Bloom In Japan

So it happened. NOVA effectively went bankrupt on Friday, as the board of directors sacked the idiot president and then proceeded to file for protection from creditors. Technically the company isn’t dead yet, but it’s going to take a massive company with a set of big ones to take everything over and try to get the Usagi back on its feet. The company itself is only ~45 BILLION Yen in debt, which is about $450,000,000. I really don’t see anyone with half a brain wanting to get involved in that BS. As for current operations, every branch has been closed indefinitely, leaving half a million students and five thousand-odd employees floating in an abyss of uncertainty. I’d say the chances of anyone seeing any money from this point forward are about 1 in 100.

Where does this leave me? Well thanks for asking. Basically I will be trying to survive on credit and free food samples at local grocery stores for the next 2 months. I have a new employer, but won’t see any money from them until Christmas day. One of the two jobs I’m waiting to hear back on would give me some cash a lot sooner, but the other one is the exact same Xmas scenerio. Alas, I am still completely commited to staying in this wonderful place, so I will be fighting tooth and nail to do so. I will most likely need to move out of my current apartment rather quickly, and have plans to move into downtown Tokyo. Unfortunately, I have zero concrete information on anything at the moment, so it’s a little hard to make plans. At any rate, yea the situation sucks, but whatever; I am willing to put up with a load of BS if I am able to remain here for as long as I’d like. Let the games begin…

So Thursday the 25th is almost upon us here in the Pacific, but like last week, I highly doubt my bank account will change from its current balance of 0 Yen. I really don’t see how the company can survive yet another missed payday, but then again I haven’t understood anything this retarded company has done up to this point. If I check my account at midnight and magically find the 90,000 Yen they owe me, I will strip down and run around my ‘hood like a lunatic.

In better or more interesting news, I just got back from my 4th interview in 3 days. This morning I was offered a position with a certain company, which should at least give me something to fall back on. I am set to sign their contract on Friday, and then begin training in 2 weeks. Of the 3 other interviews, I am anxiously awaiting decisions from 2 of them, as both positions would fit me quite well. The other interview basically turned into an information seminar, where I picked up an IT agent and formulated a battle plan to eventually move into the IT field here in Japan. I should know where I stand as far as employment goes by Monday, and then I can start worrying about finding a new place to live.

Not everything is so stressful however. I’ve been taking advantage of my time in downtown Tokyo to see more sights. I don’t have time to upload pics yet, but I have continued to check places off my master list at a lightning quick pace. Things with Kaori are going great as well. It’s not every day you can find a beer-drinking, anime-watching, manga-reading, poor-boy-loving, potty-mouthed woman. I am a happy man at the moment in that regard.

The next 5 days will either turn me into an extremely happy human being, or a man on the edge. Let’s hope it’s the former.

Well the 19th came and went and nobody got paid. Instead we were presented with another vague fax stating that we are now scheduled to be paid on the 25th. Nobody believes this, and a large percentage of teachers have stopped working. There is chatter on some forums that the company is going to officially call it quits this week, so it may be all over after all. I have 2 interviews in the next few days which may decide my future in Japan. The annoyance and frustration is quickly turning into anger, as a single man (NOVA’s president) is threatening my very existence in this country. Not to mention the countless other lives that may literally be ruined by this collapse. If/when it becomes official, the government better investigate and throw that asshole behind bars for a very long time.

Things are gettin’ a little stressful on this side of the world. The job situation is at a breaking point, causing me to apply for everything from Japanese Prime Minister to Ma-Ku-Doe-Na-Ru-Doe (McDonald’s) janitor positions. I seriously doubt that I will be paid anytime soon, meaning I am going into survival mode for a bit. Regardless, I plan on doing whatever I can to stay here, and really hope things work out.

In better news (always has to be good news right?), I have still been finding time to experience this crazy place to the max, albeit it in new and improved budget-mode. It’s amazingly difficult to find the time to sit down and do updates, but I hope to get some new junk up soon. So yea, the next 2 weeks will be crucial in deciding my current situation, so I hope that I can update with some good news soon.

I hope everyone back home is doing well, I miss y’all, but don’t quite want to see you so soon if you know what I mean. Peace out.

I once again apologize for the lack of updates, but things have been as busy as ever. I’ll start this micro-update with the bad news. For those who don’t know, one of my best friends had recently arrived in Japan to work for the same company as me. A couple of days ago I received a message from him saying that due to a variety of reasons he thought it best to pack up and go back home to the US. We both decided to embark on this adventure together, and the fact that we actually went through with it was awesome. After reading his message I was obviously disappointed, but I understand his reasons and wish him the best of luck.

In some better news, I was fortunate enough last week to meet a very interesting girl named Kaori, and a few days and dates later we are now a couple. I usually try to avoid the whole relationship thing, but she somehow tricked me into committing, and I have been very happy since. She was obviously drawn in by my flawless use of the Japanese language, and I was attracted by her extremely shy personality (see sarcasm). At any rate, we’re both having a good time thus far, and we will see where things go.

I have quite a few pictures to throw up on the site, but unfortunately I work tomorrow so I may not get things updated for a bit here. So, until next post, mata ne.

P.S. Now that I have been in Japan for over a month (feels like much more than that), I think I am feeling comfortable enough with my surroundings to upgrade from n00b-gaijin to fearless-gaijin, hence it is done.

Yatta! I just received an email letting me know that I was selected in the lottery for the Tokyo Marathon, meaning I am eligible to run 42k with a bunch of crazy athletes on February 17th of 2008. This is awesome news for me, and means I better start getting ready now. I hope Mike got similar news.

So beyond the normal daily grind of work, this past “weekend” (my actual days off) was rather busy. I will try to get pics and everything up, but needless to say I was able to see a lot of things on my tourist checklist. On a more somber note, after a brief clearing of the skies, the job situation is back to looking grim. It would be very depressing if everything fell through, but I guess I just have to continue to keep my eyes peeled and see what my options are. Peace.