Diary

December 30, 2003 - Tuesday

Today I feel much better. Still the nose is stuffed. And I have a dry cough. But I am not tired in the same way as yesterday. So, much better I am.

Anyway, we will be gone until the 4th of January. So until then you will find no updates on the diary - it is the most important holiday in Japan, so what do you expect? So see you soon again... In the year of the monkey... Until then... HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you!

Oooh, and LET'S GO BLUE!!! Michigan - Chie's favorite team - plays in the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2004. So, LET'S GO BLUE!!!

December 29, 2003 - Monday

A sick day. I stayed in bed all day. Sleeping most of the time. In the late afternoon I felt a little bit better but still continue to rest. As you can guess, not much happens when you are sick and stay in bed all day. At least not to you.

But as I slept the whole afternoon several fire trucks, police cars and ambulances passed by to get to a building just 150 meters away. Chie told me, as she got home from the massage, that the building with 7-Eleven on the ground floor had had a fire. Now it was totally black on the outside. All the way to the top floor. The 7-Eleven shop, though, seems to have been lucky to not have been affected by the fire more than water damages. But they were still open later in the evening.

Anyway, it makes you think of how to escape if something like that should happen to this building. We stay on the 12th floor. There is a emergency escape rout in the balcony. And one just outside the entrance door to the left. And the day before yesterday some men came and replaced the old fire detectors with new ones - fire detectors seem to part of the apartment, totally different from in Sweden. So I think that the only thing that is missing now is a fire-extinguisher in the bedroom. Then we can still make it to the emergency exits even though there is a fire blocking the way.

December 28, 2003 - Sunday

Today we had planned to get me a driving license. Chie drove me to the driving license center, but they were not open for this type of service today. This is not what the police told us yesterday when we ask for opening hours at the Meguro Police Station. They told us it was open. Anyway, no driving license this year.

After that we drove to Komaba Lodge to bring the last of my things there. It was quite difficult to find a parking space close to the lodge but we finally did. Then unpacking. I hung the Jerry Rice jersey I got from Mash-san and Shingo-san on the wall behind my football gears above the bed.

After that we had a lunch and then we went to a movie - Ten Minutes Older: The Trumpet. It was the most difficult movies to understand that I have ever seen, I think. It is quite comparable to Solaris. It was 6 directors that have had the fortune - misfortune - to each direct a 10 minutes short movie about, I think, ten minutes. First out was some Finish director. It was totally impossible to understand what he wanted to say. For two reasons. The film was not possible to understand. And it was in Finish, subtitled in Japanese. Or rather side-titled, because the Japanese text was on the right side from top to bottom. The characters looked nice but help me little in understanding what the Finish movie was about.

Then it was a black and white film. About a baby in a cradle. Who was bleeding. The mother was in her bed sleeping. Short cuts was made from the farm where they were living. Someone was making a bread. Children were playing. Some men were harvesting. Then the mother woke up and started crying when she found the baby bleeding. The woman making the bread came and helped while the rest of the family was watching. Then the 10 minutes had passed and this film black and white was over. ???

Next was a little better because I seen about this tribe in Discover Channel, or similar program. It was 10 minutes about this tribe in Brazil that, until just about 20 years ago, never had been in contact with the modern world. They had lived isolated in the jungle since the beginning of time, or at last for as long as their tribe has been there. Twenty years ago they came in contact with a TV-team that was looking for them. This movie showed some of the cuts from 20 years ago and also cuts from recently taken film of the head of the tribe and his brother. I could figure that this film was trying to say something about time, but what?

And it continued like this for 6 directors, including a crazy thing made by Wim Wenders. The only of the directors that had something serious to say was Spike Lee. He had a kind of interviews with several people in the Gore administration and they were talking about the election when Bush won in Florida. And in the end it was clear that it had been about 10 important minutes when Gore thought that he really lost it in Florida, because the governor of Florida had told him that Bush - actually the governor's nephew or something - was winning a clear victory. During these 10 important minutes Gore was on is his way to a podium to speak to USA that he was declaring Bush a winner. The rest of his staff got the news that it was not a clear winning for Bush in Florida and they tried to stop Gore from making the declaration to the USA.

They finally stopped him, but they got screwed anyway, or as someone of the Gore staff said in the film, 'We got screwed.' Well, not just Gore but the rest of the USA and, actually, the rest of the world too. I guess you know about the recounting that got stopped by a court that had a lot of connections with the Bush family and so on. Long live the free world!!! Or maybe not?

It was like the move had drained all my strengths. I had a soar throat and a stuffed nose that was leaking like I don't know what. Of course it had nothing to do with the movie. But just let me pretend it had. It makes me feel better to blame it all on the movie.

December 27, 2003 - Saturday

Today was a cleaning day in the morning. And a Raiders day in the evening. The cleaning is not much to write about but then, before going to meet the Raiders fans, we went to Bic Camera... Again. I had decided which camera to buy and today was the day to do it. I wanted to get it before the New Year.

So, before meeting Mash-san and company at the Thai-restaurant in Ginza 5, we stopped by the Bic Camera between Ginza and Hibiya. I had decided to buy a Canon Powershot A80. At first I had been looking at Canon 300D, but it was way too big. Then at the Canon Powershot G5, which is the high-end compact camera - if you can call it compact? - but it was still big and had many features that I probably never will use. So I decided to go for the A80. It is a quite new release and has the same CCD and intelligent auto focus system as the G5, but not as many manual options as the G5.

Then we hurried to meet with Mash-san and company in Ginza 5. We arrived at 3 pm as was decided. MAsh-san was already there with Nishihira-san. And short after we arrived Shingo-san arrived. After a while Nishihira-san had to go so now we were the same people as on the trip to San Francisco in October this year. We had a great time again. Talking mostly about the Raiders past season, next season. And planning to go on a game next season again. That is a must we agreed.

December 26, 2003 - Friday

Today was a really between day (or what you say?). Nothing special happened. People arrived late to the office as usual. I was about to have lunch when people in my office started to arrive. Crazy. In my opinion. But who am I to decide when people are to arrive at the office. They can arrive whenever they want to, and leave whenever they want to too. I try to be there around 8 am and leave around 5 pm, most of the days.

I got my certificate for JSPS insurance today. It kind of certify that I have an insurance that cover expenses that are not covered by the national health insurance (NHI). So, if I understand this right, the NHI cover 70 percent of all costs for hospitals and medicine. The JSPS insurance cover the rest. Yes, you are right... The 30 percent that the NHI does not cover. Which means I am covered... How much? A 100 percent? Oooh, you are so clever.

And another thing too. I got a magnetic identity card for the university today. It enables me to pass through the office's main door. If I get there early. I did once and then I had to wait until someone came out. But not any more.

So maybe something happened today anyway. Besides the ordinary daily things I also try to practice Japanese. I do some progress and have now decided that it is time to learn Kana. The first is Hiragana and then Katakana. These are the phonetic alphabets as opposed Kanji, which is not phonetic. With Hiragana or Katakana you can write all the syllables in the Japanese language. Hiragana is used for Japanese words and Katakana is usually used for foreign words and names.

So for two days now I have practiced Hiragana. Each day a new set of syllables. The first set was just the vowels a, i, u, e, o that correspond to the Hiragana characters あ, い, う, え, お. The second set is a combination of k and those vowels. That is, ka, ki, ku, ke, ko or か, き, く, け, こ in Hiragana. The goal is to be able to write my name in Hiragana by the middle of January - even though it should be written in Katakana because it is foreign.

December 25, 2003 - Thursday

Not much happened today, except that Chie cut her finger badly in the morning. Fortunately we had a pink plaster. So she could still look cute.

Another thing that happened was that I found out that the Chinese restaurant we visited a few days ago is not named Topo as I first thought but Tonpo. So this is the official correction of that. Tonpo is the name of the excellent restaurant.

I also updated the restaurant guide, or what to call it. Tonpo is now there as is Chakachaka and Myondon. Read more about it at restaurants under Tokyo (or Japan).

December 24, 2003 - Wednesday

Christmas eve today. It really does not feel like it. For two reasons. It is a warm day - like spring time in Sweden. And it is a work day. Yes, Christmas is not a holiday here in Japan. The big holiday here is in a week - New Year.

But I don't have time to go to the office today I find out. I have to pick up my alien registration card today. The office at the Meguro City Hall open at 10 am so I arrive at that time. It takes no time to get my card. So now I am an official alien in Japan - and i have a card to prove it.

After I got the card I went to apply for the national health insurance (NHI) program in another office at the city hall. This time I have to wait. First before I apply. Then as they prepare my NHI card. Then as they try to find my alien registration card that they seem to have misplaced. Not a big deal. They find it. But they seem so embarrassed by it and the apologize several times.

Then I have to go to Komaba Lodge to visit the office. I got a postcard from my grandmother. And a mail from the UFJ bank. In Japanese. And I pay my electricity and water bill.

Then I have a dinner with Chie. She explains that the letter from the bank is just to let me know that I have to apply for the VISA card again. Something that it is not the same name on my cash card and my VISA application. Crazy because I cannot see why it should matter. I have to go there anyway to settle an automatic transfer for my NHI payment - about 3000 JPY per month.

It takes quite a while to make a new VISA-application when the bank clerk only speaks Japanese and I only speak English. But it seems to work. The automatic transfer also works. Then I transfer some money to my bank account in Sweden. I still have to pay my debt to the Swedish government for my education at KTH.

I run out of time anyway and it makes no sense to go to the office just to go home again. instead I visit Bic Camera again. I buy a Christmas present for Chie and one for her mother. Friends DVD collection for Chie and SMAP (MIJ) for Chie's mother. SMAP is a big time Japanese famous pop group and the DVD is named Made in Japan (MIJ). A movie from their tour. Chie's mother is one of their biggest fans.

It is a success. I mean. Chie really like them too. So we agree to open the DVD to test that it really works and then we listen to, and watch, them all night long.

December 23, 2003 - Tuesday

Woke up this morning and both Chie and I had such a pain in our backs. I think Chie's was even worse than mine. So we decided to go and get some massage today. In Ginza. By a Chinese man. But before we could do that we had do have breakfast. Clean. And so many more things. Besides we woke up at 10 am - today is a national holiday here in Japan.

So we arrived in Ginza a little bit late. And first we had to visit a department store and buy some cream for Chie. Then hurry to the massage so that we did not miss our appointment. This was tricky. Just like returning a kick off in football. So many people that you had to avoid, zig zagging through the crowed. This was the Christmas shopping day it seemed.

Finally we arrived at the place for the massage. And was it great? One hour and 30 minutes of pain and pleasure. And afterwards we were so tired.

But we had to go to Bic Camera. I wanted to check some digital cameras and Chie had to buy a TV for her roommate. I checked some cameras but did not buy anything at this time. Later. We bought - or Chie bought - a TV for her roommate. A 14 inch Toshiba flat screen TV.

At home I started to install the TV, the antenna, and the Sky TV decoder. All while Chie was preparing for dinner. Home delivered pizza from Dominos. Yummy. And after the dinner we could check the TV and it worked.

Then, since this is the one holiday before New Year in Japan, we opened the Christmas presents. One arrived as late as a couple of days ago. In a yellow Swedish post package. A santa-san, red tapestry, Christmas bells for a Christmas tree, and two bullfinch birds for the Christmas tree. Lucky this was the first present to open so we put up all the things and made it really Christmas like before opening the rest of the presents. Blue Tulip glasses and plates for Chie, an Inkan with my name in Kanji - 与半, which means give half - Michael Moore's latest book, and a pajamas. We were really happy for everything. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Then it was time to go to bed. I can have a sleep in tomorrow because I am going to Meguro City Hall to pick up my alien registration card. And they don't open until 10am. So lucky me on Christmas eve.

December 22, 2003 - Monday

Monday again. But today is not an ordinary Monday. Tomorrow is a national holiday in Japan so this is just a between day. Going to the office seems, thus, easier than usual. Because tomorrow is a sleep in day again.

Anyway, at the office I continue to read all day long. I finish the thesis I started reading and start on a new one. While always looking for references and reading other things when I get too bored with the one thesis or paper.

Finally it is going home time again and I meet with Chie in Kamiyacho to go to Ebisu. Her piercing in the nail was broken. 'So went back to the nail salon and they fixed broken piercing. Then we took the JR train to Meguro - just one station - and got some groceries for tomorrows breakfast.

Then it was dinner time. Tonight we went to a Korean restaurant - Myondon - not far from Chie's apartment. This is Chie's favorite Korean restaurant. And it was great food. We had pork BBQ Korean style. And ox-tail soup. And fried rice. Yummy.

At home again we watched the last weeks Raiders game. Exciting. Raiders scored after an interception in the first play. But then we got to tired to finish today so we have to finish tomorrow instead. Zzzzzzzzzzz.

December 21, 2003 - Sunday

Woke up late again. Had a Japanese breakfast. Rice. Grilled salmon. And some other dishes. Yummi. Then we went to the do-it-yourself store to buy concrete to mend some clinkers in the garden. And a new garden hose. And a shelf for the closet to store things in.

When we got back to Chie's mother's house we started working in the garden. Chie's mother was fixing with flowers and Chie and I was mending the broken clinkers just at the gate. A few of them were loose so we fixed it. I hope. There are some more work but that has to be during the new years holiday when we will visit again.

After the work we had a tea break and then it was off again to buy groceries for the new years holiday. Well, we went to the liqueur store to buy beer, wine, orange juice, and Coke. And to the grocery store to buy groceries for tonight's dinner - sukijaki. Then when we got back I had a hot bath while Chie and her mother prepared dinner.

After dinner we had to go back to Tokyo. Today it took only one hour to drive. What a difference a day makes. Just a few more cars yesterday and it became crazy. Hmmmm, maybe not just a few more cars then.

December 20, 2003 - Saturday

Woke up late. Today we were supposed to go to the beauty salon in Ebisu. For some reason beauty salon and hospital is almost the same in Japanese. Biyoin is beauty salon and byoin is hospital. Anyway, we went to the hospital too. Before we went to the beauty salon. Chie wanted to get money back for some medicine for reef infection that she got when surfing. The reef infection, not the medicine that is.

At the beauty salon I got a pedicure while Chie got her nails made, pedicure, and permanent of her eyelashes. Yes, that is right. Permanent of her eyelashes. I did not even know that was possible until she told me. Besides the pedicure we also got a foot and leg massage that was great.

After the visit to the beauty salon we went with car to Chie's mother's house in Tokorozawa about 50 km outside of Tokyo. Anyone in Sweden with a car can start calculating how long that trip would take in Sweden. Here in Tokyo it was crazy today. After two hours in traffic jams we had not even left Tokyo yet. It took us three hours to get to Tokorozawa. Finally there we went with Chie's mother to a restaurant to have a dinner. Some starter with egg plant, sashimi, squid and ginger, sweet beans, rice, and mushroom saute. Yummi. But ate so much we had to take a taxi home.

December 19, 2003 - Friday

In the morning me and Pontus had a project meeting with Kimura-sensei. A project meeting for the LicoPro project. About what we are going to do to contribute to the project. So now I know more about the purpose and objectives of the project. Good.

Otherwise it was reading again. The same thesis still. It takes quite a long time to read a couple of hundred pages when you look for references that you find along the way. One reference I found at the library of the University of Tokyo. So I went there in the afternoon. Opened an account or whatever it is called. I got a member card anyway. Found the book and borrowed it. Usually there is a limit for two weeks. Quite a short time compared to KTH where it was 90 days for PhD-students.

Anyway, after the work I met Chie at Kamiyacho subway station to go to Naka-Meguro to shop groceries for breakfast. We had decided to go to a restaurant just behind her building for dinner. Ochanoko sai sai, which means 'that is easy done'. Japanese food. Salad. Grilled vegetables with fried egg. And bacon omelet. Yummi.

Then we had to hurry home. We needed to be back before 8 pm because we waited on a delivery from Bic Camera. A brand new DVD-HDD recorder. Panasonic DMR-E200H with a 160GB HDD. Pretty neat. After it was delivered we spent most of the night setting it up and trying to understand all the things that can be done with it. Most it was Chie that did it because the manual and all menus was in Japanese. So I hang the laundry instead. When Chie made all the settings we tried recording direct, with timing,a nd with time warp. Worked perfectly. Great. So all is set for recording football, friends, and Sex & the City tonight. And for the Raiders game tomorrow. Mash-san wants a copy too. So hopefully he has a DVD. Otherwise we just have to record the VHS from the DVD - ochonoko sai sai.

December 18, 2003 - Thursday

Today was pretty much a working day. I spent most of the day reading a doctoral thesis from the University of Twente. And looking for references found in the thesis. Slow.

On the way home I stopped by in Ebisu to fix a thing with my cellular. Somehow the server thought I did not want my calls to go to the telephone but directly to my voice mail. It can be controlled from the cellular but the menus are quite strange. I can set the voice mail ringer - described as: sets voice mail service and selects whether to make a call before forwarding a call. Clear, huh? Then I can select to turn the voice mail ringer on or off. Apparently I thought wrong. I thought this was to set the voice mail service on or off, but it was to select if the server should direct the call to my phone before forwarding it to the voice mail. Yes, it is clear now.

It is so easy when all the important things in the manual are in Japanese. There are several hundred pages in the manual. Perhaps 25 are in English. 10 pages are warnings about what can happen if you eat the battery and similar things. The rest are how to operate the phone under normal conditions.

But a nice thing - besides the TV - is that I can get my location. In Japanese of course. But still. Just have to learn to read Kanji and Kana, for instance is Johan in Hiragana よはん. But it is really yohan, where the Japanese syllables are yo-ha-n. In the same way Nielsen (にるせん) would be nirusen, the syllables being ni-ru-se-n. Easy, huh?

December 17, 2003 - Wednesday

Woke up early today. The whole day it felt like it was too early. But what can you do? In the morning - or rather just before lunch - I had a short meeting with Kimura-sensei about my research. The picture got a little bit clearer but we will meet again on Friday.

Then Pontus and I went to lunch together and we talked about our impression about the Japanese work culture. And we had a common view of it. At least in our office at the university, and as far as I know after my visit at Toyota and Hino, they spend a lot of time at the office. But they don't work so much during that time. Not so much more than what you can do during an ordinary 8 hours day. So I decide to stick with the Swedish style. Work when you are at the office - not sleeping or surfing the web - and then go home after about 8 hours.

That means close to 5 pm for me. And that gave me just about enough time to meet Chie at Shinjuku subway station exit B18. We had decided to meet with Mina-san to buy a DVD-HDD recorder. One for Mina-san and one for Chie. So we did. They choose the same brand and model. Two Panasonic DMR-E200H. 160 GB HDD and DVD recording capabilities. It will be delivered on Friday night between 8 and 9 pm. So it will be just about enough time to install it and then record the football game that starts at 11 pm, I think.

I also had time to check for a digital camera. I am thinking about the Canon G5 Powershot, but I did not buy it today. I want to check that it is not about to be a new model on the market in just a month or so. If not then I will buy the G5 that is on the market now.

After the shopping we went for a dinner to relax. This night it was the Chakachaka. A Japanese restaurant with a mix of modern Japanese food and other dishes like, for instance, pasta. We were welcomed and seated at our table by the friendly Taro-san. He spoke very good English. For dinner we had several dishes. For instance, tofu burger, Japanese kimchi, grilled squid, and Chinese fried rice. It was yummi.

Ohhh, I almost forgot one of the most important things that happened today. I got an e-mail from my friend Jonas in Sweden. He and his girlfriend Jennie got a little girl on November 29. Only 3.5 kg and half a meter long. Well, when I say only I compare with a grown up. I think the weight and size is normal. And cute she is.

December 16, 2003 - Tuesday

not much happened today. I went to the office, as usual. I worked at my desk, as usual. And... Then we had a research meeting, not as usual. Well, every second week or so, but this is my second time so it has not been long enough to be as usual yet. I presented what I had done in Sweden the last 5 years. 5 years concentrated to less than one hour. Phuuu. But now they know more about me and what my interest areas are. Then meeting was rather long though and mainly in Japanese. Or very poor English by the Chinese students/researchers.

At 7 pm it was finished and I was already on my way home. At home the dinner for the night was prepared. Thank you! Tori-no-mizu-taki. Yummi. And afterwards I did the dishes. That I think is fair for having a dinner prepared and ready for you when you get home.

December 15, 2003 - Monday

Went to the Komaba Lodge today in the morning. Had to deal with some curtains needed to be cleaned. It had to be in the office before the 17th and the office open at 9 a.m. So I was there at 9 a.m. with the dirty curtains. I also got some mail from the UFJ bank that I don't understand. Probably some codes for the eBank.

Then I went to Ebisu to finally get a mobile phone. I registered at the Vodafone for a Premium Pack Silver with e-mail. The phone I choose was a Vodafone V601N by NEC. With camera, of course. Because it is almost totally impossible to find one without here in Japan. And a TV-tuner. Yes... I can watch Japanese TV in my cellular. A very necessary feature that I cannot be without. Or maybe I can?

After buying the cellular I went to my bank, UFJ. Someone from there had called me. Unfortunately I had lost my memo with the name and phone number. Too bad. But they found out who had called me after 10 minutes searching. Then I had to sign my name on some papers that I had already signed a hundred times. Just on the wrong places. Anyway, the girl that supervised my signing the first time was now, again, happy with what I had accomplished. A new sign and rewriting of my four digit code. Hopefully this was the last time.

Ooh, almost forgot... I went to a new shop while I waited for Vodafone to set up my phone - it takes an hour. The shop is Mont-Belle, I think. And it is an outdoor equipment shop. Nice clothing and I found chop sticks for trekking. Chop sticks in two pieces where one of the pieces could be kept inside the other one. Well, I think you know what I mean.

Anyone that are observant now may wonder how it can be that I have to sign things again when I already got my cash card. Yes, you are right. But this was for my dear, and very pink, Snoopy Visa card. I hope I can get it soon.

I got an e-mail from my mother today. She was not sure that the e-mail worked the same way in Japan as in Sweden. But I wrote back and told her that I got the e-mail so it seems to work the same way here as in Sweden. Anyway, she wrote that she got a package from Japan. So the package we last week have already arrived. And before Christmas. That was fast. And good. So everybody can be happy for Christmas... I hope.

After work I met Chie to shop for dinner. Groceries for sukiyaki and tori-no-mizu-taki. Tonight was sukiyaki night. We prepared the ingredients. Well, I prepared the rice and Chie prepared meat, cabbage, mushroom of two kinds, onion and all the other things. And I went the meat store to buy oil for sukiyaki - sukiyaki no gyushy. I must have said something wrong because I came back with the wrong oil. We made it anyway. Yummi.

December 14, 2003 - Sunday

Most of the day I spent in the Ebisu area. I was just walking around to explore the area. I found a gym here - The Club in Yebisu. Looked like a nice place so I entered to find out their pricing. Quite acceptable... If you are a millionaire. The starting fee was 300000 JPY (just shy of 23100 SEK), 100000 JPY deposit that was refunded after 10 years and a yearly fee of 240000 JPY.

Hmmmmm, I think I find another place. But it was really nice. And once you paid all the fees, everything inside was free. Massage. Squash. Golf. 25 meters swimming pool. Wet and dry sauna. Jacuzzi. Training advice. Diet advice. Medic consultant. You name it.

Around 3 pm I had to go to Shinjuku to catch a train for Seijogakuenmae to go to a Swedish Christmas dinner. At the station I met Hata-san that was also invited. Then Karl came - one of the guys staying at the old lady. We went home to them where Pontus and some Japanese friends had prepared food the whole day. Raw spiced salmon (gravad lax), Christmas ham, rice porridge, saffron buns, gingerbread cookies, and Swedish candy like Ahlgren's automobiles, salty fishes, and more.

The guest was a mix of people from Sweden, Japan, Portugal, and France. Well, that was basically the different nationalities represented. It was fun and I went back with Hata-san and some Swedes around just after 10 pm. Back home around 11:30 pm. Late. Tired. Zzzzzzzzzz.

December 13, 2003 - Saturday

Wake up today and it is a lovely day. The sun shines and it is about 18 degrees in the sun outside. Really nice. After following Chie to the Meguro station I go to the Meguro Citizen's Center's gym. It is quite a simple gym but it is OK. But there are no free weights and the machines are a little bit too small for me. I have to give up the cycling machine, for instance. Even in the highest position I have to bend my knee to much to be comfortable. So I did my rehab-program for my knees without the ordinary 30 minutes cycling.

Then I took a shower at home, had something to eat and went to the Komaba lodge with a few of my things. Unfortunately my Pooh-brain forgot the camera this time. But I promise you that my Swedish soccer t-shirt with signatures of my friends from Gävle is on the wall in my room at the Komaba lodge. Almost looks like someone is living there now. And I had got a phone call from the UFJ-bank. Have to call back. How can I do that when they only speak Japanese?

When I had organized my things I went out in the sunshine again. I walked around the Komaba campus. It seems to be a small but nice campus, in a very nice area. Not so much traffic on the narrow streets. Only small houses. And this is only two stations away from the busy Shibuya.

So I go the two stations back to Shibuya to transfer to the Toyoko line for the Naka-Meguro. In Naka-Meguro I walk around on the narrow streets behind the Naka-Meguro station. Here I find a shop that sell cellular phones, but I still need my alien registration card. Still two more weeks. It is hard to believe that it is Christmas by then.

Oooh, something that I forgot to write about a couple of days ago. I got a package from Sweden. Or rather, Chie got a package from Sweden. The hard thing now is to keep her away from the package. It is a Christmas present.

Anyway, it is today now. And on my way home from the Naka-Meguro station I passed a flower shop and bought a red flower for tomorrow. I will bring it to Christmas party that Pontus invited me to. The flower is not for him but for his landlady. She is an old woman that have two rooms she let students live in for nothing. The only payment is that at least one of them has to be home by 10 p.m. to keep burglars away. In Tokyo? Well, according to Pontus she is quite rich, and old. That might explain it.

December 12, 2003 - Friday

All work and no play makes Johan a dull boy. Not really, but this was a day when not much happened. I read some papers today and found a software that seemed to be interesting for my research. Will try to get more information about it - InfoSleuth.

After work I go to the Kamiyacho station to shop some note pads - paper ones - and pens. I need this for my office mostly, but I guess I can use it at home too. Then I meet Chie outside her office and we go to Naka-Meguro by subway. We buy some groceries and then it is dinner time at home.

December 11, 2003 - Thursday

Woke up early today and got early to the office. Too early it turned out. I could not get get in through the entrance. It was locked. What to do? I just waited outside, and eventually someone came and opened the door.

I continued to work on my presentation today and finished it. Had time to go through it once too. Then something happened and I lost it. I had to start from scratch again. Ahhhhhhhhhh!!! Two more hours with a presentation I was already finished with. And I was quite satisfied with it. And now I hope it is, at least, similar to the one that I lost.

After office I took the subway to Meiji jingumae station in Harajuku. I met Chie at exit 2 to go to a Chinese restaurant with her and Mina-san. Before we were going to meet with Mina at the restaurant though, we had time to walk around in Harajuku. Mainly this area is for young people. But Chie could still find a Jelly Kelly bag. The latest fashion from Italy. Pink. Cute.

Then it was finally time for dinner. Topo. The name of the restuarant. Turned out to be a great restaurnat. Well, both Mina-san and Chie have been there before. Very good food. Very small. Open kitchen. We could watch everything that the chef did.

The food was delicious. Totally different from the Chinese food we are used to in Sweden. Much better, I think. And the only non alcoholic drink they had was Chinese tea. So I had tea. Hot. Yummi.

December 10, 2003 - Wednesday

Noting special happens today. I go to the office by subway again. At 7 a.m. there are almost no people at all on the subway. Well, no people at all in Tokyo measurements. But I can still get a seat.

After lunch I have a meeting with Professor Kimura and two visitors from Politecnico di Milano - Professor Cugini and Professor Bordegoni. They present interesting research for collaboration. It seems like they are in the same area as I am. So there are possibilities for collaboration. With me and some other researchers/students here at the department.

Then I continue to work on my presentation for the next week. Until it is time to go home, that is. To buy groceries. To make dinner. To enjoy dinner. And, probably, go to bed.

December 9, 2003 - Tuesday

Woke up and took the subway to Todaimae, or actually, this morning it was to the Hongo-sanchome. There are two ways for me to get to the office from Meguro. Either the subway from Meguro station or the subway from the Naka-Meguro station. So far I have not got caught in the crazy rush hour. But Pontus told me about a girl that fainted when he was on the way to the office yesterday. I arrive safely at the office about 50 minutes later.

At the office not much happens. I read papers published by the Kimura Lab to know what they are doing so that I can define what I shall do. It takes some time.

I go quite early from the office today to have time to pass by the Komaba Lodge before I go home to Chie. I want to put an lock on my mail box and check for mail. So I go.

At the Komaba lodge I find that I have got some mail from the UFJ bank. It's my cash card. So now I can withdraw money from my account at one of the ATMs. Oooh, what a freedom. Actually, since I have not had the money in a bank so far I have not been in a need of a cash card. But next payment from JSPS will be sent to my bank account on December 19. Then they will make the money available the last Tuesday or Friday every month. I got a fax today that told me that.

I also got my identity card for the university today. That means I can use the university facilities. Like the gym, pool, library, and other things. Whatever they might be?

December 8, 2003 - Monday

Today is the getting-access-to-my-room-at-Komaba-Lodge day. Instead of going to the office in the morning I take the subway from Naka-Meguro to Shibuya. There I change to a private subway - Keio - that takes me to the Komaba Todaimae station. This is the station for the University of Tokyo's Komaba campus. Where the Komaba Lodge is located.

It is a very pleasant area with low buildings and not so much traffic. It takes me a while to find the lodge, but I finally do. At the lodge I get introduced to the building and to my room by a woman. I guess she is one of the caretakers or something. I pay my first rent, including a kind of start-up fee, gas, electricity, and water. A total of 32000 - something - JPY, less than 2200 SEK. For a month. Including a fee of about 14000 JPY that I will never pay again.

The draw back is the rules for the lodge. I cannot have friends, or even family, to stay or use the room. So I think for anyone that had planned to visit it would be a good idea to do so when I get another room/apartment. I can only have this room for a year so I need to find something else by the end of November, 2004.

Until then I need to save the money as much as I can. A similar room at a similar location would be at least three times what I am paying now.

When I get back to the office I find out that we will have a meeting with professor Ab Stevels from Delft at 1 p.m. So I work for a while and then have lunch with Pontus at one of the restaurants at the campus. Korean noodles. A lot. Spicy. Quite yummi. And only 350 JPY. Just around 24 SEK. Who said it was expensive in Japan?

The meeting with Ab Stevels is interesting. He talks about his research in EcoDesign at the University of Delft and at Philips. He works 50-50 at those locations. Main message is that EcoDesign is not only about technology, but also about convincing the different stakeholders. Well, you always have to that, but I guess he talks about it from a perspective where EcoDesign is not part of an ordinary product introduction project. Still very interesting.

After the meeting I was supposed to meet with Kimura-sensei to discuss my project. However, he is such a busy man that we need to reschedule it for another day.Not much more to do than go home and have a dinner, and watch the last quarter of the Indianapolis@Tennessee game. Tennessee lost by 29-27. But I think it was because QB McNair got an injury and could not be part of the second and third quarter. They finished strong anyway.

December 7, 2003 - Sunday

Today is a gingerbread house building day. Chie have ordered a gingerbread house from USA. And today we will build it today.

But first we go to the grocery store to buy some groceries for breakfast and dinner today. At home again we - well, not me so much - make the breakfast. Or brunch is more like it. Soup, bread, and fruit. Yummi.

Then I do the dishes and Chie wrap some Christmas presents to be sent to Sweden. Don't want to say too much. There might someone reading this. Presents look very pretty after wrapping. Some look a little bit like Valentine presents. With hearts. Totemo kawai desu.

It is quite a complicated and messy work to get all the pieces together. And make them look like a house. But still easier because it is a prefab house. It is more tricky to make your own from scratch. And to use melted sugar to glue the pieces together. This house is glued together with the glazing that was in the package. Just add water. And whip. For some time. Quite a long time.

Then apply the glazing on places where the house is supposed to be glued together. Put the pieces together and wait. And wait. And wait... When the four walls are together we have to wait for about 15 minutes, according to the instructions. We can almost wait that long. But only almost. Then another 15 to 30 minutes when the roof is in place. Again... We can almost wait 15 minutes.

Then comes the fun part. Decoration. We let our mind go crazy with inspiration and cover the house with glazing and candy. From bottom to top. Or maybe we did it from top to bottom? Hmmm, perhaps it matters to someone. But not to me. Finally the house is there. And in a modern world it is not a real house unless someone have made a tag on it. So I tag it. Japan 2003. Yeah, I just all my imagination to figure that out. Quite impressive, huh?

After the our house is ready we go to Mail Boxes ETC to pack and ship the Christmas presents. But they were closed. But their home page said they should be open. We will ship it tomorrow again.

And speaking of tomorrow. That is the big moving in day for me. Well, not a big one. Because I will not move so many things tomorrow. More go there and get a key and pick up the mail - which I hopefully have got from the bank - and check out the three bed room, big living room, four jacuzzi bathrooms, and a big balcony flat that I will rent. Who am I fooling? For less than 30000 JPY including gas, water, and electricity, even 8 square meters is a bargain in Tokyo. What I know about the room is that it has a kitchenette, small refrigerator, and a bath unit. I know more tomorrow, I guess.

December 6, 2003 - Saturday

Saturday. It was one week ago since I arrived. Seems like a long time ago and at the same time not. Tonight I will join Chie to have a dinner with her and three of her friends - Michi, Mina, and Akiko. But first we will go shopping in Shibuya and Ginza. Some flowers, pants, and Christmas decoration for Chie's mother and electronic shop for me.

The first stop is the flower shop in Naka-Meguro. Here we buy Christmas flowers for Chie's mother. They will be sent to her when they are ready. I mean when they are made.

Then we go to a department store in Shibuya to look for Juicy Couture pants for Chie's mother. Black. We find one pair and Chie buys it. Then we continue to the Tokyu Hands to buy some Christmas decoration. This too is for Chie's mother. We find. And we buy. We also find a very big inflatable Pooh in the entrance of the Christmas decoration department. But too crowded to take a picture. Too bad.

Next stop is the electronic shop - Bic Camera - in Ginza. So back to the subway and continue to Ginza. We will meet in Ginza to have a dinner too.

On our way back to the subway station in Shibuya we see a dog with a diaper. Yes, diaper. The owner was just about to change it and was so proud to find a poop in it. Even showing it for her friend. Fascinating!

A few block away from the dog with the diaper we get stoped by a TV team. We get to choose between a Japanese wrestler and an American wrestler - Bob Sapp, brother of Warren Sapp in Tampa Bay. Who will win? We choose Bob Sapp so they made us say BOB SAPP while holding a picture of him in front of the camera. Yes, we are on our way to become TV-stars now. I know it all sounds too much to be true, but it is. Honto.

When we arrive we have about one and a half hour to check the Bic Camera. Memory cards, MP3-players, digital cameras, phones, laptops, and so much more. It is like heaven. Or maybe not. I am not that a technology-freak yet. But it is still fun.

We walk around a check the Canon camera that I had been thinking about, but it looks so big now. I have to think again. And check the different cameras on the web again. We also have time to check out memory cards for USB-bus. Getting cheaper they do. And MP3-players. The iPOD is quite nice with 10-40GB HDD. But RIO also have some nice ones. Could be something to use at the gym - I am just guessing that the music on the gyms is as bad here as in Sweden. But I only buy a few things of which a mouse pad with Pooh picture for my office is the most important.

We also have time to check for a Tempur pillow for Chie. I already have one and I like it a lot. Makes my sore neck smile - yeah, yeah, you know what I mean. The last thing is to check the phones again. Found some interesting phones here too. And I got a member card so I can collect points whenever I buy something. That way I can use the points the next time as money. I already have over 5000 JPY. Soon I can get an iPOD for free. Sort of.

Ooops, need to go to the Thai restaurant to meet Mina, Michi, and Akiko. We have a great dinner with lots of Thai food. And finish with a coconut ice cream. Yummi.

December 5, 2003 - Friday

Had a meeting with Hata-san, Mario-san, and Zhang-san this morning. They had asked me to talk about UML. So I did. But very difficult since I had no idea what they knew about UML before, or if they even knew anything about modeling. I think I know a little bit better now what they know. They have not been modeling much before. Hata-san have been programming so it is easier for him talking about classes, inheritance and so on. Zhang-san have been using UML before. But modeling is so much than just knowing about classes and UML. It is like programming. Programming has nothing to do with what languages you know.

Well, a little bit. But it is more problem solving than anything else. Then the different languages can help you or restrict you in they way you solve a particular problem. It is the same with modeling. Anyway, I hope I could help them, at least a little bit.

The lunch toady was consumed at one of the campus restaurants. HAta-san helped me out by telling how everything works. Then he showed me the campus, shops, gym, university hospital, book shop, and library. Quite a big campus.

Took the subway home for dinner and football. Watched the Raiders get beaten, again. By Denver Broncos. The season is already over for the Raiders so now we can only hope that next season will be a better season. Well, it cannot get any worse.

Anyway, this was the last day of my first week at the University of Tokyo. So many things have happened during this week. New office. Registered as an alien. New bank account. To mention a few.

December 4, 2003 - Thursday

This morning I tried a new way to the office. Instead of going from the Naka-Meguro station I went from the Meguro station. Might not seem like a big differnece. But I don't need to change if going from the Meguro station. It took me one hour from door to door.

Lunch today was in a small restaurant not far from the Hongo campus. It was beef curry and rice. Yummi. The hostes were an old Japanese couple. The husband was the chef and while no guests arrived he was seated watching TV. When a guest arrived he slowly walked to the open kitchen, put on a cap, and poured the food. Very friendly and the food was like home made. Perhaps it was. It looked like they could be living back doors or on the floor above the restaurant.

After work I meet with Chie, Tsuchia-san, and Tekeuchi-san for a dinner at Die Wurst not far from the JIPDEC office. We had some bier, wine, and Coke. For those of you reading this and that knows me, you know what I had. Dinner was mixed sausage plate - after all it was a German restaurant - tasty pasta, and yummi pizza. We talked about the Japanese STEP activities - or rather their lack of future activities - and about Swedish tax system, and many other important and unimportant things. Great time.

December 3, 2003 - Wednesday

At 10 a.m. today we had a meeting again. Visitors from Sweden. Margareta Groth from VINNOVA, Eva Ahlner from the Swedish Embassy in Tokyo - hmmmm, maybe she is from Tokyo? - and Mattias Lindahl and Erik Sundin from the University of Linköping, among others. This Swedish delegation is on a tour around Japan to visit different companies and institutes to discuss sustainable development and eco-design - no Håkan, not echo-design, eco-design.

Anyway, it was an interesting meeting to hear about Kimura-sensei's research in more detail. And Margareta Groth also presented the new program from VINNOVA, Effective Product Development. It seems to fit like a hand in a glove - unless your name is OJ - for my old department in Sweden. So if someone of you are reading this, they have a call in the beginning of next year and are very interested in collaboration with Japanese research. They also seemed to be very interested in the research at the Kimura Lab.

After the meeting it we all joined for a lunch meeting - kind of a mix between pleasure and work. The lunch was fine and it was interesting to hear about the work of the Science and Technology Attachés at the embassy.

Then it was work again. I started on my one hour presentation that is due in about two weeks. You can never start too early. Besides, I have not much more to do otherwise. I plan to read some papers about the research at the Kimura Lab. to understand more in detail what they are doing here.

On my way home I stopped at the Kamiyacho subway station to meet Chie. I had asked her to help me find a cellular phone. We took the subway to Ebisu to find the next cheapest store for cellular phones - the store with the next cheapest price, that is. We found the store - or rather, Chie found the store - and a few cellular phones that was nice. One from Vodafone that was really nice, but that was so expensive and had so many stupid features, like TV-tuner.

Yeah, I really want to watch TV so bad I am excepting it in miniature. Or maybe not. And all phones have camera. I really don't need that. The picture quality is too poor. Besides, some companies have restrictions on bringing cameras into their offices and plants. But... If that's the way it is, then I have to accept it or just not buy a phone.

After checking all the phones for an hour or so I finally decided for a phone from AU. Then I could not buy it. Why? Because I need the alien registration certificate... Which I will get on Christmas eve. So no phone for my... Yet.

Tonight's dinner was fried pork with rice and salad of cabbage and cherry leaves. Yummi. Then football. This time it was the MNF-game, Tennessee Titans@New York Jets. Unfortunately Chie won a bet of 100000 JPY because the Titans lost. Or at least the is what she say. That I bet a 100000 JPY that Titans would win. Well I was for the Titans in this game but I never bet. Especially not against Chie. And especially not against Chie when it comes to NFL.

December 2, 2003 - Tuesday

Today I went to the Meguro-ku City Hall. At the City Halls in each city (ku) they have the Alien Registration Office. Here aliens from Mars and alike, staying longer than 90 days in Japan, have to registered. So I go. And register.

I also apply for a paper that certify that I have registered as an alien. I need it to open a bank account, which I need for... Well you know what to use a bank account for, don't you?

They clerk or officer - I have no idea what they are called - is friendly and effective. The whole procedure takes less than 30 minutes, including waiting time between the different sub-procedures. The certificate will take three weeks to finalize. It will be ready to be picked up on December 24. Yes, you heard right - or read - I can pick up the certificate on Christmas eve.

Well, it is not all true. I can pick it up between December 24 and January 5. If I don't pick it up during this period I am fined by a penalty charge. Some friendly Japanese told me that. Uhum, Chie did.

Speaking about Chie. After my visit to the City Hall I went to have a lunch with her. We had some kind of sushi with Japanese noodles. Yummi. Then we took a walk in the lovely weather - I guess anyone from Sweden does not want to hear this, but it was 18 degrees today. So walking in the lovely weather we try to find a bank to open an account.

At first we try the Mizuho bank but they don't accept that I have not got the alien registration certificate yet. To open a bank account here I first have to wait three weeks for the certificate. No way. More walking in the sun. And the UFJ bank turns up. They accept my papers as they are.

The procedure to open a bank account takes a long time. Mainly it is signing my name in different places and writing my secret code again and again. One secret code for withdrawing manually and one for cash card using the ATM and one code for Visa card. Too many codes and signatures. I have already forgotten half of them, the codes that is.

The Visa card I am particularly proud of. It is pink with hearts in the background and Snoopy with that yellow little bird hugging in the foreground. Quite cute and I will look so good when paying with it. It is so nice it will actually be a pleasure to pay with it.

Then I go to the office for a meeting at 3 p.m. It is a research meeting to report on the progress since the last meeting, two weeks ago. All the slides and reports are in English or in Japanese and English. But the oral presentation is mainly in Japanese. I get the summary from the slides and reports but I cannot catch the details and not the discussion after each presentation.

Though I catch that I am supposed to make an hours presentation about my research in Sweden the next meeting. Hmmmm, needs to start thinking about it already I think.

After the meeting it is going-home time. So I go. Subway. Change in Ginza - yeah, it is a place in Tokyo and not only a record store in Sweden. Then Hibya line and off in Naka-Meguro. Walk. Dinner. Jerk Chicken and salad. Football, New England@Indianapolis. With Chie's favorite quarterback in NE, Brady from Michigan. They won too, of course. But it was a close one, 34-38.

December 1, 2003 - Monday

First day at the new office. It's raining. Not in the office, but on me while getting there. Claudia handed me a lot of papers to sign today. For the accommodation and allowance and... I cannot remember all of it.

Then Kato set up my e-mail account and let me know the proxy settings. So I now have access to the Internet again. Not via FTP though.

I had lunch with Pontus - a Swedish student at the department - and Hata-san - a doctoral student at the department. Ramen, or noodle soup, with egg. Yummi. Then I went home quite early to go to the Swedish embassy.

At the Swedish embassy in Roppongi I applied to translate my Swedish driving license to Japanese. This is needed in order to get a Japanese driving license. At least if you just want to convert it. Anyway, they were helpful at the embassy and they only charge a small fee of 2000 JPY.

Then meet Chie to go home for a dinner. And watch some football. And Friends in Japanese. Sounds strange. Very strange. And totally not understandable.

But first we stay at a picture box to take a photo for my alien registration. To apply for an alien registration you need a) to be an alien (check), b) passport (check), and two photos not older than six months - and a lot of other restrictions on size and so on - (check). I think I am set to visit the alien registration office tomorrow.