Tuesday, June 3, 2008

And then the rains came

梅雨 There are good days when you wake up, have sex, go to work and the sun is shining. There are others when you wake up, find out you've missed the boat for cheap tickets home and it rains. The rainy season in Japan started today to give you an indication of the kind of day I'm having. Then I found out after calling around to 5 travel agencies that there are no cheap tickets left for August travel and I am going to have to pay up the ass (in the ballpark of 200,000 yen/$2,000) for a ticket to Canada. This has brought tears to my eyes several times already today- I'm going to Canada for fuck's sake, not Tahiti or some exotic and sexy destination.

The worst part is, I can't help it. I have to pay the sucker's price for travelling during the obon period in Japan. Now if people were actually returning to their hometowns within Japan to pray and wait for their ancestors to return maybe international travel wouldn't be so expensive. But for many people this is the only time they can get off work so they go international. Like the beau. So we are stuck travelling at the busiest and most expensive times ALWAYS. I am aware of my whininess but I am really fucked off right now-if taking time off work wasn't so stigmatized here I wouldn't be getting screwed over by the Suits. We had tried to go earlier this year but the beau's evil conniving boss couldn't give him time off so we have to go in August. She is such a biatch! The beau runs things for her yet she never raises his salary AND he is forced to travel during the most expensive times. I constantly feel like I am getting screwed here except it's not the kind I like.

So pair that with the return of the umbrella battle season and I am just fucking thriiilled right now. I think this year I may buy I giant black golf umbrella to step up my game on the streets. My friend aptly called these "salaryman umbrellas" the other day because you often see these salarymen walking down the always small and busy sidewalks with gargantuan umbrellas which leaves everyone around them shielding their eyes and ducking out of the way. I often do silent battle with these men by shoving back with my own umbrella which ends up serving no purpose other than to further piss me off. Yes, this year it's time to upsize.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Same boat. I can only travel home during Obon or Christmas so I have to pay out the ass for everything.
This year's total is.....*drum roll* 260,000 yen IF and only IF I agree to change planes both ways. If I decide to do direct, it'll cost me 300,000. I wept many a bitter tear.

Green-Eyed Geisha said...

I feel your pain-for a place that seems to not always want us, they sure make it hard to leave!!