Japan is so complicated

[joizy]

Just when you think you’re about to do it right, and it will be a simple affair…

When I made my booking with Re:Born, I provided what I thought was all of the relevant information they needed. I ended up with an email exchange that went on for about 30 back and forth emails and in the end, they didn’t provide the correct address and I went to the wrong place.

I just made a booking for Tuesday with Yutaka (Toyo) - again, why two names? 

https://gym-k.com/sp/prof_yutaka.html

I completed the form with name, address, phone, time, etc. They wrote back asking me to confirm the information I provided and wanted to know if it was a hotel.

I told them it was an apartment.

They wanted to know if I had a cat. I said no, I was allergic.

They replied that Yutaka confirmed.

I thought we were done…

But no. They wrote again and asked for the name of the apartment building. I’ve seen large buildings with names. The place I went today was Palace Studio. My building doesn’t have a name. When I ordered Uber Eats, there was a place for the name of the building, but I just wrote the address again. I noticed on another form from one of these agencies that they wanted the building name. So I asked my Airbnb host yesterday what the name was. They said they didn’t know and would ask the owner. I’m still waiting for a response. How would the name help if the address doesn’t?

They asked for my cell phone. I provided it.

They asked if I had a map.

I sent the instructions from Airbnb on how to get here from the station.

They asked if I could meet him at the station. When I asked what time, they said 2, which is the starting time for my appointment. So now I thought I would be paying to walk this guy from the station. I began to consider canceling because it was getting so frustrating.

But they wrote again and said the instructions I sent went to their spam folder. He would be able to come on his own.

I met a guy on Grindr and sent him the address and he found it fine. Uber Eats found it last night. I took a taxi here when I first moved in and he found it fine. I really couldn’t understand why this was so difficult. We were now getting to over 20 emails back and forth.

Then they wrote and said if he doesn’t arrive on time, could I go out and “show him around”.

I asked if he had WhatsApp, knowing it was a long shot. They probably didn’t want me to have his direct contact information.

They wrote back and said no, he didn’t. 

So if he got lost, how was I supposed to know where he was?

The Japanese do some things really well, but in other areas, like this, things can be so complicated it makes me nuts.

I’m glad I didn’t have to cancel because this guy is one of the best tops I have ever had sex with. He really knows what he’s doing. And for 90 minutes, it’s only 18,000 yen compared to 19,000 I paid today for mediocre sex for 60 minutes.

 

[Talosim]

I once had this kind of interaction over email until I gave up and took a shot in the dark, emailed them my line id. 
 

We sent each other over 20 emails when we could have been texting each other over Line. 
 

I wonder why they don’t ask if I have a Line ID when they so clearly prefer to communicate over Line. Are they trying to let me choose the preferred communication method?

[a-447]

10 hours ago, joizy said:

The Japanese do some things really well, but in other areas, like this, things can be so complicated it makes me nuts.

Everything works perfectly in Japan, as long as the rules are followed to the letter and nothing unexpected happens. If not, they fall into a heap and nobody really knows what to do in order to make a decision.

I've often said that if they ever got their shit together, they'd rule the world.

The education system is largely to blame.

[joizy]

1 hour ago, a-447 said:

Everything works perfectly in Japan, as long as the rules are followed to the letter and nothing unexpected happens. If not, they fall into a heap and nobody really knows what to do in order to make a decision.

I've often said that if they ever got their shit together, they'd rule the world.

The education system is largely to blame.

I’ve been thinking about this all day and I think they are highly risk avoidant. Many of them are still wearing masks and acting as if we’re still in an epidemic, they are afraid to speak English and make mistakes, and I think this interaction was to ensure that Yutaka didn’t get lost. Of course it would help if their addresses made sense and streets were not laid out like a jigsaw puzzle. It’s a wonderful country with many good things but can also be puzzling and frustrating.

[joizy]

9 hours ago, Talosim said:

I once had this kind of interaction over email until I gave up and took a shot in the dark, emailed them my line id. 
 

We sent each other over 20 emails when we could have been texting each other over Line. 
 

I wonder why they don’t ask if I have a Line ID when they so clearly prefer to communicate over Line. Are they trying to let me choose the preferred communication method?

I just downloaded Line but don’t know how to use it and don’t know if it would have helped other than turn emails into texts. No wonder they drink so much!

[PeterRS]

59 minutes ago, joizy said:

Of course it would help if their addresses made sense and streets were not laid out like a jigsaw puzzle. It’s a wonderful country with many good things but can also be puzzling and frustrating.

Now that is non-Japanese thinking, with respect! As for the jig-saw puzzle, you have to remember that in 1945 Tokyo was massively firebombed with much of the city totally detroyed. It was then largely a city made of wood and as it obvious today, much of the city had to be reconstructed. To Japanese, the addresses all make perfect sense. And once you get then hang of it, it does make perfect sense (well, almost perfect!). I always recommend to friends planning to visit Tokyo that  they first get a bilingual Japanese/English atlas. These are absolutely invaluable when trying to find a location in the city. They give you the ward, neighbourhood, block and building name or number. So the building does not need a name. Even if you get slightly lost, the disrict and block numbers are usually written on small plaques affixed to telephone poles or anything upright.

Most common problems arise with the 3 digits following the ward - as in 東京都台東区浅草2-3-1. These refer to the sub-area (like Shinjuku ni-chome), the block in which the area is located and the building number. My guess is that if you had used their form of address rather the foreign form, you would have had much less difficulty!

I see that using the Google map on Yutaka's page provides all the block numbers.

As for wearing masks, it's nothing to do with the epidemic. It's merely traditional in Japan where so many pepople are packed tightly together amost everywhere, especially on public transport. Why shouldn't they wear masks?

But I agree there is a very Japanese concern about appearing ignorant or stupid in front of foeigners. That is also both historical and cultural. I remember on one of my first visits to Japan I was tryng to find the famous Sony Building not far from the Ginza. Politely i asked a Japanese couple. There was the customary intake of breath followed by a brief conversation. They then pointed me in the direction. I thanked them. Only they had sent me in competely the wrong direction. It is not in the Japanese make-up to admit you do not know something!

[Travelingguy]

The Japanese were wearing masks long before Covid

[a-447]

"I remember on one of my first visits to Japan I was tryng to find the famous Sony Building not far from the Ginza. Politely i asked a Japanese couple. There was the customary intake of breath followed by a brief conversation. They then pointed me in the direction. I thanked them. Only they had sent me in competely the wrong direction."

Oh, this is so true!

The only people you can rely on for proper directiions are the policenen sitting in the koban -police boxes.

Google maps is not perfect but is still useful in Japan.

As Peter points out, areas are divided into blocks and you look at lamp posts to see what block you are in. Unfortunately, the blocks are not contiguous, so block 2 is not necessarily next to blocks 1 and 3, so you really need to ask someone. If they live there, they'll generally point you in the right direction.

The problem of finding an exact address is also exacerbated by the fact that houses are not numbered in order along the street, and 2 of more houses can have the same number! The numbers are assigned based on when the house was built, so if 2 houses go up at the same time, they will have the sane number and may be nowhere near each other in the street.

I don't think this system is still used in newer developments.

[joizy]

5 hours ago, PeterRS said:

Now that is non-Japanese thinking, with respect! As for the jig-saw puzzle, you have to remember that in 1945 Tokyo was massively firebombed with much of the city totally detroyed. It was then largely a city made of wood and as it obvious today, much of the city had to be reconstructed. To Japanese, the addresses all make perfect sense. And once you get then hang of it, it does make perfect sense (well, almost perfect!). I always recommend to friends planning to visit Tokyo that  they first get a bilingual Japanese/English atlas. These are absolutely invaluable when trying to find a location in the city. They give you the ward, neighbourhood, block and building name or number. So the building does not need a name. Even if you get slightly lost, the disrict and block numbers are usually written on small plaques affixed to telephone poles or anything upright.

Most common problems arise with the 3 digits following the ward - as in 東京都台東区浅草2-3-1. These refer to the sub-area (like Shinjuku ni-chome), the block in which the area is located and the building number. My guess is that if you had used their form of address rather the foreign form, you would have had much less difficulty!

I see that using the Google map on Yutaka's page provides all the block numbers.

As for wearing masks, it's nothing to do with the epidemic. It's merely traditional in Japan where so many pepople are packed tightly together amost everywhere, especially on public transport. Why shouldn't they wear masks?

But I agree there is a very Japanese concern about appearing ignorant or stupid in front of foeigners. That is also both historical and cultural. I remember on one of my first visits to Japan I was tryng to find the famous Sony Building not far from the Ginza. Politely i asked a Japanese couple. There was the customary intake of breath followed by a brief conversation. They then pointed me in the direction. I thanked them. Only they had sent me in competely the wrong direction. It is not in the Japanese make-up to admit you do not know something!

If the addresses made sense to Japanese, I wouldn’t have had 30 emails back and forth about the lack of a building name. I haven’t had any problem finding places using GPS. The mystery for me is why a Japanese person, living in Tokyo, who obviously travels to different addresses all the time, would need the name of a building (when there is none) when I provided the address.