T - 3 Days

So I've got around 83 hours until my plane takes off. With that said, I've been doing a significant amount of laundry. When I get home, I seriously need to take my old clothes to the thrift store.

Everyone keeps saying I'm crazy for taking just two bags, but what if I want to bring stuff back? I could buy a larger suitcase and check it for the return. I almost never check bags, but it's check the bag or mail it...^^"

To pack efficiently, always roll your clothes - if it's too delicate that you're afraid it'll rip, don't bring it. Simple as that.

I plan on taking pictures of how full my suitcase is, just to prove I could do it. >>" I'll upload them Sunday evening.

Suica and N'EX

I'm tired of NOT hearing about this deal. Most people, for some reason, never mention the Suica and N'EX deal. N'EX is short for the Narita Express - which is the fastest train from Narita International Airport to Tokyo. But it doesn't just go to Tokyo - it stops at several other major train stations in Tokyo (see link at the bottom of the page for all stations). It costs around 3110 yen to go from Narita to Shinjuku. The tickets also covers the cost to some other parts of Tokyo, as long as you don't leave the ticketed area.

The Suica card costs 2000 yen - it has the mandatory 500 yen deposit and 1500 yen to use.

Together, the Suica card and N'EX ticket cost 3500 yen, which is a pretty good deal - especially for tourists.

http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/nex/suica_nex.html

When Reviewing a Product

 As I've been looking at things like cameras, laptops and headphones a lot this summer, I've decided to post an irked response to reviewers. Most are ridiculously unhelpful - but some are awesome. I particularly find those who attempt to troubleshoot the product to be the best - they tried to pinpoint the exact source of the problem. When buying a product, read all of the negative reviews first - see if there are common problems.

When giving a negative review, don't just say "it died after X time" or "it had X problem, don't buy!!". Please elaborate about how frequently you used it, how you treated it, if it came out of the box like that, etc - because treatment will change how long a product lasts and there are occasionally issues during shipping/manufacturing.

Example: All of my headphones still work YEARS later, because I might use mine maybe around around 2-3 hours a day when at school. My brother goes through them every six months or so and he 

wears his for like, 14 hours a day. He's also much rougher than I am with everything - keyboard, mice, etc. I've had the same keyboard since I was 12 and mouse since I was 13 (I'm now 20) and my brother goes through his every 1-2 years (same brands).

Also - don't review a product poorly just because the company took forever in shipping it. Not only are these reviews unhelpful but they can lower the score on a fantastic product. Review the company, please - most websites have seller feedback.

If there are a hundred of positive reviews and yours has a problem no one mentioned/noticed, please take into consideration that you may have a defective/damaged product. It happens because manufacturing isn't a perfect process OR it could be a problem during shipping. Was the product well packed and cushioned? The product should never be on the bottom, top or to the side of the shipping material. It should be in the middle, where it's most protected.

To POSITIVE reviewers - don't just say, "this product is great!" or "great deal!". These are just as unhelpful as the negative reviews. If you don't feel like constructing a decent review, don't bother reviewing it.

To ALL REVIEWERS:

NewEgg has a good Pro/Con system, which most people should use as a guide. To make a helpful review, explain why you liked/didn't like the product, what was (or wasn't) good about it, whether you'd buy it again, etc. Explain how often you used it, an estimate on how careful/rough you are, possible problem points and so on.

Yakkan Shoumei

I have finally received my Yakkan Shoumei. All-in-all, it took around 2 weeks. I mailed it out on Monday, the 13th. They sent an e-mail saying they had processed it and dropped it off at the post office on Monday, the 20th. So I guess it was a little short of 2 weeks.

I had no problems at all, but I stayed in touch with the Pharmaceutical Office throughout the entire process. They respond very quickly to e-mails and we sometimes sent two or three e-mail responses each in a day. If you have any questions about importing a medication, I highly suggest you get it touch with them.

VERY important notes about the Yakkan Shoumei:

1. You need international stamps and that the USPS does NOT sell them. Or at least my post office didn't sell them. It also specifically says you can't use FedEx. 
2. Make sure you have enough time - I was cutting it close sending it out 3 weeks before I left, because it can take as long as 10 business days to arrive (both ways.
3. Make sure you read the entire Yakkan Shoumei. You need more than just to form filled out and it's a real time-consuming hassle to have to send a bunch of extra documents that you didn't know about. 
4. If you're arriving at Narita, send your forms to the address for Kanto address. If you're arriving in Osaka, send it to the Kinki address. Both are included in the form linked at the bottom of the page.
5. Always consult the Q/A before sending it out, but in general, you will need:
1. The Import Report of Medication (titled Import Report of Medication) and TWO copies (3 pieces of paper total). It must be filled out as accurately as possible and SIGNED. Please use the sample form as a guide. It always asks for your signature, but I printed my name and then signed just above it to make sure they could read it. If you don't have a copier (like me), you can hand copy it as well.
2. The Declaration form (titled Declaration) filled out to the best of your ability and signed. Again, use the sample form as a guide. I signed it the same way as the Import Report.
3. The Explanation of Products (titled Explanation of Products) filled out to the best of your ability. Use the sample as a guide.
4. A copy of the prescription written by your doctor. Don't freak out about "ILLEGAL" hidden in the prescription - it's the special paper doctors use to make sure you can't fill a prescription with a copy. Also, e-mail them if you're bringing a little more than the prescription says. I did and I'll have no problems bringing an additional packet. They're really just using it to make sure you're not lying about having a prescription.
5. A copy of your plane itinerary OR ticket, indicating the arrival time and airport. This is to ensure you're sending your forms to the right airport and to make sure the airport knows to double check your bags.
6. Finally, a return envelope with your address that has either Japanese postal stamps on it OR international stamps. I had a problem where my post office didn't offer international stamps, but he used US stamps instead. This didn't technically work, but the Pharmaceutical office just put equivalent Japanese postal stamps on it instead. Please note that the mail address for the Pharmaceutical office is VERY LONG (7 lines), but you need to include all of it. The return envelope needs to be within a certain height-width, but a 6" by 9" worked fine for me. 

If you have an questions, please comment!

For more information on how to obtain a Yakkan Shoumei for your medicines:

http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-medimport.html

For the form itself and a Q/A, please visit:

http://kouseikyoku.mhlw.go.jp/kantoshinetsu/gyomu/bu_ka/shido_kansa/documents/medicines.doc

Interview

In about 20 minutes, I'll be interviewed by my guesthouse's staff to see if I qualify as a volunteer. I really hope I do, but I doubt it. I'm never good at these sorts of things and I doubt that I'm the kind of person they would go for...of all the work applications I turned in, only one got back to me. The rest didn't even call. Maybe I'm not what they consider to be a good applicant? ^^"

If I do get accepted, I would be volunteering for 20+ hours a week in exchange for discounted rent. They made an error, so I might be an exception to the dorm-only rule - I don't expect them to give me free rent, just the difference between what they charge for dorm rooms and what my room costs (I still have the cheapest single they have available).

So nervous! I'll update afterwards with the results (if I know them at the end of the interview).

---Edit---

 So I'm not sure what happened. I'm worried they may have tried to contact me, but weren't able to get through for whatever reason. I double and triple checked to make sure I had the right day and time - but the man who was supposed to interview me never contacted me. I'm not sure what this means...maybe it's their way of saying "no" politely?

---Edit 2---

Something came up. At any rate, my interview has been rescheduled for tomorrow morning at 8:00 am (21:00 JST). I'm still nervous, but not to the same degree. I'm just glad they're giving me this chance! Too bad I won't have dad's phone, though - our internet has been quite problematic as of late, so we'll see if I can handle powerful calls. At worst, we just reschedule or have an audio call.

---Edit 3---

So after several more cases of phone tag, we were finally able to complete my interview. It turned out to be more of an explanation of possible duties, working in an international team,  and wanting to know my school schedule. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to volunteer or not, but it sounded like I might have already had the job? We shall see.

Time Dwindling Update

I've completed several things on my list since last week. Here is the updated version:

-Earn more money
--------I only have one more day of spending time with my Grandfather.
--------Still painting. Going to spend at least 3 hours tomorrow, but my goal is 6.

 - Start packing

- My Yakkan Shoumei has been processed and is being sent to me. I should have it next week.

- Receive my ISIC card, which my boyfriend turned in at my study abroad office today (he works on campus)

- Test my ATM card


 I also wanted to take some requests for videos. I've never really done anything like this, but I want to make interesting videos about the differences between life in the States and life in Japan. I've had a lot of conflicting information, so I want to help those who have no idea what they're going into. Here are a couple of my ideas:

- Japanese Vending Machines
- Bathrooms
- Restaurant experiences
--------I also want to do a "places I recommend" section.
- Using a credit card in Japan
- Wi-Fi
- Tokyo Trains
--------I might have to break this one between two videos, because there are 121 train lines in Tokyo alone.
- Comparing convenience stores (7-11s)

Time Dwindling

As my time in the States dwindles, I find myself making a quick list of things I need to do. The first 4 I plan on getting out of the way tomorrow.

- Earn more money
--------I'm currently watching my grandfather, who suffers from Alzheimer's, because one of his usual caretakers took a week of vacation. Some people think it's an awesome job, but it's really depressing to spend 6 hours with your grandfather who can not remember your name or that you just had the same conversation 5 minutes ago.
--------I also started a painting project, which I reeeeally need to pick up the pace on. I'm probably 1/6 the way done with less than three weeks to go. Dad also offered me some other jobs, but I don't think they'll get done.

- Deposit over a year's worth of change into my bank account (my time as a waitress really helped). I hope it's a reasonable sum.

- Go shopping for leggings and other essentials, without blowing my budget

- Start packing

- Obtain my entire prescription from CVS

- Receive my Yakkan Shoumei, which I just put in the mail

- Receive my ISIC card, which my boyfriend turned in at my study abroad office today (he works on campus)

- Test my ATM card

Interesting Article

So I came across this article on CNN today:

http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2012/08/tech/gaming.series/korea.html?hpt=hp_c1

The article follows a couple of the top South Korean StarCraft players and mentioned that they might have an "addiction" to online gaming. It explains some of their life stories and how it tore their families apart.

I would like to say that there are people in this world that have issues dealing with the real world. Some people grow out of it, but some don't. I grew out of it, but I don't think my younger brother did. It's just easier to play a game obsessively than it is to actually function in the world today. There are so many niches, so much going on.

When I was in middle school, I kicked myself out of my circle of friends over a stupid dispute. And then all I did was read. I read more than half of the fiction books in our school library. I would, quite literally, read novels in all of my classes. The only time I stopped was when I was called out directly, and even then, I would go back to reading once the teacher's attention had shifted. I would read until I fell asleep, which was often past midnight.

It slowed drastically once I made a few new friends. I'm still friends with them 8 years later.

I think, in all honesty, that everyone goes through some period of their life where they need...something. For some people, it might be games. For others, it might be books. Illegal substances, alcohol, religion, exercise...Almost everyone has something they use to escape reality. Some people can get past their addiction, some people can use their drug to achieve a higher goal, and others just feed it until they can't function anymore.

I think that's the difference between what is normal and what isn't. It doesn't matter HOW you escape, because everyone needs something. It's only when it takes over your life, nullifies your motivation, and prevents you from functioning that it becomes negative.