I went in today to look into getting a phone and setting up an internet connection in my apartment. I had no idea what was available or how much anything would cost, but I knew I wanted a smartphone and would probably use Softbank because almost everyone I know here uses them. It turned out that I only really had two choices for Softbank smartphones: the iPhone or a Lumix Android phone. Also, because I can't commit to a two-year contract, I have to pay for the full price of the phone upfront. Because the iPhone was ¥46,080 and the Lumix was ¥95,280, that made choosing the iPhone pretty easy. They had other Android phones on display, but they won't be in stock until June, and at this point I was in no mood to wait any longer.
Because I'm buying the phone upfront and not paying it off over two years, it does reduce my monthly payments from ¥5705 to ¥3785, plus usage charges. It gives me unlimited access to the internet, which will be nice while I'm waiting for a real internet connection at home. Unfortunately, the iPhone was out of stock at the store I went to, but they are getting more tomorrow. I'm scheduled to go back at lunch and get everything taken care of, which I'm definitely looking forward to.
Internet is a whole other story, sad to say. NTT needs a week to figure out if my apartment as the proper set up or if they need to do some installation work. If something does need to be installed, it will cost me extra, though they didn't say how much. I'm most likely going to go with the plan the other foreign teacher here uses, which gives him quick, reliable, unlimited access for about ¥4000 a month. After I choose a plan, it'll take at least a month to get someone to come out and install it. Best case scenario, I'm looking at another five weeks without a proper connection. I'm surviving just fine right now, but it will be really nice to put an end to this daily struggle for any kind of connection.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Back to Work!
Golden Week is over now, and I went back to work for a whole two days before my weekend rolled around. Friday and Saturday were both very light days, with a total of four classes between them, so mostly I spent a lot of time preparing for next week's lessons. I'm not going to turn down paid days off, but it will be easier to get a flow going when I start working full weeks.
I spent a lot of time during Golden Week exploring all the stores in my area to find things to make my apartment more comfortable, notably the kitchen. I've been able to do a lot of cooking, which is a challenge in my little kitchen, but it has been a good way to have some food other than Japanese food. It's also a lot cheaper than going out to eat all the time, obviously enough! I bought a lot of noodles and brown rice in bulk, and so far I've cooked Italian, Thai, Indian, and Japanese dishes.
You would not believe how hard it is to find some things, such as measuring cups and a pot holder. Every store in town sells garam masala, but only one place sells curry powder, and so far I've only found coconut milk at a different store. I only know one place that sells napkins, but they only come in a package of 12 and I have no need for that many! I'd like to find a bathroom scale that has both kilogram and pound options, though since I can't read the packaging I don't know if any of them do that. I may just have to buy a kilogram scale and learn the conversion.
I also walked to everything that looked interesting on Google maps, and got some nice pictures of some beautiful scenery. Unfortunately, the two main places I wanted to see – the ruins of an old castle and a park – were both closed because of earthquake damage. I got a lot of exercise, at least, and it got me out of my apartment for a little while.
The Internet connection I'm borrowing here is very spotty, sometimes fantastic and sometimes nonexistent. I had a 24-hour period where I couldn't get online at all, which was only made more frustrating by the fact that, at any moment, it might start working again. I'm seriously thinking about getting some sort of smart phone when I get my alien registration card just so that I can at least check my email on a regular basis. I'm not sure yet if I can afford it, but it would be nice while I wait for a stable connection to be set up, and it would surely have other apps that would be very useful here.
I did take advantage of some of my free time last week to record a video tour of my apartment using my new camera. It may be quite a while before I can upload it, though, because at 828 MB there's no way my current connection can handle it.
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