Company family day

Posted on August 2, 2013 by Marjorie

Today (or technically yesterday since it’s now past midnight) was our company’s family day – a day in which employees’ kids could get a glimpse of their parent’s workplace. The program is open for those who have kids from 4th to 6th grade in elementary. So for those colleagues who have kids around that age, they had their kids tag along with them for most of the day.

You couldn’t just bring along your kid on an impromptu whim however, your kid has to be registered ahead of time. The program is very well organised, I think, owing primarily to security reasons. The kids even have their own IDs with their photos on it – with the card coloured a pretty pink! whilst employees generally have blue or green – which they can use to open the glass doors for certain floors of the building.

If I were the kid, I’d be really wide eyed the whole day. First they had an orientation which took most part of the morning. One of the assistant area lead of our project had a kid who was part of the program so we all had lunch with him. The early part of the afternoon his Dad took him to meet our Clients who shared that they too have the same program in their country. After which the kid stayed on the vacant desk beside his Dad and “helped” by filing some outputs. Yet even with the simple task, he was very serious with it.

I’m really glad there’s such a program in the office. Sometimes people work so hard the work-life balance is often off-balance, and leaning always on the work side. Excited for our little one’s turn some 9 years from now! Haha.

elections in Japan

Posted on July 22, 2013 by Marjorie

As what yesterday’s Japan Google doodle had shown, yesterday was Japan’s national elections.

I wouldn’t dare explain here how elections and politics are in Japan – every time Hubs explain to me, I end up having more questions.
What I’m amazed with though is how clean the campaign season is. And no I don’t mean the part wherein no politicians are handing money to voters but how there is minimal garbage during campaign season.

Back in the country where I grew up, practically almost all vertical space are taken up by posters and flyers bearing politicians’ names and faces. What you could see here though are temporary wooden structures mounted up every block or so. Each structure has a wall wherein candidates from each party are allotted a certain space.

Hubs said that posting in places other than these allotted spaces are prohibited in Japan. Very impressive. Think of how the flyers could have ruined this beautiful riverside walk had Japan didn’t ban random posting of election flyers.

I just find it funny though how some of the flyers are so advanced. Some of them have barcodes that you could scan with your mobile phones to take you directly to the candidates’ website.

Elections ended at 7pm but as early as 8pm, almost 90% of the results were already out! Impressive. But not nearly as impressive as how cleanliness is kept despite the intensive campaigning.

Kudos Japan for keeping your beautiful country clean!

the 80s exhibit at Landmark Tower

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Marjorie

I was born just right at the turn of the 80s decade. I actually don’t feel old yet. But if you see that the decade you grew up into is on exhibit, then probably it’s time for a reality check?

There’s 80s fashion, music, movies among others.

Ahhh Ghostbusters. Karate Kid. The Blue Lagoon. The Labyrinth. Batman. The Ghost. Footloose. Gremlins. The Rocky series. I haven’t watched the other movies featured above but I firmly believe Star Wars (with Ewoks TV series), E.T., The Manequin, Neverending Story and Splash should be there too!! I guess though they’re just featuring those which were popular here in Japan. Ahh 80s!!
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Oh yes, I just have to add this in –> Dirty Dancing!!

Watanabe-san and his thoughtfulness

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Marjorie

We were walking at high noon earlier (we had to buy some stuff at Akachan Honpo and hubs had to go to office after that so we had no recourse but to brave the heat), our faces almost frowning because of the heat. But the heat didn’t seem to affect the smile that an old man in his bike gave us, who stopped by beside us and shortly cooed at Yui. We are used to this so we also stopped walking. He greeted konnichiwa and then talked to us. It took me a while to recognise him, other than that his kind smile look familiar. I was still racking my brain trying to recall who he was when he handed me a wooden toy for Yui. Keeping with the Japanese way, I opened it immediately and gave it to Yui.

Seeing the wood reminded me who he was – he was the owner of the furniture shop a few blocks away our house where we bought almost all of our home furnitures.

And remembering him reminded me of those “early days” when we were just filling up our apartment, just a few days after the big earthquake. There was actually a couple times that we were in his shop and the big quake’s aftershocks were rattling the furnitures. And every now and then we visited his shop, with the most recent being us looking for another umbrella stand to replace the one that was broken which we also previously bought in his shop.

He was explaining that the toy is handmade in Japan and safe for babies to bite. I know well. These handmade Japanese toys are so well-crafted and safe that I wish all of Yui’s toys are such. But they’re just so expensive. We only bought one for Yui, also handcrafted and made of rice.

Asuka koubou though, the one Watanabe-san gave, is more expensive than the rice rattle. However, the price of the toy is not the point here. What was really impressive was how he gave the toy to us.

He was biking (to somewhere) but when he saw us, he went back to his shop and hurriedly caught up with us. Done in the noontime heat. Think 35 degrees Celsius. And that smile he had while talking to us would always be remembered.

And since we had it while we were mobile, this will always be with us when we’re mobile.

Thank you Watanabe san. You’re utterly remarkable.

Yui’s first Tanabata

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Marjorie

The Tanabata is usually held during the 7th of July (7-7) but as that day falls on a Sunday this year, Yui’s daycare decided to have it today.

Last week, we were asked to write our wish for Yui on the tanzaku.

Something very interesting. In English, we usually say “body, mind and spirit”. In Japanese, it’s “karada mo kokoro mo”, kokoro or heart being the umbrella term for mind and spirit. And yes, that’s what we wrote.

Yesterday, we saw the bamboo (wishing tree) for the 4~5 year old class. Excited to see Yui’s class’ tree.

And so to be in with the tradition, I put on Yui what her Dad was so excited to buy for her. Yui’s first jinbei (甚平).

She was a hit with her senseis.

3 on 30

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Marjorie

Many things to be thankful today!

Hubs and I are celebrating our second Church wedding day anniversary.
Always a joy to relive the wedding day memories and the preps
P
And today marks a momentous day for our daughter as today will be her nyuuenshiki (入園式)/kindergarten entrance ceremony albeit she’s still not in kindergarten. Suffice it to say I and hubs are so excited for her. This will sort of be my “launching” too to finally be oriented first hand about the Japanese education system. (Which reminds me I still haven’t written about the daycare orientation meeting we had a couple of weeks back).

Last but not least, today also marks the day that I’ll go back to work. It’s just on paper though as I still need to take some leave to consider Yui’s adjustment at the daycare. In a week, it’ll be my first day too!

And for all these blessings and excitement, thank you Po, Lord. 🙂

On Chocolate Hill

A chocolatey journey, with Yui!

Category Archives: culture