Need advice on what to do to blow off some steam?

[Kirirao]

Welp, in a few months time will mark the start of my 5th year here in JP-land. All those overtime at work, being tired and sick from winter and stress, feeling lonely no one to talk too(I usually whine to blow steams off, but its only japanese around me and co-workers is not the same as friends in my case), homesick etc etc etc.

I could really use some advice from the vets who live here longer then me. The usual stress relieve methods( eat, read, play games, listen to calming music etc) that used to work now dont work anymore. So, any advice would be great. Seriously mentally tired right now.

Oh, I dont really have a lot of money, and not much of a free time too. Probably Sat and Sun only. Dang, just to be able to talk to another foreigner who's in the current situation as me would be freaking great right now.

Thanks.

 

[sporkthedork]

Are you feeling better now after 5 days? If not have you tried going to a temple? Or one of those stress-relieve restuarants where you can throw dishes against the wall. I've never been to Japan but I've seen those two methods in some travel channel.

 

[Mike Cash]

I would very strongly suggest attending the JREF get-together at Mars Man's place up in Nagano during Golden Week. We spend a couple of days (and nights) in a small group having a hell of a good time in a very beautiful and peaceful environment. I guarantee there will be people there who can lend a sympathetic ear and some good persepective and advice. I don't know anyone who has attended and not been damned glad they did. I spend the entire year looking forward to it immensely.

Other than that, I put a lot of time and energy into photography and get a lot of satisfaction, peace, and enjoyment out of it. Being a truck driver, I can do it on a daily basis. On weekends, though, I typically go up into the mountains around home and spend blissfully quiet and peaceful days entirely to myself.

 

[Kirirao]

Thanks for the repies guys.

Are you feeling better now after 5 days? If not have you tried going to a temple? Or one of those stress-relieve restuarants where you can throw dishes against the wall. I've never been to Japan but I've seen those two methods in some travel channel.

Its an ongoing battle. 5 days passed only means 5 days worth of extra stress. Never heard of such restaurant tho, sounds scary. Temples sounds nice. I will try that. Thanks.

I would very strongly suggest attending the JREF get-together at Mars Man's place up in Nagano during Golden Week. We spend a couple of days (and nights) in a small group having a hell of a good time in a very beautiful and peaceful environment. I guarantee there will be people there who can lend a sympathetic ear and some good persepective and advice. I don't know anyone who has attended and not been damned glad they did. I spend the entire year looking forward to it immensely.
Other than that, I put a lot of time and energy into photography and get a lot of satisfaction, peace, and enjoyment out of it. Being a truck driver, I can do it on a daily basis. On weekends, though, I typically go up into the mountains around home and spend blissfully quiet and peaceful days entirely to myself.

Will definitely try to make it there this year. Always wanted to go but never had the chance or rather no $$$. I hope mars man have 1 more free slot this year.

Photography, definitely will try that. Thanks. Sounds like a nice place you have there Mike. If I were to open my window, I will only see another building 1 meter right in front of me. Going to work or talking a walk means walking through small road/alley cramped by buildings. Now that I think about it, almost 4 years in, I never had the chance to go out off Tokyo-Saitama radius. I should probably find some greenery next time my paycheck comes in. Should go well with photography. Thanks for the ideas Mike.

 

[Mike Cash]

Come up to Kiryu early on some nice Sunday morning and I'll spend the day driving you around the mountains; it'll do you good. It's an easy trip up the Tobu Isesaki line from Asakusa.

 

[Uchite]

Go to a sento or onsen if possible!

 

[nice gaijin]

Come up to Kiryu early on some nice Sunday morning and I'll spend the day driving you around the mountains; it'll do you good. It's an easy trip up the Tobu Isesaki line from Asakusa.

This is such a nice gesture, Mike. If Kirirao doesn't take you up on that, I would!

 

[Ashikaga]

On your way to Kiryu, do stop by the city of Ashikaga, too! It's right next to Kiryu.

 

[Kirirao]

Come up to Kiryu early on some nice Sunday morning and I'll spend the day driving you around the mountains; it'll do you good. It's an easy trip up the Tobu Isesaki line from Asakusa.

Thank you for the kind offer Mike. I will definitely PM you when I get the chance to go up there to see if the offer is still up. Thank you again.

On your way to Kiryu, do stop by the city of Ashikaga, too! It's right next to Kiryu.

Will do, the place looks beautiful. ^^

Go to a sento or onsen if possible!

ﾂ心窶堙個鞘ぎ窶敕ｵ窶堋ｪ...
Always wanted to go to those beautiful outdoor onsens, but not mentally prepared yet. Feel like a waste if I were to go back my home country right now and never had the chance to go to those onsens.

 

[Mike Cash]

The offer is open pretty much any Sunday, or Saturdays if I have the day off (infrequent and sporadic). As far as Ashikaga goes, it would just as convenient for me to pick you up at Ashikaga station, as my standard mountain tour sort of runs to/through there anyway.

Take a stroll through this photo set for some shots taken on such trips, if you have a few minutes to kill.

 

[nice gaijin]

Wow Mike, those are some fantastic shots! I love the ethereal effect you achieved with the flowing water, like a silk blanket. And kudos for still shooting film

 

[thomas]

Excellent shots, Mike. The dead monkey is an eerie sight though.

 

[Kirirao]

Beautiful pictures. Another side of Japan I haven't had the chance to see yet. The air over there must be very refreshing.

 

[Mike Cash]

Beautiful pictures. Another side of Japan I haven't had the chance to see yet. The air over there must be very refreshing.

The most refreshing thing is to be away from the noise and bustle of eight million people you know don't give a damn if you live or die, just so long as they don't have to step over your corpse.

Tokyo is a nice place to visit, but I'll never understand how anyone could live there.

 

[Kirirao]

The most refreshing thing is to be away from the noise and bustle of eight million people you know don't give a damn if you live or die, just so long as they don't have to step over your corpse.

Tokyo is a nice place to visit, but I'll never understand how anyone could live there.

To be honest, If I were to read your post before I coming to Tokyo, I wouldn't have believed it at all. But after having stayed here, and to see what I saw, its a huge slap in the face wake-up call.

The first few years was nice, but now I'm totally overwhelmed. I'm really tempted to move far away from Tokyo right now, even if it means hours of train ride. Somewhere where I can open my window and see the sky. Where I can walk without bumping to everyone (who's eyes is totally on their cellphone). I had a friend from whom travel from Utsunomiya to Shinjuku everyday on Shinkansen for school. Tempting.

Which reminds me, yesterday some guy block the pedestrian walk with his bicycle. He was waiting for the light to turn green to cross the road. Since he's totally blocks the walkway, I had to walk in front of him to pass him. Then the light turn green, guess what he did. He ran onto me with his bicycle. I almost fall and he just peddles away without looking back or saying sorry. *sigh*

I'm so mentally tired right now. Physically too.

 

[Mars Man]

=Kirirao;651391]
I could really use some advice from the vets who live here longer then me. The usual stress relieve methods( eat, read, play games, listen to calming music etc) that used to work now dont work anymore. So, any advice would be great.

STOP right there . . . !!

The time for the blues have been thrown to the wind, like so many dandelion frills, to soar with the winds of change and refreshment, that rise above, and settle once again, on the more plush, green, will-have-been-mowed-and-readied-for-the-annual-games-of-badminton-by-then lawn just in front of my house !!

No...peaceful, easy music listening is not going to do it; reading neither. You're gonna have to escape to the wilds of Shiga in Matsumoto, and let it ALL hang out with us up here! AND....all you've got to do is get here. Once here, it's free food and drink and a chance to see if you can beat me at darts...hee, hee, hee...(no, not really so good, right Joe?)

WAIT !! Forgot one thing, this is the year of the tiger, and we have one here....you'll have to get past him too, first...(please see lower photo here But once you get past him, then it's lots of fun, forget the rest of the world partying...and well, kind of like home in a number of ways, I guess we could say.

So, Kirirao san !! Just show up, the date will be May...uh, well, let's see; what about the third of May, a Monday (of if the 4th is better, that's fine with me too....Mike? [see the thread in community]) {and practice your behind the ear scratching, seems the tiger likes that, and'll let anyone who can do it well, in, real fast}

 

[Mike Cash]

Kirirao, just go ahead and accept the fact that YOU WILL BE THERE. We insist.

I've been every year so far and I can't think of anyone who has gone and not been glad they went. Heck, Pachipro came all the way from the U.S. last year and if at all possible I believe he will join us again this year. It's that good!

I haven't set foot outside Japan for over 10 years and going to MM's house for me really is like visiting home. I spend the entire year looking forward to the next year. Good people, good times, blue skies and distant vistas. There's probably a more pleasant place somewhere, but you don't find out until after Judgment Day.

 

[Kirirao]

Thank you for the kind offer MarsMan. I'd be happy and honored to be there, and will definitely be there. (Unless if my company force me to work on GW and if you guys don't mind some asian guy(me) running around on the background trying to catch MM little tiger)

 

[Iron Chef]

Ive been here for a while now myself... sometimes it's good to just change things up once in a while and get away from your daily routine to get a fresh perspective. Talking to people online through forums like this always helps too I suppose since its a nice way to stay connected with other English speakers living abroad.

 

[Mike Cash]

Thank you for the kind offer MarsMan. I'd be happy and honored to be there, and will definitely be there. (Unless if my company force me to work on GW and if you guys don't mind some asian guy(me) running around on the background trying to catch MM little tiger)

If it bothered us to be around Asian people, don't you think we'd choose to live in some other hemisphere?

 

[Pachipro]

Trust me Kirirao (and anyone else reading this thread), listen to Mike and Mars Man. Whatever you have to do to get to Mars Man's place in peaceful Matsumoto for the Golden Week get together go! It will be a welcome relief from the hustle and bustle of the city and you'll have a few days to relax in the quiet countryside of Japan as Mars Man has a spread that 30 or 40 houses or more could fit into easily in Tokyo. You'll be glad you did and it's only a couple of hours by train from Tokyo. You'll enjoy the quiet and serenity of it all.

Unfortunately I cannot make it this year due to family commitments in Japan at the end of May, but I went last year all the way from the US and it was a worthwhile experience and one that I will cherish. The people were great and Mars Man, while being a great host (along with Mrs Mars Man) throws a mean barbecue as well as a mean dart. And Mike is one helluva a great person not to mention a great photographer. Besides, if he has the time, I may just pop up to see Mars Man at the end of May.

Check out the pictures from his house below. The first one is from his back yard looking down into the valley, the second one is the street in front of his house and the last one is from inside his property. Such beauty, peacefulness, and open space is hard to come by in Japan.

If it's blowing off some steam and the need for relaxation (and from your posts you definitely need it) while also enjoying the real Japanese countryside and making new friends than don't miss it! You'll be glad you went and for the friends you'll make. I only wish I were attending again. But there is always next year!

 

[Kirirao]

Ive been here for a while now myself... sometimes it's good to just change things up once in a while and get away from your daily routine to get a fresh perspective. Talking to people online through forums like this always helps too I suppose since its a nice way to stay connected with other English speakers living abroad.

Thank you for the advice, Iron Chef. The daily routine is definitely one of the thing that is driving me crazy. Centering my weekends inside Tokyo, probably have more of a reverse effect then trying to break away from the norm.

If it bothered us to be around Asian people, don't you think we'd choose to live in some other hemisphere?

Good point there, Mike. I guess there's no more excuse for me to hold back and just enjoy myself to the full when I get there.

Trust me Kirirao (and anyone else reading this thread), listen to Mike and Mars Man. Whatever you have to do to get to Mars Man's place in peaceful Matsumoto for the Golden Week get together go! It will be a welcome relief from the hustle and bustle of the city and you'll have a few days to relax in the quiet countryside of Japan as Mars Man has a spread that 30 or 40 houses or more could fit into easily in Tokyo. You'll be glad you did and it's only a couple of hours by train from Tokyo. You'll enjoy the quiet and serenity of it all.

Unfortunately I cannot make it this year due to family commitments in Japan at the end of May, but I went last year all the way from the US and it was a worthwhile experience and one that I will cherish. The people were great and Mars Man, while being a great host (along with Mrs Mars Man) throws a mean barbecue as well as a mean dart. And Mike is one helluva a great person not to mention a great photographer. Besides, if he has the time, I may just pop up to see Mars Man at the end of May.

Check out the pictures from his house below. The first one is from his back yard looking down into the valley, the second one is the street in front of his house and the last one is from inside his property. Such beauty, peacefulness, and open space is hard to come by in Japan.

If it's blowing off some steam and the need for relaxation (and from your posts you definitely need it) while also enjoying the real Japanese countryside and making new friends than don't miss it! You'll be glad you went and for the friends you'll make. I only wish I were attending again. But there is always next year!

Thanks for the pictures Pachipro. Beautiful place. I wish my backyard looks like that. Now I can't wait to get there.
The lawn is also... wow.

 

[Half-n-Half]

Wow Mars Man, your house is really beautiful! I'm getting jealous just looking at those pictures.

 

[Mars Man]

Hey, hey, ... nice to hear from you there Pachipro san ! Thanks for the compliments. (I guess I can at least say that I try to live up to such...) Sorry to hear that you can't make it this time 'round, at that particular time...but am very happy to hear that you can drop by during the month! Yes, come on over !!

I'm looking forward to letting the good times roll with you Kirirao san ! Half-n-Half san, now I guess you'd best start saving up for your airfare, right!? We've got a spot on the BBQ bench, and an extra badminton racket just waiting for you too! This year, Dutch Baka san might be able to make it up...I'll try to see if I can twist his arm a little more on that...hee, hee, hee....

 

[Nerima]

Stress relief options? I thoroughly recommend a decent bottle of Nihonshu. None of that 7-11 crap either.

Seriously though, I feel your frustrations. After having been trampled on, pushed, people attempting to walk through me like I'm not there and maniac cyclists scything me down, I'm just about done with Tokyo.