James Hart in Japan

Hi Jim,

sorry for the delay, I have been really busy those last days... I am now back in Spain where the weather is fantastic

Welcome on the expatriate forum

Remember to add your blog address under profile > personal

I'll read your blog, I am an IT guy as well and I like Japanese culture ... Did you move to Japan with or without a job?

Take care,

Julien

Just a detail, can I use a RSS agregator to read your blog?

Cheers Julien.
Aaah, yes: the sun in Spain! I lived in Madrid for 2.5 years and almost forgot that rain existed. We're in the rainy season at the moment in Japan....quite a change.
So have you adapted to the siesta-lifestyle out there?
I found the work-ethic quite different from the UK (and, even more so, Japan!!).

I did move here with my job: I managed to get a transfer to our Tokyo office and it has been great so far!

Hasta luego

James

Just a detail, can I use a RSS agregator to read your blog?

You should be able to. I use feedburner: My feed

Let me know whether it works; I'm not sure whether any actually subscribes to my feed. (I don't!).

Do you have a blog, by the way?

J

Hola Jim,

32 degrees in Madrid at midnight yesterday we've got a beautiful blue sky everyday now. After a cold winter, people are now living outside home (on evenings), Madrid is really animated!

Lifestyle here is very good

I have checked your RSS feed, it also works with http://jimmyhart.blogspot.com/atom.xml (it's easier to use this address with Thunderbird)

How long have you been working for your company before they sent you to Japan? (I'd really like to visit/live in Japan for a while, I am found of Japanese culture since I was young)

Yes I've got a first "experimental" blog (writen in French), its address is http://cyan.mon-blog.org/
I don't talk that much about it because it's not on the expat-blog platform yet, but I'll migrate it as soon as the platform will be ready

Take care of yourself and of your family,

Julien

Que tal todo?
32 degrees at night?! I don't miss that... I hope you have aircon (we didn't while we were in Madrid!).

How long have you been working for your company before they sent you to Japan?

Just under 5 years; previously I'd worked for them in London and Madrid.

I'd really like to visit/live in Japan for a while, I am found of Japanese culture since I was young

Yeah, you'll have to make it out here some time. I'll buy you a beer...

I never had a particular interest in Japan before meeting my wife. I've really enjoyed getting to know the culture, customs and the people. Like any place it has its good and bad points, but I think what makes it special is that the people are so polite and respectful. That makes it hard to ever get annoyed or angry here.
That contrasts with Madrid where there seemed to be more people trying to rip other people off (eg taxi-drivers, robbers targeting rich tourists, restaurants overcharging foreigners, being given the "wrong" change etc). However everything else in Madrid was great: the sun, the summer parties at "fincas", the nightlife ("La Latina", "Huertas"....), the food, and the general friendliness of the people.

Enjoy the summer!
Salu2
Jim

Hola Jim,

yes we've got aircon I have a find a job like yours, but it's not very really easy!

Did you speak Spanish while you lived in Spain? I heard about crooks in restaurants, who are trying to charge you more money ... if you speak a foreign language. The advice I received is to check the bill before you pay. Well it never happened to me. I've got the chance to live with a bilingual girl

I think I would also enjoy Japan, but I'm sure it's almost impossible to live there if you're not sent by a company when you don't speak in Japanese. Maybe one day!

Hasta luego y que vaya bien,

Julien

Cheers Julien
Yeah, I guess I've been lucky with my job up to now; I hope it continues like that....

Did you speak Spanish while you lived in Spain?

¡Claro, que sí, hablo español de p*ta madre!
No tengo pinta de español para nada, pero hablo más o menos bien y no tengo problema luchar con los taxistas, camareros y los demás.....

I heard about crooks in restaurants, who are trying to charge you more money ... if you speak a foreign language. The advice I received is to check the bill before you pay.

When I complained about foreigners getting ripped off, I was referring to friends that came to visit.
I always had to warn them: check the price of something before you order, check your change, don't leave your bag unattended for 5 seconds, check the cost of a cab ride before you get in, etc etc. It was just annoying that we had to do all that.
The first time a friend of my wife's came to Madrid, he stayed at a posh hotel in the centre. When he arrived at the hotel (by taxi), he got the bags out of the trunk, paid the taxi-driver and by the time he turned around again to pick up the bags.............they were gone!

Tourists come to Madrid to spend their money and enjoy the city. If they get ripped-off, they don't want to go again.......
They used to get loads of Japanese tourists there (for the Prado, etc), but once all the horror stories got back, the number dropped dramatically. Now there are no direct flights between Japan & Spain anymore……

ANYWAY, enough of my rant about Madrid. I love it there really: great city, great people. Everywhere has its minus points.

How are you enjoying Madrid?

Ciao for now......

Hola Jim desde Madrid,

I think that wherever you go there are robbers waiting for you; the thing is to be discreet and to keep an eye on things.

Well I really enjoy the nightlife here. There is a very good ambiance (as in Barcelona), and I enjoy living outside home!

I am living pretty close to "Las Ventas", the bullfighting place, and there are a lot of nice pubs with tapas here I've actually never been to see a corrida, have you ever seen one? I think it's a bit cruel for the animal, but it's such an important tradition here ... and I heard that Madrid's "plaza de toros" is the biggest one in Spain ... so I might go once.

Something I like is going to the retiro during the afternoon, there's a good ambiance there, then we walk to the town centre, "una caña y una tapita al museo del jamon y ya esta"    

What are the places you prefer in Madrid?

Hasta luego,

Julien