lingqi's Journal: September 4th, 2003

September 4th, 2003 (7:02pm)

whew...

I am working on a project that seem to be quite critical for my company to gain the business of a client. Hence, no time to eat, sleep, etc. The usual.

On the other hand, I did manage to sneak out early yesterday and pick up my navigation system from the dealer, which they say was now fixed. Moreover, since my car was at 75,000 km, I got an oil change as well.

Oil change was 4,400 yen for full synthetic - I think this is a lot cheaper than the US, where similar service would cost about 50 dollars or so (~6,000 yen?)

Unfortunately, the Navi is still grossly broken, unable to read the disk most of the time. I will be brining it back again in a few days when I am not so busy, but it does make me wonder about lemon laws in Japan - In the US, if you go get something fixed for three times and they still can't fix it (in most states), the car dealer would have to give you a new car or somesuch. This is, of course, a gross oversimplification, but it indeed makes me wonder about similar things in Japan.

During the oil change, I went around to MOS and got myself a jumbalaya chicken sandwich, which is actually quite good. I have been in Japan for a while, but this was the first time I noticed that regardless of how much french fries or onion rings you buy in MOS, ketchup is not standard fare...

I mean, does that mean people here usually eat the fries straight? *shudders*

After the oil change and such, I went to my weekly Jazz dancing lesson. Sometimes I am very thankful that we only have windows for mirrors, because I really don't think I want to see myself shaking my butt in that all-too-strange way. Even the shadowy image in the window was horrible enough that I done the said portion of the excercise with my eyes closed. People were laughing behind me, generally having a ball.

How does the teacher do it without looking so strange?

My mind is so full of work related stuff that recently when I closed my eyes I saw a circuit board and a pin sticking out of it, and some solder flowing from the pin onto the board, making a good bond. Long ago, after extended sessions of tetris I used to see falling blocks when I close my eyes, but this is getting rediculous. heh.

About consumer law stuff

[KNicolson]

I don't know much about the law myself (and you'll find the average Japanese also knows precious little!) but I do know that most City Halls have a consumer free advice help desk thingie, and I hear that large ones also have a "gaijin agony aunt" who can help out with this sort of problem in English.

I know as an ex-friend of mine got ripped off by buying a second-hand Honda Firebird for the best part of a million (without a test ride - duh! without any 3rd party technical check - duh!) and found out, surpr

Re:About consumer law stuff

[KNicolson]

The one with whats-his-face is usually too difficult for me to follow, and anyway she-who-owns-the-remote watches Project X and Aru-Aru Daijiten instead, but even still, applying just a bit of knowledge of my home country's legal system (I never studied law, I was just an informed consumer) and my imperfect understanding of the language, I get more questions right on The Judge (one of my favourite programs) than my Japanese wife does!

Re:About consumer law stuff

[KNicolson]

So many things in Japan remind me of Monty Python: Millionaire, and the pauses especially, remind me of the Holy Grail scene when they're charging the French castle - galloping up the hill; switch to shot of castle; back to galloping up hill; back to static castle shot; back to gallopers, only they're now back at the bottom of the hill starting over again.

Oh, and why do they always pray *after* answering the question? No amount of divine intervention is going to suddenly make Rome the capital of France - s

Re:About consumer law stuff

[KNicolson]

If it's in English, I'm not aware of any online option, you have to buy a paper. For Japanese, Yahoo TV [yahoo.co.jp], perhaps.

The Judge is every Friday at 8pm, on Fuji TV, Channel 8, called Kansai TV in my area. The other legal one is on Sundays, 9pm, Channel 10, Yomiuri TV.

Can't tell you anything about Samurai dramas as I don't watch them.

Re:About consumer law stuff

[lingqi]

ahh. thanks. I will try that if complaints to the dealer does not work out. Sorry for replying late, btw.

curious, what is a honda firebird? didn't know there was such a car, actually.

Oops, reading too many Mozilla posts recently!

[KNicolson]

Blackbird, not Firebird! Anyway, it's a motorbike, the first mass-produced 200 mph bike, IIRC.

MOS Burger / Fries

[zwoelfk]

I have been in Japan for a while, but this was the first time I noticed that regardless of how much french fries or onion rings you buy in MOS, ketchup is not standard fare... I mean, does that mean people here usually eat the fries straight? *shudders*

Mayo is pretty common. But if you want ketchup at MOS burger, experience says - Ask for it at the table (once they bring you the food). If you ask for it at the counter, they get confused, at you will either have to explain why you want it or you may not

Re:MOS Burger / Fries

[lingqi]

Heh, when I asked at the counter the girl (I say girl because it seems that only highschool kids work there) did get confused, but they congregated and decided that they would give me a little plate (not sure what it was for - if it was a sushi restaurant then it'd be a soy-sause dish, but this is mos burger) and squished some ketchup on it.

The ketchup squisher is about 180% the same as US version. I guess internationalized standards are progressing. Now if one day the US would adopt the metric system....