Getting ready to leave for America soon, but a couple of things that I wanted to mention.
First, let's talk about Japanese banks. A few things that you should know:
1.Business Hours. Japanese banks close for business at 3 pm. Don't be late? Obviously can be a pain if you have something to do during the day, a job for example.
2.Inkan. Your personal stamp that everyone uses in Japan. It's not good enough to have ID and a signature, you've got to have this stamp to prove that you are you. A leftover from the days when the shogun and daimyo would stamp everything, I imagine. How do they know someone else doesn't have the same stamp? You register it at the town office, but that still doesn't seem to give me a lot of confidence. The counter argument is that signatures can be faked too, but...
3.Old ladies everywhere. The same as anywhere else in the country, but just so you know, cause there will probably be a little late.
So Friday, I had a bunch of classes and notebooks to check, and then a fire drill too, but I thought that I would be able to sneak in before 3 and take care of some business. Well, think again. Talking to the guy took enough time that we passed the deadline, plus I forgot my inkan stamp anyway, so it would have been a moot point regardless. So, back to the bank tomorrow! Might have to go before lunch to be sure that I can make it in time.
Next, the JLPT- how did it go? Good question. I went with a friend to the Kurume, the city where the test was being held. We left plenty early on Satuday, which was good because it was snowing and I forgot my test voucher as well. Along the way, we stopped at a pretty cool used goods shop, and I checked out some vintage used Nikes for $100 and more. Didn't buy any of those, but I did pick up a PS1 game that I had been searching for.
Then, on to the hotel in Kurume, which was pretty nice actually. We got some ramen for dinner, but it was so cold that walking around wasn't much fun at all. I got a nice nosebleed in the restaurant, which was fun too.
Got back to the hotel, cranked up the heat, and got to studying. Good thing too because one of the terms that we studied was actually on the test the very next day. Compared to my normal life, the hotel was luxurious- giant bed, fresh sheets, not having to walk outside to go take a shower- sweet.
Still, nervous about the test, so it was tough to get sleep. We got up and went to get a breakfast of champions at McDonald's. We went to the University by taxi, and settled in for the test. Turns out I was the only white guy in the class room, by far most of the people taking the test appeared to Chinese. Can't lie, it made me feel a little bit self-concious but I knew that I had to focus on the test.
So, how was the test? Kanji readings, my strong point, was mostly a breeze. Then, some vocabulary, which was pretty diffucult at parts, hopefully I got enough to squeeze by in that section. Next, listening. The first part was rather difficult, but it eased up in the second half. After a lunch break, a long reading comprehension section followed by grammar-related questions. The reading in the practice tests was a toss-up, sometimes it could be easier, or more difficult. This time, I'd say that was more on the difficult side, with a couple of tricky passages and questions. As for the grammar, that's far and away my weakness (in English as well), so I can only hope that I didn't screw it up too bad.
In the end, though, I'm staying cautiously optimistic that I did enough to pass. It's all multiple choice, and even if I didn't completely get the answer, I could make the old educated guess by eliminating a few of the options. As for the result, still gotta wait two months. Guess we'll see then!