how to make a hotel reservation online (in Japanese)

Last week I introduced you to the wonderful world of Japanese hotel plans, with a promise of how to make a hotel reservation online (in Japanese). Some of you mentioned your experiences and the ease of finding hotels, which is very true for major cities, heavily traveled areas, searching in English, etc. Perhaps you want to go off the beaten track a little bit, or even just try and find a few more (affordable) options. My secrets to finding a decent hotel typically involve Google maps, Rakuten (in Japanese), Trip Advisor, and sometimes just typing the name of the location with "ホテル" (hotel) in my search engine to see what comes up. (I don't typically stay at ryokan because the touristy ones are far too expensive - sometimes up to 100,000 yen a night. There are good ones out there, and good deals, but this would require an entirely different post to delve into).

Many hotel sites offer some English version of their site, even if only a page. And while you may come across some decent deals in English, I would advise looking through the Japanese version of the site as well. (Sometimes you won't have a choice, if the site is ONLY in Japanese). I've almost always found better deals on the Japanese version of the site (again, not EVERY time, but most of the time).

The following how-to covers just one hotel site as an example. Of course, you probably all know that websites vary and the order in which they do things may be slightly different than presented here. Generally the steps are typically the same, but don't panic if a step on the site you are using differs from those below. Look at the kanji, compare and try to discern what information is being asked for.

All right, let's book a room shall we?

booking a hotel - just a little different...

This post is my entry for the July Japan Blog Matsuri, hosted by mokudekiru. The theme is ちょっと違う (Chotto Chigau) or “Not Quite the Same.”

 Booking a hotel is relatively straightforward. You would think. Enter some dates, choose the number of nights, number of people, smoking or non-smoking and check your preference in the list of results – maybe a standard or regular room, or something fancier like a deluxe room or a suite. All very typical for what I am accustomed to as an American. (Can’t say I know much about booking hotels in other countries, as I haven’t had that experience yet, unfortunately).

My first few times attempting to book a hotel in Japanese left me a bit baffled, and not because of the language. While some Japanese travel and hotel sites offer standard choices, a good number of Japanese hotels I’ve checked out online (especially smaller and less Western types) present the process in what I might consider an unnecessarily complicated manner: a list of plans.

HOW TO: Find (good) deodorant in Japan

If you're coming to Japan, you will probably hear someone lamenting about the inability to find any "real" deodorant here. When I heard this before coming, I promptly bought a 4-pack of my favorite kind (which I still haven't used up, two years later). Yet, for those trying to save luggage space, unless you are REALLY attached to your deodorant, let me reassure you, it IS possible to get deodorant in Japan. And no, I'm not even talking about typical Japanese stuff, although chemically, it isn't really different from the stuff you're likely already using.

HOW TO: Return an Item (to a Store)

Ever wonder what to do with something you ordered or bought here in Japan, but realized soon after that it doesn't fit, or work, or something else undesirable?

I had this problem during my first years here, when I accidentally bought something that didn't fit or realized I actually didn't want what I had bought after a couple days. Every time I asked someone how I could go about doing a return, yes even those who speak Japanese, they didn't know what to do. They had never done it before, they said. Maybe it's just me, but I'm a buy it and try it kind of gal. And call me strange, but I'm also far too lazy to try on clothes at the store, and do my best to guess the size (which explains my inclination to shop online). Usually, these tactics are successful. But on the rare occasion that something just doesn't fit, (or you later decide you hate it, or maybe shouldn't have spent that much money on it), what to do?

make life easy – 8 tools for surviving Japan

This is not a post about learning Japanese. Nor is this a post filled with exuberant, detailed reviews of the following tools. However you WILL find some awesome e-tools to help you survive your first year (or two, or more) in Japan - unless you are super smart and have already mastered the language or have some super-ability to achieve fluency in less than a year. Even though I had a year of Japanese under my belt before coming to Japan, I instantly realized that I needed reference tools. And I didn’t want to carry around bulky dictionaries or cultural guides that everyone offered me. This is the age of e-books after all – I should be able to do everything on my computer or smartphone.

The following tools became imperative for communicating and trying to do simpler tasks without asking my co-workers to help me with everything. Hopefully they’ll be of some use to you as well (if you aren’t a Jedi-master of language learning).

Top 8 Survival Tools for Living in Japan (without much Japanese)

Surviving the Rainy Season in Japan: 40 tips

Now that the rainy season has arrived, what perfect timing to discuss how to survive this time of heat, moisture and sweat. And now, 40 ways to survive the rainy season in Japan:

1. Buy an air conditioner. Although, you may find buying a car is a better investment.

2. Try an electric fan (or two, three… or ten). Fans are a great alternative if you wish to avoid using an air conditioner, because of its harmful effects on the environment. *Tip: put a bowl of ice in front of the fan for cooler air.

where to chill out in Shizuoka this summer

Summer in Japan conjures up many images, particularly that of sweat and humidity. Or slightly more pleasant thoughts like festivals (matsuri) and fireworks (hanabi), and well, all the festival food (chocolate covered banana, anyone?) In any case, staying cool is always a goal, though a lofty one – that is, until you're sitting in chilly over-air-conditioned trains and shopping in frigid stores. Which leads me to this month's Japan Blog Matsuri topic: Hot Fun in the Summertime! hosted by Loco in Yokohama. *Oh, and I apologize in advance, but most of the links are Japanese sites - use that Google translate if you need to!

how much money to give at a Japanese wedding?

The recent wedding etiquette post “how to not make a fool of yourself at a Japanese wedding” brought about a lot of thoughts and experiences from fellow foreigners in Japan. Due to the slightly varying ideas regarding gift money, I decided to do a quick poll of Japanese folks on twitter to ask what they consider the norm. Interestingly enough, these responses also varied, but I pulled the consistencies from all the responses, both from Japanese and non-Japanese. One thing to keep in mind is that the gift money also covers the “meal fee” and gifts for the guests. Here are the results:

HOW TO: Find hydrogen peroxide in Japan

I don't know about you, but I hate mold. No, hate. Normally, I try not to use such strong, definitive words, but sometimes it seems that mold's mission in life is to torment me. It grows everywhere without abandon, laughing, when I take a shower in the morning. It takes over my newly bought produce, causing me to mourn in anguish as I fill our garbage bag with whole fruit and veggies. It even goes so far as to mount attacks against my body, causing my sinuses to produce much more liquid than what seems humanly possible, sometimes rendering me incapable of walking in a straight line.

I counteract it with what I can - antihistamines, nasal sprays, dehumidifiers, fans, vinegar, lemons, hydrogen peroxide, husband labor, machetes, grenades...

Mold and I are at full-out war.

HOW TO: Not make a fool of yourself at a Japanese wedding

Not long after I'd moved to Japan, I received an invitation in the fall from a co-worker to attend her wedding, to be held that winter. It was exciting enough that she chose to invite me to something as significant as a wedding without really knowing me that well, and I told her I'd be there. Though couples still opt for a traditional Japanese wedding in addition to a western one, it seems that weddings lately are trending more towards Western weddings. My co-worker was having a Western one, although she and her fiance took pictures wearing traditional Japanese attire.

Then I realized, I needed to figure out the proper etiquette for attending a Japanese wedding. I'd heard somewhere before that bringing money for a gift is the appropriate thing to do, rather than actual, physical gifts. (I wish this was custom in the U.S....) I told her I didn't have a lot of money yet (but I would give what I could, since I wasn't sure what the normal "amount" was. I doubt I put in a good amount, since most people probably give at least 1万 (about $100 US). I also wasn't sure what to wear, and told her about the clothing I currently owned (no dresses, only some skirts that were more "business wear"). She said whatever I wore would be fine.

swetiquette

The summer season (including the good 'ol rainy season) is approaching quickly. Humidity is up, heat is up, and the farmers have finally planted the rice. There are different ways the Japanese handle the humidity, but I stumbled across these the other day at a store - an entire display of "etiquette pads" and shirts with extra padding in the underarm area. Even Uniqlo (a popular clothing store, akin to Old Navy/Gap) is selling undershirts for women with these armpit pads.

how to find a laptop with an English keyboard

Japan is known for its electronics. The name brands familiar around the world: Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic, etc. So finding a computer in Japan should seem like no problem. And really, it's not. At least not if you are OK with using a Japanese keyboard. Are Japanese and English keyboards really that different? Actually yes, they are. If you've ever tried using a Japanese keyboard for writing (typing), you'll soon realize just how impractical it is. The enter/return key is usually shaped like an "L" on a Japanese keyboard, with an extra button in between, making that conditioned reach over with the right pinky futile. Or the fact that the semi-colon and apostrophe requires extra button pushing, instead of the gentle one-finger tap. Even just writing e-mails can be a pain, and whenever I use Japanese computers, sometimes I grow lazy and just keep typing the keys that substitute those on the English keyboard, ending up with something that is sometimes undecipherable.

So what to do? In my hunting the last few days, here's what I've discovered.

tweeting, studying and all things japanese

People mention regularly that it must be the rainy season. Early. Otherwise known as 梅雨、(つゆ、tsuyu). Although, coming from Seattle, I don't consider the rainy season an actual rainy season. The rain comes and goes, but it's the humidity that kills you. Even after taking a shower, no matter how much you try to dry off, the moisture is thick and sticky and clings to you throughout the day. The air feels as if trying to breathe in a sauna. And hair... that's the time I don't bother wearing my hair down anymore. It frizzes and curls and does whatever it wants. Yes, the rainy season.
Except that, this is April! Almost May... it isn't really the rainy season. Yet the rains come, and never go. Every few days there will be a sunny day, maybe warm, but not very likely. Last Saturday was supposed to be one of those days... My husband and I wanted to bike to a nice park, paddle around a lake, and enjoy the day. But no, those plans were ruined with freak rain showers that left us soaked. We didn't get to the park, we just stopped at a department store along the way. As we were admiring the nice selection of Kettle chips, (sometimes difficult to find) my husband pointed to the window. The glass appeared liquid, as rain pelted against it. No going to the park that day.

After a brief rain shower this morning, the sun is out and appears that it may stay for a week or so. We'll see how long this lasts... and the rainy season isn't that far off.

I realize it has been much too long between posting, and I have a list of things to write about, but  need to gather some pictures for them. If anything crosses your mind that you are curious about, feel free to leave a comment about it.

For now though, I want to recommend a few great tools that have increased my motivation to study (and remember) Japanese ten-fold.

First of all, Twitter. I was a skeptic at first, but now that I've seen what good it can do, how easy it is to network with people, how to find resources, news and practice Japanese, among other things, I am convinced. So if you aren't using it, well, you should. I strongly recommend it.

Second, smart.fm. They have some great lists such as Japanese Core 2000 and Intermediate 6000 for studying vocabulary (and kanji). Of course, there are many other things you can study, but the interface is so interactive and useful that I can't help but study every day. Before, I was in a bit of a slump, and having a hard time pushing to the next level, but smart.fm is quite motivating.

Check 'em out, if anything they'll help improve your Japanese.

Oh, and there's a great site I discovered not long ago that goes much more in depth concerning learning Japanese (and has some great pictures of Japan!) zonjineko

Now, time to take advantage of the sun - while it's here!

traveling in Hakone

This past weekend I traveled with a friend to Hakone (箱根、はこね). Though views of Mt. Fuji are spectacular from various points around Hakone, the weather didn't cooperate with me to get any pictures of Fujisan. Though the cloud cover and mist still provided plenty of photographic opportunities.

Though this isn't a travel blog of any kind, I thought I might mention my thoughts from our experience in Hakone for anyone planning to visit (and offer a brief photo tour below).

where to find bulk, inexpensive nuts, seeds, spices and dried fruits

As I prepare for my weekend trip to Hakone (Kanagawa Prefecture), I thought I would leave with a brief post, before updating about Hakone sometime next week. (And yes, it is finally cherry blossom season! Note picture.)

In a post last week, I mentioned an online retailer for nuts and seeds, though I omitted the name until I received the products and could give it a proper review. My box from Ohtsuya arrived within a few days, as per the wonderful norm of shipping in Japan. True to size, I pulled out one kilogram bags of raw almonds and walnuts, and 500 gram bags of kabocha (pumpkin/squash) seeds, coconut slices and raisins. All the goods were in great condition and delicious in the homemade granola. Being that I'm quite satisfied with this purchase, I will be ordering more - soon. So, if you have a hankering for nuts, but don't wish to spend a fortune on them, or want them raw so you can roast them yourself, I would recommend checking out Ohtsuya. I also discovered that they carry a wide selection of dried spices and herbs, on tops of the dried fruits, seeds and nuts. Ordering spices in bulk? Easier on the wallet, and the environment.

So, a few tips concerning Japanese for using Ohtsuya (aside using your trusty dictionary and Google translate of course).

ナッツ (nattsu) - nuts
スパイス (supaisu) - spices
ハーブ (haabu) - herbs
ドライフルーツ (dorai furuutsu) - dry fruits
シー ド (shiido) - seeds
実 (み, mi) - seeds

Another thing to keep in mind when looking up spices or some of the other products: though most names will be taken from English and thus sound similar, some will have completely different names. So, for example, almonds are アーモンド (aamondo) in Japanese. They sound similar. However, bay leaf or leaves, are actually ローリエ (roorie) or ローレル (rooreru)  in Japanese.

And now, I must finish packing. Hakone adventures start bright and early in the morning!

how to check the (accurate) weather in Japanese

When I need to check the weather, there's a few things I can do... but I've found that some are less helpful than others. Of course, upon arriving in Japan, I still regularly checked MSN and weather.com for weather updates and temperatures. Although, I soon found these to be wrong more often than right, and thought about how else I could find more accurate weather reports.

Of course, I could just turn on the TV, but since I rarely watch TV and acquire most of my news via RSS, that wouldn't work too well. Especially if I needed a report right away. Up to this point, I often heard students and teachers around me throwing around "Yahoo."

what do I eat!?

As a native Washingtonian, I grew up surrounded by great food - the fresh seafood, ripe, juicy apples, and a plethora of tart, sweet berries. After high school, when I moved to Seattle for college, my new found food independence couldn't have established itself in a better city. Farmer's markets, organic food stores, a wide ethnic variety of restaurants and one of my absolute favorites - Uwajimaya, the Asian food market in the International District. My taste for quality food developed, along with my chopstick usage skill. When restaurants were too expensive (especially at the end of a paycheck cycle), I found it easy to pick up a pre-prepared meal from Whole Foods or PCC on the way home from work. This, along with my time-consumed schedule of work and school, kept me from pursuing cooking and baking as much as I would have liked.
That changed when I came to Japan.

how to get something redelivered (online) from Japan Post

There it was again. That red and white notice in my mailbox letting me know I had missed a package. I'd gotten them a few times before, along with notices from other delivery companies (such as Yamato and Sagawa). Everytime they'd come before, I'd shove the notice in my backpack and pull it out at work to show the coworker next to me. She'd offer to call for me and arrange a redelivery time. After three or four times bringing her my notices, she said, "did you know you can do this online?"

That may have been her subtle way of letting me know I didn't need to keep bugging her about it. Though, when we looked online, I had to sign up for an account, and I felt I shouldn't have to do that... (This is before I realized you need to sign up for accounts to do almost anything online in Japan).

Later on at home, I pulled up the site for Japan's postal system. (There is also an english version of the website, but it is more limited as to what you can do from it). Of course, you can also bring the notice into the post office and give it to the clerk, but I was never able to make it to the post office before it closed due to work.

The Japanese site overwhelmed me - as kanji swam everywhere on the page, looking like nothing intelligible to me. My first thought was to find a way to translate the Japanese, so I could find the "redelivery" link. Now, there is a simple way to do this, especially if you use the Firefox browser. In Firefox, you can install widgets to the browser, and one particular one I use is called "FoxLingo". Now I can click "AutoTrans" (auto translation) whenever I come across a site too complex for me to decipher. (Alternatively, you can use Google Translate in the Chrome toolbar, or any preferred translation service).

ようこそ and welcome

Expat Women Blog Directory

ようこそ！ (yokoso) Welcome! to my version of a Japan survival guide. Rather than a travel guide, this blog is for anyone moving to Japan to live for any length of time, or folks currently residing here.

So, if not for travel, you ask, what is the purpose of this blog? Why this particular blog?

Hundreds of blogs written by foreigners living in Japan already exist. Dozens of people have written books about living in Japan as well. An internet search would give anyone new to Japan plenty of information about living in this great and unique country, also known as nihon in Japanese. Yet, after living here for a year and a half, I realized there were many things about living in Japan that I had not come across in the many books I read, or the various blogs and internet research I had done. It was easy to find how-to's for introductions, bowing etiquette, and table manners. Books and lectures on culture and the latter said items were incessantly reiterated by those attempting to prepare me and hundreds of other new language teachers for the big transition. I even spent nine months learning basic Japanese and given explanations from my Japanese teachers about the Japan facts, such as: Japanese people sleep on futon (different than a futon in the western world) and use ofuro (a bath, deeper and less wide than a typical western bathtub, but the etiquette also differs from how westerners would usually take a bath).

So, I arrived in Japan, feeling quite prepared. I know the basics; I can order food and say thank you and introduce myself; I know how to use the onsen (public bath). The bustling and neon lights of Shinjuku mesmerized me, as every new and different thing I came across in those first few days left me in a state of awe and constant exclamation: "Japan is AMAZING!" Ah, yes, that first meeting with Tokyo could leave anyone in a state of exhilaration.