InspectorGadget

Ordering a beer and it coming to the table with 30-40% head.

Oh Oh. Me too. 1) Heated carpets on a winters day. 2) Hi Octane actually meaning that. 3) Stupidly cheap high speed ASDL. 4) One word "Nomihodai" 5) One word "Tabihodai" 6) High rates of pay and disposable income. 7) Matsuri's 8) The Snow Festival in Hokkaido. 11) The fact that the average departure time for all the Shink's last year was a grand total of 6 seconds late. 12) Cheap cars 13) The fact that the DVD rental stores think nothing of thae fact that I rent 5 DVD and purchase 5 BLAND DVD-R's at the same time . . . . 14) Akihabara 15) Love Hotels 16) Capsule Hotels 17) Onsen 18) Tonkatsu when you have a hangover 19) CoCo Ichiban curry 20) Sunrise on Mt Fuji 21) The public transport system works. 22) Being the only European foreigner in my town of 8,600 people. 23) The locals actually get EXCITED by the change of seasons. 24) The amazing friends that I have made here. Japanese and foreigner. 25) The first night I got drunk was with the mayor of my town and my supervisor after gatecrashing an Obon factory at a local Factory (Pentel) 26) Beer is sold in 3L cans. 27) Spirits are cheap. 28) The health system usually works. In one afternoon after arriving at a local hospital terribly sick, I got a CT scan, two x-rays, medicine, 3 IVs and an ultra sound in under 3 hours, and it only cost me NZD$200.

Shits who sit in the priority seats on the train (eg for the elderly, disabled and people with infants) and don't get up. I was on an express train this summer on one of these days where is was over 40C, heading onto Tokyo (1 hour away). The train was full, my partner and I were both standing along with a number of other people. Then at a stop, a young mother with 2 very yound kids (one strapped to her front), and several bags gets on the train. . . . . and no-one did anything but ignore her. I eventually hauled a couple of salarymen out of their seats and sat her and her child down. That's the kind of thing that REALLY gets under my skin.

Ant and I have been discussing things recently and came up with this * Most electrical appliances in Japan aren't earthed, so there is a distinct possibly that in the event of anything developing an electrical fault, you'll end up with a spectacular hairstyle. * Kerosene heaters * The fact that it seems perfectly acceptable just to throw things out your car window. * Japanese people parking their cars. If you've ever watched them they just about always back into a car park (because that's apparently how they're taught in driving school) even though it takes a hell of a lot longer than just driving straight in. AND HERE'S THE BIT I HATE They reverse then stop, reverse then stop, reverse then stop, reverse then stop, reverse then stop, reverse then stop, reverse then stop, reverse then stop, reverse then stop, reverse then stop . . . . . . . . then still manage to hit the concrete blocks in every car park. Then they'll more often than not drive the car straight out again to straighten themselves up, because they've parked crooked.

Negitoro (my goldfish) hides under his log during every earthquake. He survived all right, just with a bit less water that when it started. A lot of newer appliances now have a 3 pin plug, but as you say, most wall outlets don't have a 3 pin socket?!

Some places have a communal connection and the metering is done off that.

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, OIISHIII YAKKKKKKKKKKKIIIIIMOOOOOOOOO. (InspectorGadget runs for the tire spikes and the fire extinguisher) 41) Men walking around with their handbags (trying to look European) 42) Completely fooked up Engligh on T-Shirts. "Open All Hours" printed in block letters on an attractive 20 something womans top. "BITCH!" being worn by a woman old enough to be my grandmother (and the look on her face when my mate told her what it meant) . . . . 43) Teaching a kid soooooooo dense that light bends around him. 44) The culturally acceptable practice of men urinating anywhere they damn well please. 45) About half the country smoking like chimneys. 46) Being surrounded by rice fields ( and the associated mosquito's and pests that they hgarbour) 47) Police who don't do anything. 48) Being surrounded by about 10 different nuclear related sites . . . . . and Japan having the nuclear safety record that it does. (It's ranked below some ex-soviet states in certain aspects) 49) 20A connections to the national grid that ensures that you can't operate a microwave and an airconditioner at the some time or you'll get a mini blackout in your apartment. 50) That mangnitude 5.8 earthquake that we just had. It scared the crap out of my goldfish.

34) Scuffing shows 35) Pidgeon Toes 36) Imitating US gang fashions, even though they don't have a clue. IE One rolled up pant leg. 37) Constant automated warnings. IE "Watch your step when you get on/off the escalator". "The enormous truck is backing up" 38) The village fire department getting on the town speaker system to announce that there is a fire in a house on the other side of the village . . . . . . at three in the morning. 39) The same fire department getting on the speaker system 45 minutes later to proudly announce that they've put it out. 40) The village fire truck 'racing' to an emergency, and waiting in line in the traffic under my apartment for 10 minutes.

I'm talking about the legally required state pension system. That should be the same one that you're thinking of. Is usually the ony one that people have round here. IG

On average the refund comes through in about 3-6 months once you've completed all the forms. I believe that you have 2 years from your departure from Japan to actually apply for the refund. IG EDIT: Here's the formulae for working out your refund as issued by the Japanese tax people: Average Monthly Salary X Number of months BEFORE April 1st 2003 x 1.3 = (Number A ) Average Monthly Salary x Number of Months After April 1st 2003 = (Number B) Number A + Number B = Number C Number C / (Total number of months) x 2.4 = YOUR REFUND!! Less 20% Withholding Tax, which you can usually claim back later.

You do know that you can collect the dole here don't you? It pays between 60-80% of what was you regular salary, it has no effect on your pension refund, and you can collect it for up to 6 months before it buggers up your visa. It's called the Employment Insurance Law. You down in `nawa? JET? If so, say hi to Ian Laidlaw for me if he's still around. He's a mate of mine. EVO_LEE No changes have been made to the refund system since the amendments went through in April 2003. It should still be your first 3 years here that counts. If it had changed, there would have been a hell of a noise from the JETs about it. IG

I'm pretty sure that it's calculated from when you STARTED to pay into it. I think that it's just one of those things. Few people move here with the intention of actually staying more than 2-3 years. Usually they just get caught up in something here that prompts them to stay longer. I stayed on because of my partner, the good job/salary and conditions, plus I didn't really have anything urgent to go back to. I would agree with you though. I've seen more than few friends come and go. IG

I've already lost a year too. Stupid system eh? IG

You'll be refunded entirely on the old system, as all of your initial 3 years of payments were made on this rate. Your colleagues would have been refunded proportionalty depending on how long they spent on the old/new system. All of this less the 20% withholding tax. Have a read of this: http://www.jetprogramme.org/e/new/National_health.html :thankyou:

I came in before the system changed in April 2001, so my refund is calculated 1/2 on the old system and 1/2 on the new. But I still miss out on my 4th year of payments completely BUREAUCRATIC WANKERS! I only miss out on 5 man over the 3 years that I was entitled to a refund. (1 man = 10,000 yen for everyone else reading this) Nah. I don't think so. As long as you keep things in perspective then it's OK. Everyone needs to vent once in a while, especially so if you live in this strange country. The ones that have the issues are the ones that either don't vent, or can't see the good points to the situation that they're in. I see all too many of them as well, that's the sad part of being here this long. IG

Oh yeah. Ever year we get a batch of them, straight out of university . . . The problem is that most of them have never had any experience fending for themselves (having usually lived at home with mum and dad, then in dorms at university). They then arrive in Japan having to learn all these things, in a foreign country, with foreign systems, a foreign language etc. Not a good mix. Occasionally you get an American who has had several years in the workforce coming here, and boy, are they much easier people to hang out with. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Americans, but I really believe you need some life experience under your belt before coming here. And that goes for any nationality. Where abouts are you based Demon Dave? Yamanashi?

18) Mitsubishi/Fuso 19) Scandals, product recalls and lack of consumer protection 20) Speaker trucks filled with rightwingers . . . . . . . or selling hot sweet potatos 21) Taking a number and waiting . . . everywhere 22) Smokers 23) Pachinko 24) ATM charges 25) Obachans seeing the queue for the womens toilet at a festival . . . . . . and just wanding into the mens side instead. 26) Mens toilets designed so that you can see EVERTHING going on inside. 27) Unrestrained children in cars. 28) Racism 29) Having to use stinky kerosene heaters in Winter. 30) Natto (in particular the natto factory 200m from my house stinking all the way through winter) 31) Arrogant new arrivals, fresh off the boat, thinking they know everything. 32) Spiders the size of my fist 33) A medical system that doesnt test it's drugs properly and turned me blind and unable to urinate for a week with simple cold medication Keeping this in perspective, I could write as many things again about Japan that I enjoy.

Oh yeah! I has a strange Japanese woman (butt ugly with sproglet, estranged husband and mental issues) tracking me for a while. She showed up at my apartment a couple of times, but eventually got the idea when I reported her to the cops and threatened to thrown her down the 4 flights of stairs from my apartment if she ever came back. Other foreigners have issues with them as well. Especially those living in REALLY inaka (rural) areas. 16) Japanese roads that have no camber on then so the water just pools in the middle. 17) Stupid questions. Ie "Do you have four seasons in your country?". "What blood type do you like? and my all time favourite asked to my Irish friend while he and his supervisor were sitting drinking Guinness in a bar . . ."Do you have Guinness in Ireland?"

OOOOH! OOOOOOH! Me Too! 1) Crappy little apartments with no insulation 2) The attitute that "if you don't need it, throw it out the window/burn it" 3) Obachans who think that since they are too weak to use a push bike up a hill, but the road is too 'scary' . . . . . . . that it is OK to ride their 50cc scooters on the footpath. 4) Bureaucracy 5) Only being able to claim 3 years of pension refunds, even though you've been paying into the system for considerably longer than that. 6) Bicycle and Motorcycle helmets that offer the same level of crash protection, whether you wear them the normal way or on backwards (ie none) 7) People out for a 'free' English lesson. IE just randomly striking up a conversation on the train etc just to practice their English. 8) All the ATMs needing to 'sleep' over night. IT'S MY GODDAMN MONEY!!!! 9) The NHK Nazi's 10) Stalkers 11) High School girls screaming and shreaking on the train like a bunch of banshees. 12) Ganguro girls and poptarts (Fashionable J-girls who dress like cowboys or 80's teen hookers) 13) My train catching fire, and after alerting the driver, him doing nothing more than open the windows to let the smoke out. 14) Not having a car 15) You just can get decent ethnic food here. It's always CRAP Japanese bastardised versions of Italian, Chinese, The land of goat sphincter rings . . . .