I started compiling a list of English-speaking services available in Tokyo / Japan. I've used some, but not all of these. Those I haven't used came through my expat friend network.
This comparison will be snappy quick and simple. Japan just
doesn't stand a chance against the USA in the beer arena.
Japanese Beer is Too Expensive
Japan does make some great-tasting beer, but unfortunately
tobacco-loving Japanese politicians decided to tax the crap out of
it,
building a massive barrier to my regular beer enjoyment (unless you're paying). Beer
isn't
good for you, but cigarettes make a much more appropriate taxation
target. Cigarettes are both bad for you and annoy others
around
you. Beer at least doesn't give off carcinogenic fumes.
I
digress.
To skirt the beer tax and improve sales, Japanese brewers release
cheap
During my recent trip back to the States, I engaged in an engaging
conversation with a learned compatriot, the staunchly patriotic
father of one of my best friends. I bragged about my enjoyment
of the current strong yen / weak dollar situation. I am a rich
man in my home country--almost as rich as Scrooge McDuck from "Duck
Tales." As such, I spoiled myself with flower pedal walkways,
palm leaf fan-downs, direct-to-mouth grape feedings, and many a
decadent shopping spree during my visit. I even bought a pony!
My learned compatriot asserted that the dollar is not weak.
How can it be when a single dollar purchases 78 yen? Meeting
the first person not to be
I admit that I'm an anal person. I'm never late, obsessively
tidy, impeccably organized, and borderline OCD. I'm not
without vices, however. I drink rum like a pirate and am sadly
addicted to nori potato chips. Getting back to the
point--maybe the reason Japan and I click so well is because it's
just as anal as I am. Take their airports, for example...
NRT to LAX
Departing Narita airport I embarked for my hometown of Los
Angeles. ANA's internet check-in was a godsend, and Narita's
attached shopping paradise made short work of killing the mounds of
spare time I inevitably allow myself. The most pertinent perk
for me, though, was the immigration line. As you'd expect, it
was long; but it moved faster than a Shinkansen high on the finest
Colombian coffee. Every single
They're 2 things that I honestly don't think about much and things
that Japan isn't really known for, but for that very reason they
deserve befitting acknowledgement. Before moving to Japan I
never realized that Japan is really really good at building stuff
and really really good at making mouth-watering sauce.
Construction
Ask any 9.0 earthquake and he'll tell you that Japan knows what
they're doing when it comes to constructing durable buildings.
I used to wonder why their 50-story apartment buildings all look
like drab concrete boxes in want of stylish European flair.
Now I know. Stylish flair comes at a very expensive price that
Japan is not willing to pay--and rightly so. Japan shakes more
than a hyper-powered vibrator high on Jolt cola, so it makes perfect
sense to
