Alex Quinn's Japan Journal

9/13/2004, Taxi ride to school

Got up normally today.  Usually, I run out the door a little behind schedule and run all the way to the bus (about a 5 minute jog).  Today, I really didn't want to run and get sweaty, so I left a little earlier.  It was the earliest I have ever left.  Low and behold, I got to the bus stop just to see the bus pulling out with a gaggle of students looking out the rear window at me.  Grrr....  I wasn't sure if I had a class at the beginning of the day or not, but I figured it was my mistake getting there late, so I ought to just bite the bullet, get a taxi, and get to school on time.  The taxi ride cost me a whopping ¥4390 (≈$44) for a 25 minute, 15 km (9.3 miles) ride.  It would have been $18.54 (¥1854) in Seattle.  I recently sent money back home and I did some grocery shopping over the weekend, so I was already down to about ≈¥4850 (≈$48).  I've got to pay ¥4000 for my Japanese lesson tonight.  Payday is in 3 days.  So, money gets tight for a few days.

In one of my conversation classes, my task was to say something that would elicit the students to say "Sounds cool!" So, I said Britney Spears was my neighbor.  I figured they must know Britney Spears.  Turns out not a single student knew of Britney Spears.  So much for this legend of an Americanized Japan.  Recall, these are high school Juniors.  They, more than anybody, should know of a pop icon like Britney Spears.

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