini skirts with their cowboy boots even with today's 30 degree weather!
The walk to the Sasebo City Hall building where we had to go register was about a 20 minute walk which isn't so bad but with today's wind it was a little uncomfortable. On our way back the wind had really picked up as we were trying to make our way to the USO.

The USO is a place that I believe it's ran by the US Navy. It looks like a big living room with a TV and books with a snack bar and free internet access (well a donation for the troops gets you "free" access). As we walked through the blazing winds we made it to the USO only to find out that they were closed for another hour. As I quietly cursed under my breath we made our way back to the arcade and seeked refuge in a warm and cozy STARBUCKS with a hot cup of cocoa for me and a Mocha for Nick.
From there we decided to hit the bank before they closed in less than an hour to open up our bank account. This was an easy transaction thanks to the English speaking staff! After about 30 minutes we walked out with our new savings account. In Japan they do not have checking accounts like we do back in the States....they do not use personal checks. It is very much a CASH only culture. The students that we have talked to about this all have stated their dislike for credit cards due to the high interest charges. We find this so unusual just because neither of us are used to carrying cash in our wallets. Also, the ATM's here are only open until about 7pm whereas we are used to 24 hour access to our accounts.

Alright, now for some random (useless) facts from Nick:

* Joe, you will be excited to know that I had a student the other day who often listens to rap but is also familiar with Reggaeton. When I asked him who sings Reggaeton, he quickly replied 'Daddy Yankee'. (Viva Puerto Rico!!!!!)

* Dan, I found my first Death Cab For Cutie CD (Transatlanticism) in Sasebo.

* Coca-Cola makes popular cold coffee drinks called Georgia Coffee. (in vending machines).

* We ate at 'Broadway Pizza', owned by a Japanese couple that spoke excellent English. A quick note: a large pizza costs the equivalent of USD$20-35.

* All Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants have statues of Colonel Sanders at the entrance. He stands about 6 feet tall and is adorned with real glasses. There's even a baseball team in Osaka that is popular for the 'curse of the Colonel'. Basically, the team had gone 20 years without a championship. . . incidentally the dry spell began the same year that someone dumped one of the statues of Colonel Sanders into the local river. So, the 20-year dryspell began. Each year, loyal fans began to decorate the 'Colonels' in town with baseball caps and other stuff with the hopes of providing good luck to the team. Finally, a couple of years ago the 'curse of the Colonel' was snapped and fanatic baseball fans plunged themselves into the same river that the Colonel statue had been dumped 20 years prior. Long Live Colonel Sanders!!!

* Not suprisingly, food portions are smaller in Japan. The first couple of days Steph and I thought we were never going to be full. However, one week later, we are now able to be satisfied with these new, smaller size portions.

* Fans of the movie 'Lost in Translation' will be happy to know that Suntory is everywhere. They make whisky, beer, water, juice, and soda. There is a large Suntory Whisky billboard around the corner from our apartment. So, "For Relaxing Times, Make It Suntory Time"