Flight bag regulations:
JAL - 23kg hold luggage, 10kg hand luggage plus handbag
BMI - 20kg hold luggage, 10kg hand luggage plus handbag (I'm hoping my bag gets checked right through from Narita...)
Results of packing so far:
25kg hold luggage
7kg box of stuff to be shipped
(?)kg hand luggage that's not packed (but there's no way my laptop, camera and sunglasses weigh 10kg altogether)
And one very tired intern who can't be bothered
Crap.
Showing posts with label journey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label journey. Show all posts
Tuesday, 1 September 2009
Catch up
My week in the bank was very different to the front office - it was so quiet! The office is a lot smaller and there are fewer people, monitors or phones around, which made it uncomfortably silent at times. I spent my time there learning about what the portfolio managers and real estate guys do, which seemed to me to be a mix of corporate finace and accountancy. For the last three days, I analysed companies' financial reports (so their balance sheets, income statements and cash flows) and wrote a wee report about how well Marubeni is doing, based on the info they published for the 2009 financial year.
This week I'm back in the (more exciting) front office, this time with one of the sales desks - the people who sell yen denominated products to mainly non-Japanese clients. It feels good to be back where the action is! Today there was one of the monthly JGB (Japanese government bond) auctions. Over two billion yen's worth of 10 year bonds were auctioned off and RBS were pretty successful (not acutally sure if I'm allowed to say how successful...). It was an interesting auction to witness as these were the first set of bonds to be released by the new government. As many of you may be aware, Japan had its general elections this weekend and, for the first time in over 50 years, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) defeated the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). This landmark election obviously affected the markets, in particular bumping up the value of the yen (not so great for me, who is still spending sterling!) and was also expected to have an impact on today's auction. To be honest, it didn't seem to alter anything by much, but it was still a good learning experience for me to be involved in a fairly ordinary auction session.
I had a fantatic week acting as a tour guide for my friend, but she has now headed back home. Sadly, I'll be heading back soon, too. But firstly, I've got to work out how on earth to pack all my stuff! I was 2kg over the weight limit on the way out here and have been indulging in a considerable amount of retail therapy, so packing is not going to be fun...
This week I'm back in the (more exciting) front office, this time with one of the sales desks - the people who sell yen denominated products to mainly non-Japanese clients. It feels good to be back where the action is! Today there was one of the monthly JGB (Japanese government bond) auctions. Over two billion yen's worth of 10 year bonds were auctioned off and RBS were pretty successful (not acutally sure if I'm allowed to say how successful...). It was an interesting auction to witness as these were the first set of bonds to be released by the new government. As many of you may be aware, Japan had its general elections this weekend and, for the first time in over 50 years, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) defeated the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). This landmark election obviously affected the markets, in particular bumping up the value of the yen (not so great for me, who is still spending sterling!) and was also expected to have an impact on today's auction. To be honest, it didn't seem to alter anything by much, but it was still a good learning experience for me to be involved in a fairly ordinary auction session.
I had a fantatic week acting as a tour guide for my friend, but she has now headed back home. Sadly, I'll be heading back soon, too. But firstly, I've got to work out how on earth to pack all my stuff! I was 2kg over the weight limit on the way out here and have been indulging in a considerable amount of retail therapy, so packing is not going to be fun...
Saturday, 22 August 2009
Exploring Hakone (by every means of transport available)
I woke up stupidly early this morning so I could head to Hakone for the day, essentially with the aim of taking a bath. Hakone sits at the top of the Izu peninsula and is surrounded by active volcanoes, which provide fantastic hot springs that you can bathe in - it is these onsen that make Hakone a famous tourist destination.
I started my journey by taking the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Odawara and then buying a Hakone freepass. This two-day pass set me back £27 and was well worth it. I then hopped on the 'normal' train to Hakone's Yumoto station, where I switched onto the Tozan train. This ancient old electric train winds its way up through the jungle and into the mountains, taking forever to do so but allowing for some pretty views. I got off at Chokokunomori and went to the Hakone Open Air Museum. The name is a bit misleading as this is actually a huge art gallery with expansive sculpture gardens and the largest collection of Picasso works outside of Spain. It is easliy one of the best art galleries I have ever been to.
The whole site is landscaped beautifully so that you keep stumbling across new areas by accident. I could have spent all day just walking around, wishing that I was under the age of 13 so that I could play on the kids areas, which were so awesome!
I really like the way that they used the surrounding scenery to enhance the impact of a lot of the outdoor sculptures:
Here are a few of my other favourites:
It hasn't come out too well in the photo, but the giant head in the pond was actually crying...
After spending far too long looking at art, I hopped back on the Tozan train to Gora to get some lunch. My boss had recommended a tonkatsu restaurant and now I know why - the hirekatsu was delicious!
I then took the funicular train up the side of Mt Komagatake to the stop at Sounzan, where I got on the cable car. This goes over 'death valley' (a very friendly place...) where the mountain (it's actually a volcano) lets off steam through loads of vents and also deposits lots of sulphur.
The overpowering smell of egg is not the nicest thing, especially when I don't even like eggs. A local delicacy are eggs that have been cooked over the sulphurous vents - this makes the eggs cook from the inside out and they're eaten when the whites are still a bit runny. I just took people's word for it when they told me that they tasted good...
From up the cable car, on a clear day, you can get fantastic panoramic views of Mt Fuji. This is what it should look like:
And this is what I could see:
I swear that they just photoshop Mt Fuji into all these photos and that it doesn't actually exist - I have been living next to it for 6 weeks now and still haven't managed to see it!!
At the end of the cable car at Togendai is the massive Lake Ashi that sits in part of an ancient crater at an altitude of over 700m. It's pretty cool and the scenery is beautiful. I decided to get to the other side of the lake (and back to Hakone) by taking the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise, as this sounded like a good idea. It turned out to be a fantastic idea; check out the boats!
To be honest, there weren't that many 'sights' to be seen (although the audio tape came up with a few dubious ones...) but the faux pirate galleon more than made up for it. It was definitely one of the 'only in Japan' moments that I experience regularly!
I then caught the Tozan bus to Tenzan onsen. This complex of buildings and outdoor hotsprings was just fantastic. All the buildings are traditional Japanese ones, inside and out, and there were lots of different types of onsen to choose from. There were huge reading/relaxation rooms to chill out in before and after you bathe, as well as a bar and a few restaurants. The onsen themselves were amazing - they are all set into the hillside and surrounded by lovely plants and trees. There was one that went into a wee cave and another that was all cloudy because the water was full of some combination of minerals. After considerable showering and soaking, I can honestly say that I have never felt so relaxed. I only wish that we had onsen at home! Although then we would have to have volcanoes too; so maybe I'll take back that wish...
I started my journey by taking the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Odawara and then buying a Hakone freepass. This two-day pass set me back £27 and was well worth it. I then hopped on the 'normal' train to Hakone's Yumoto station, where I switched onto the Tozan train. This ancient old electric train winds its way up through the jungle and into the mountains, taking forever to do so but allowing for some pretty views. I got off at Chokokunomori and went to the Hakone Open Air Museum. The name is a bit misleading as this is actually a huge art gallery with expansive sculpture gardens and the largest collection of Picasso works outside of Spain. It is easliy one of the best art galleries I have ever been to.
The whole site is landscaped beautifully so that you keep stumbling across new areas by accident. I could have spent all day just walking around, wishing that I was under the age of 13 so that I could play on the kids areas, which were so awesome!
I really like the way that they used the surrounding scenery to enhance the impact of a lot of the outdoor sculptures:
Here are a few of my other favourites:
It hasn't come out too well in the photo, but the giant head in the pond was actually crying...
After spending far too long looking at art, I hopped back on the Tozan train to Gora to get some lunch. My boss had recommended a tonkatsu restaurant and now I know why - the hirekatsu was delicious!
I then took the funicular train up the side of Mt Komagatake to the stop at Sounzan, where I got on the cable car. This goes over 'death valley' (a very friendly place...) where the mountain (it's actually a volcano) lets off steam through loads of vents and also deposits lots of sulphur.
The overpowering smell of egg is not the nicest thing, especially when I don't even like eggs. A local delicacy are eggs that have been cooked over the sulphurous vents - this makes the eggs cook from the inside out and they're eaten when the whites are still a bit runny. I just took people's word for it when they told me that they tasted good...
From up the cable car, on a clear day, you can get fantastic panoramic views of Mt Fuji. This is what it should look like:
And this is what I could see:
I swear that they just photoshop Mt Fuji into all these photos and that it doesn't actually exist - I have been living next to it for 6 weeks now and still haven't managed to see it!!
At the end of the cable car at Togendai is the massive Lake Ashi that sits in part of an ancient crater at an altitude of over 700m. It's pretty cool and the scenery is beautiful. I decided to get to the other side of the lake (and back to Hakone) by taking the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise, as this sounded like a good idea. It turned out to be a fantastic idea; check out the boats!
To be honest, there weren't that many 'sights' to be seen (although the audio tape came up with a few dubious ones...) but the faux pirate galleon more than made up for it. It was definitely one of the 'only in Japan' moments that I experience regularly!
I then caught the Tozan bus to Tenzan onsen. This complex of buildings and outdoor hotsprings was just fantastic. All the buildings are traditional Japanese ones, inside and out, and there were lots of different types of onsen to choose from. There were huge reading/relaxation rooms to chill out in before and after you bathe, as well as a bar and a few restaurants. The onsen themselves were amazing - they are all set into the hillside and surrounded by lovely plants and trees. There was one that went into a wee cave and another that was all cloudy because the water was full of some combination of minerals. After considerable showering and soaking, I can honestly say that I have never felt so relaxed. I only wish that we had onsen at home! Although then we would have to have volcanoes too; so maybe I'll take back that wish...
Monday, 13 July 2009
The Eagle has landed
KONNICHIWA TOKYO! I actually arrived yesterday, but was so knackered that I fell asleep really early and didn't have time to post on here. So much has happened already and I've only been in the country for 40 hours! Where to start...
The flight was great and the food was the best I've had on a plane journey for a long time. I didn't manage to get much sleep though, which was a bit rubbish. When I got to the airport, I went to use the toilet and hilarity ensued... All the toilets were 'super toilets', i.e. they have hundreds of different buttons on them that are all in Japanese and utterly indecipherable. I pressed the one with a picture of a toilet on it in an attempt to flush it but it only made a flushing sound affect from a speaker - this is to disguise your 'toilet sounds' I later read. I couldn't work out how to actually flush the thing and was too scared to press any of the other buttons for fear of water squirting out in every direction (they have various 'cleaning' options, one with a picture of a bum on it). I started giggling and ended up spending an extra 5 minutes in the cubicle, laughing quite audibly, until I found the flush. Needless to say, I got a few strange looks when I walked out...
Getting from Narita to Tokyo (who builds an airport 60km from the city centre?!) turned out to be really straightforward - I just hopped on a bus to Tokyo Station and got a taxi from there to my apartment. The bus journey was interesting - every spare plot of land between the massive buildings and factories has been irrigated and turned into rice paddies, making for some pretty contrasting scenery.
After getting into my flat, I went for a bit of a wander to find myself some food for dinner and breakfast. I went to the local Family Mart and 7/11 shops and bought a load of random stuff, including an individually wrapped banana. I had the banana with an adzuki-filled pancake for breakfast this morning.
Dinner last night consisted of some of the stuff I'd bought plus a non-descript fried thing on a stick that I'd pointed at in a shop. It turned out to be a pork and leek skewer, fried in panko crumbs, and was quite delicious.
I then explored the subway a bit to work out how I could get to work. This turned out to be one of the most disorientating experiences of the day as, on the escalators that lead up and down to the underground, people stand ON THE LEFT!! Having used the London undeground quite a lot (I'm forever popping down to London for one thing or another), it seemed really odd to not stand patiently on the right. It really does show how at home I've been made to feel already if that is the most alien thing I've encountered so far.
I'm flaking again (goodness only knows what time it is in my head) so will have to write about my first day at work after my second, tomorrow evening. I have SO much to learn - financiers speak a completely different language as far as I'm concerned just now... But I'm really looking forward to heading to the Tokyo Stock Exchange tomorrow morning :)
Popped into the restaurant around the corner from my flat to get some grub this evening, ending up with me, the waiter and the chef in absolute stitches as a result of my extremely poor Japanese and their understanding of English. Somehow, I ended up with an utterly delicious meal! And they really enjoyed my attempts at conversation and the fact that I said yes to everything and then ate it. I got told I was very kawaisa for trying so hard :)
The flight was great and the food was the best I've had on a plane journey for a long time. I didn't manage to get much sleep though, which was a bit rubbish. When I got to the airport, I went to use the toilet and hilarity ensued... All the toilets were 'super toilets', i.e. they have hundreds of different buttons on them that are all in Japanese and utterly indecipherable. I pressed the one with a picture of a toilet on it in an attempt to flush it but it only made a flushing sound affect from a speaker - this is to disguise your 'toilet sounds' I later read. I couldn't work out how to actually flush the thing and was too scared to press any of the other buttons for fear of water squirting out in every direction (they have various 'cleaning' options, one with a picture of a bum on it). I started giggling and ended up spending an extra 5 minutes in the cubicle, laughing quite audibly, until I found the flush. Needless to say, I got a few strange looks when I walked out...
Getting from Narita to Tokyo (who builds an airport 60km from the city centre?!) turned out to be really straightforward - I just hopped on a bus to Tokyo Station and got a taxi from there to my apartment. The bus journey was interesting - every spare plot of land between the massive buildings and factories has been irrigated and turned into rice paddies, making for some pretty contrasting scenery.
After getting into my flat, I went for a bit of a wander to find myself some food for dinner and breakfast. I went to the local Family Mart and 7/11 shops and bought a load of random stuff, including an individually wrapped banana. I had the banana with an adzuki-filled pancake for breakfast this morning.
Dinner last night consisted of some of the stuff I'd bought plus a non-descript fried thing on a stick that I'd pointed at in a shop. It turned out to be a pork and leek skewer, fried in panko crumbs, and was quite delicious.
I then explored the subway a bit to work out how I could get to work. This turned out to be one of the most disorientating experiences of the day as, on the escalators that lead up and down to the underground, people stand ON THE LEFT!! Having used the London undeground quite a lot (I'm forever popping down to London for one thing or another), it seemed really odd to not stand patiently on the right. It really does show how at home I've been made to feel already if that is the most alien thing I've encountered so far.
I'm flaking again (goodness only knows what time it is in my head) so will have to write about my first day at work after my second, tomorrow evening. I have SO much to learn - financiers speak a completely different language as far as I'm concerned just now... But I'm really looking forward to heading to the Tokyo Stock Exchange tomorrow morning :)
Popped into the restaurant around the corner from my flat to get some grub this evening, ending up with me, the waiter and the chef in absolute stitches as a result of my extremely poor Japanese and their understanding of English. Somehow, I ended up with an utterly delicious meal! And they really enjoyed my attempts at conversation and the fact that I said yes to everything and then ate it. I got told I was very kawaisa for trying so hard :)
Saturday, 11 July 2009
Manicured and ready to go!
I've had my nails done, printed off some meishi, packed, made it to the airport on time, got an upgrade to business class for my Heathrow flight and am currently enjoying the first class lounge (it helps having friends who work for BMI!). My adventure starts here...
I'm not as nervous as I should be - I don't think it's really sunk in yet that I'm on my way to Tokyo and will be living there for two whole months! And will be working in a field that I currently have no clue about! What on Earth am I doing?! I feel slightly more prepared after having watched Lost in Translation again recently :p
Anyway, I'll be boarding soon so I better get a move on and find my gate.
Writen at 10:00 GMT in Edinburgh airport (it wouldn't let me post it from my phone for some reason...)
I'm not as nervous as I should be - I don't think it's really sunk in yet that I'm on my way to Tokyo and will be living there for two whole months! And will be working in a field that I currently have no clue about! What on Earth am I doing?! I feel slightly more prepared after having watched Lost in Translation again recently :p
Anyway, I'll be boarding soon so I better get a move on and find my gate.
Writen at 10:00 GMT in Edinburgh airport (it wouldn't let me post it from my phone for some reason...)
Tuesday, 7 July 2009
Not long to go now
It's only 3 days until I fly out to Tokyo. It's kind of crept up on me actually - I seem to have gone from feeling like I had lots of time until I left to thinking, "OhmygodI'mleavingonSaturday!!!!" I am torn between being extremely excited and feeling a sort of nervous anticipation, but with an overwhelming sense that I'm not even slightly ready. To be honest though, I probably couldn't be more ready if I tried. I am as prepared as I'll ever be (and it's too late to start preparing anything else now anyway!).
I've got my visa, some yen, a semi-packed suitcase and an incredibly basic grasp of how to ask for stuff in Japanese. I don't yet have enough little gifts to take out with me, a complete set of documents that RBS still need, any idea of how to get to my apartment (or get my keys for that matter...) and any clue of the kind of work I'l be doing when I get there! I think that pretty much explains my mixed feelings.
On the other hand, I've had loads of fantastic advice from people who have visited or lived in Japan and am now thinking that 8 weeks is not nearly enough time to do/see everything that I want to. Then again, I do have to keep reminding myself that I will actually have to work when I'm out there, so will really only have the weekends free. I cannot wait!
Depending on how much running around I'm doing on Friday night, I might try to quickly post my feeling the night before I leave. Otherwise, I'll probably try to find some free wifi in Heathrow. Or just employ my usual tactic of leaving everything until the very last gasp and blog a bit on Sunday night when I'm in my place in Tokyo.
And now I'm too excited to sleep... :D
I've got my visa, some yen, a semi-packed suitcase and an incredibly basic grasp of how to ask for stuff in Japanese. I don't yet have enough little gifts to take out with me, a complete set of documents that RBS still need, any idea of how to get to my apartment (or get my keys for that matter...) and any clue of the kind of work I'l be doing when I get there! I think that pretty much explains my mixed feelings.
On the other hand, I've had loads of fantastic advice from people who have visited or lived in Japan and am now thinking that 8 weeks is not nearly enough time to do/see everything that I want to. Then again, I do have to keep reminding myself that I will actually have to work when I'm out there, so will really only have the weekends free. I cannot wait!
Depending on how much running around I'm doing on Friday night, I might try to quickly post my feeling the night before I leave. Otherwise, I'll probably try to find some free wifi in Heathrow. Or just employ my usual tactic of leaving everything until the very last gasp and blog a bit on Sunday night when I'm in my place in Tokyo.
And now I'm too excited to sleep... :D
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