…god only knows. Baba’s company have made a very big salary offer to try and entice him to relocate to Tokyo to manage the marketing department there. So even though we made up our minds a couple of weeks ago to stay in Sydney, we’re now in a situation where we have to reconsider that decision.
The small bit of good news is that he’ll be home on Saturday morning.
…that we’re probably not moving to Tokyo. Baba and I thought a fair bit about the pros and cons and decided that even if his company were to offer the sort of salary that would make it worthwhile, we’d still be no better off for the move; particularly considering it would most likely be for only a few years at the most. We really don’t want to go through the hassle of packing up and moving internationally, not just once, but twice within a few years. There’s also things like our pension payments to consider (staying in Australia is far more beneficial for when we’re old) and overall lifestyle. If he gets paid a shitload of money, the company would expect him to work for it…no more wandering out the door at 5 o clock and meeting me and chai in the park for walkies after work!! Then there’s the clean air, beaches, multiculturalism, food, space, wineries and all the positives of living in Sydney.
In the end it was a fairly straightforward decision.
Things I Love:
Stuff works.
Trains come frequently and on time to the second.
Cheap lunches.
Shopping for clothes (and having change from 100 bucks after buying 3 or 4 fabulous, well made items).
Strong alcoholic drinks in izakaya for $2.50 (Acerola-hi at Andy’s in Yurakucho).
Onsen visits.
Eye candy. Lots and lots of eye candy.
French wine at affordable prices.
Pasta that’s invariably cooked to al-dente perfection instead of the mush that most Australian Italian restaurants serve up.
The fact that most people one encounters are genuinely kind, helpful and very good natured once the surface is scratched.
Clean taxis with lace seat covers and (if you’re extra lucky) gloved drivers.
Being able to get a decent meal at 11pm.
The ordered anarchy of the place.
Art, individuality and creativity are everywhere despite the overwhelming, unquestioning, conformist culture of corporate zombies.
Cakes and desserts.
Things I Hate:
The filthy air that made me sick. (I feel 100% better after being home in Sydney for just 12 hours. I’m not making it up when I say I can feel my lungs having to work 20% less now that I’m home to get the same amount of oxygen).
Incessant aural assaults from recorded safety announcements. (Would the place cease to function if the docile population weren’t forever being reminded about the dangers of riding on escalators or being warned that the bus is about to turn a corner).
Cigarette smoke everywhere and the stupidity of smoking being banned outdoors but being perfectly okay in unventilated pokey little cafes and restaurants.
The fact that in the year 2008 I still turn heads in one of the world’s premier cities for the simple fact that I don’t look Japanese.
Institutionalised sexism, racism and homophobia that many open minded people recognise and express remorse over, but yet fail to challenge or attempt to rectify at a societal level.
The fact that it’s OK to be a man in an outrageous frock if you’re a TV star (god, it’s almost a precondition of fame in Japan), but that most ordinary gay men must remain securely shut up in their closets. Last Tuesday night, an NHK panel show/documentary that I was fortunate enough to catch was the first time that homosexuality had been spoken about openly on the national broadcaster!!!
Women who stop randomly in the middle of crowded footpaths and the general inability of said women to walk in a straight line – especially when one is behind them and trying to rush for a train.
Kanji.
Natto.
Over packaging of anything and everything one buys.
Crowded trains.
The majority of service in high-end Western Style restaurants. (A very good lunch at the Amarni Ristorante was severely marred by a dreadful Japanese waiter trying to act Italian and just coming across as a totally rude wanker).
Parochialism.
This list is not just my reflection on the city I used to call home and visited last week for the first time in two years, but also a preliminary step towards making a huge decision of whether or not to move back to Tokyo some time over the next 6 -12 months as baba’s company tries to court him to transfer to the tokyo office.
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