It's raining points

One of my favorite things to do when I lived in Japan before was to collect points. I loved shopping at a store, throwing my point card down at the cash register, and watching the point total go up. In the U.S., reward systems usually either require an initial pay-in, like Best Buy, or more generally seem to be built around credit cards. In Japan though, it's all about the point cards. The general idea is that every time you purchase something, you get a certain percentage back in points, which can be used just like money on future purchases. By the end of my last stay there, I had point cards for each of the grocery stores by me, multiple electronic store cards, donut shop cards, and my most valued one for the hair salon I always frequented (I had previously won a new year's raffle, and automatically got $10 off every time I brought in my card). I remember seeing people with mini-booklets just filled with page after page of point cards. Before our flight out, I carefully dusted off and sorted through all my old cards; at last, this was my time to shine.

My first order of business was to update my T-Point card. Towards the end of my last stay in Japan, there had been a growing trend in the point using community to move towards a system of consolidation and uniformity. To that end, the video rental giant Tsutaya, in conjunction with several other notable businesses, introduced a new type of point card that could be used at a variety of different outlets, thereby giving consumers the ease of only having one card to keep track of. One of those businesses included my beloved Book-Off, a used bookstore chain that deals in everything from used DVDs and music CDs, to video games, to used furniture and clothes. Of course, if you know me, then you know there's only one true reason for my obsession with Book-Off: manga. One of the sadder moments in our move back was selling off most of my beloved manga collection. I hung on to my absolute most loved series, but still had to say goodbye to some old favorites. Now that I was back in Japan, however, all bets were off.

There was a combination Tsutaya/Book-Off near our place, and pretty soon after we settled in, I casually suggested we take a trip over to check it out. Once arrived, I immediately headed up to the counter to get myself set up. Now, unlike most point cards, the T-Point card requires an initial fee to activate. Knowing how much I would be using this guy, however, this was a small price to pay for my lucrative future prospects. Having secured my card, I happily went over to the Book-Off section, found some back issues of a new series I had been wanting to try, and plopped them down at the counter whilst simultaneously sliding over my brand new point card and giving the clerk a knowing nod and wink.

"Sorry, sir, but we're moving into a new system, so you can't use that here anymore."

"..."

A setback, to be sure, but I wasn't going to let a minor detail like that get in my way. OK, so my grand T-Point card plans were a bit of a flop, but at least I knew the system. I had my handy card case, and I was ready to start filling it back up with all my precious point cards. Our next stop was Yamada Denki, an electronic store chain similar to a Best Buy in the U.S. We had needed to pick up a wireless router, and I was excited to finally start collecting some points. Yamada Denki was an especially good choice as we still had a point card from the store leftover from before. Having found a good router, we proceeded to the counter, where I once again casually slid over my point card with a wink and a smile.

"Ah, hmmm, sorry to tell you this, sir, but we no longer use physical cards at our stores. You'll need to download the app on your smartphone first."

"..."

This was not how I pictured my triumphant return to point land going down. It seems that in the intervening years while I was back in the U.S., a lot of places started switching over to an app based approach to their point systems. On the surface this didn't really appear to be a bad thing, though I definitely felt a bit behind the times. I did dutifully download the new app, however, and after a cumbersome sign-up process, I was able to get everything sorted out. The upside to all this is it makes it easier to keep track of all your points, with the downside of creating a system that's a bigger hassle to use, and slightly more awkward.

A couple months in, and I'm happy to report that my point collection is going well. I'd still like to diversify my portfolio a bit, but I'm overall pleased with how my points have been performing. The point market is looking bullish for the next quarter, and I'm anticipating growth in the tech fields, especially. With any luck, I should have a nice nest egg to keep us afloat once we retire. I'll tell you what, though, it certainly beats holding out hope for social security ever getting fixed. Zing!

Working title

Well, it finally happened. It was a little bit close to the wire, but I managed to secure a really promising job before the start of the new school year. The past few weeks have been endless applications and interviews, but thanks to a last minute faculty departure and a successful interview, I was offered a position as the new English teacher at a private high school here in Yokohama.

We did it!

Going into this, I knew that it would be a little tricky to land a spot in the school system for this coming year. Most of the hiring is done back in late fall, and I was already mentally preparing for the possibility of taking on a less desirable job until the next hiring season. Fortunately though, there was a bit of a flurry in the teaching market as last minute positions suddenly opened up, and schools rushed to fill in the vacancies. Most of these openings tended to be for the elementary and junior high school level, which could have still worked out, but I was pushing off making a decision as long as possible to see if something at a higher level opened up, which fortunately for me did.

When I left Japan the last time, it wasn't for lack of employment. The JET Programme was overall a really great experience, and I was offered the option of staying on another couple years if I had wanted, but the frustration of never really feeling like an actual teacher eventually became too much. I knew that if I ever wanted to truly succeed in Japan, I would need to create a plan. To that end, I moved back to the U.S., taught English in N.Y. for three and a half years, and eventually earned a master's degree in TESOL from Hunter's College. It was a long, winding road, but thankfully I'm starting to see the fruit of that labor finally pay off. It's probably still going to take another few years of navigation and experience to work my way up to my ideal type of position, but I feel like I'm definitely on the right path.

Needless to say, I'm feeling pretty excited! I've been getting things prepared in anticipation of starting my new job, including a mandatory health check I finished up this morning. A chest X-ray, blood sample, and a battery of other minor tests later, and I was good to go. Which reminds me: welcome back health insurance! After spending a ridiculously long time without it, it feels good to finally be an insured member of society again.

I look forward to sharing more about my experiences with my new job, and beyond. The past couple months have been spent laying the groundwork for our new life in Japan: settling into Naomi's parent's place; starting a new job for me, and an old one for Naomi; and of course preparing for the birth of our first child. Odds are, this will be a year we won't soon forget.

In the words of the great philosopher Philip J. Fry:

"I can't wait until I'm old enough to feel ways about stuff."

Let the feels begin!

life in the left lane

         

     Yesterday marked a first for me: driving a car in Japan. It was our second day here, and we needed to get across town to do some clothes and grocery shopping. Feeling a little apprehensive, I clenched the keys tightly in my fist, and walked over to the driver’s side door. “Hey, wrong side!” Naomi helpfully called out as I looked down to see that I was indeed on the wrong side of the car.
     “Nope, just giving things a once over before we go. Haha!” I breezily remarked as I jogged over to the correct side.
     As we all piled inside, I gave my best reassuring smile, taking extra care as I started up the car and pulled out of the driveway.
     “You’ll need to make a left at the first light,” her mom said as we started down the street.
     “Sure, no problem!” I remarked as I casually reached over to turn on the left turn signal, and instead found the front wipers unexplainably moving back and forth across the windshield. “Ah!” I managed to get out as I quickly attempted to correct my mistake.
     “You OK up there?” Naomi inquired from the back.
     “Sure sure, just didn’t realize everything was reversed in these crazy cars. Haha!”
     A couple of moderately close calls, and a good deal of back seat coaching later, we arrived in one piece at our destination. I couldn’t remember the last time I had to concentrate so hard just to drive down to the local mall, and I felt both thrilled at my accomplishment, and utterly mentally exhausted.

     And so I find myself back in Japan. Though I’ve spent the past six years comfortably driving on the right side, Naomi and I came to the mutual decision during our time in New York to make the transition back to this country of opposites. And newness. And familiarities. And chances. Driving on the left side is something that is going to take some getting used to. I don’t expect to get the hang of it immediately, but it’s something I hope to continue to improve at over the months and years to come.

     I’m excited for what the future holds. This year is proving to be one of transitions, and there’s much to look forward to. I will be using this space to share all the ups and downs of the journey, and other random thoughts and observations along the way. Feel free to drop by on occasion to check up on us, leave a comment, and otherwise share in this experience with us. Should be fun!

     After we finished shopping, and feeling pretty tired, we headed back to the car, and Naomi’s mom asked if I wanted her to drive us back home. “Nah, I got this,” I suavely replied with a wink and a smile as I confidently strutted over to the car and opened the door.
     “Wrong side again!” Naomi observed as she pointed to the other side of the car.
     “Ah yes, so it is. Haha!”