Post 31: Back to "Normal"
I think most of my jet lag is over with. I have found that Tucker is still acting strange so I have been keeping an eye on him. I find that giving him WAY more attention than what I can actually do in a day every day, he doesn’t act up as much. I did end up taking him to the vet yesterday, where he did not AT ALL act up. :\
This week, I had my call to set up a visit from the movers to survey what I need to have to go to the US. That will be next Friday. I also tried to transfer money via phone from my Japan account to my US account. Because it was a bit large, I decided to go into the bank in Nihonbashi. This way, I can figure out how to eventually close my bank account…which was a good thing I did. WHY?! Because I found out that they:
Cannot do a bank transfer same day as closing the account (that makes sense). Do this about a week before you close your bank account to make sure the transfer went through.
Need to close the bank account between 10a to 3p. After 3p, they cannot give you the rest of the money in your bank account that is left over.
Close it a week before you leave, just in case you forget a piece of paperwork
So, now I know that if I want to transfer money and close the account, I now know.
Because I was transferring a larger amount due to severance, I think they legally have to ask me some “sensitive” questions. This poor guy, comes into the cubicle I am sitting in, waiting for the bank person to come back with my documents, and he looks at me and realizes that I am not Japanese despite my name. He started to apologize and said that it is protocol to ask me some sensitive questions. I was totally fine. He had to inquire if I was a terrorist or North Korean. Or at least affiliated with either. I laughed and said no…CLEARLY I am not. We chatted a bit, and I thanked him. To be straight up honest, I appreciate these protocols. I am one of those people that appreciate when I get asked my ID when I use my credit card.
Above are pictures from walking to the bank in Nihonbashi. I love this stuff. I am going to miss the easy-access (and cheap) transportation to anywhere.
I don’t remember too much about the rest of the week other than cleaning and organizing my apartment and worrying about Tucker.
I tried doing a 5 mile run around the Imperial Palace, but realize I did not have that much food the night before, so I was low on energy, and by the time I got there, it was already 70 degrees and I was WAY over dressed…..so I made it about 2.5 miles.
I also ended up taking him to the Vet on Saturday.
Coming back from the vet right at the horrible hill. This house covered in ivy is super awesome.
The vet just told me that I should not leave food out for him and thinks Tucker may be just being dramatic. He did have a little redness on his upper right molar, but not enough to be painful. So, now I am only supposed to feed him twice a day and leave the food out for only 30 min.
Needless to day, this morning, Tucker was very persistent and wanted food. He was VERY clear about that.
So I fed him at like 4:45 am, and decided to go ride my bike into Shinjuku to get the nice quiet view of Tokyo.
I forgot that it was Sunday. It was actually quite crowded and I rode just a bit through Kabukicho….I forgot that the clubs, karaoke, and bars close at 4:30a -5:00a…..so there were a lot of drunk people out and vomit everywhere. So I rode home and decided to do this again on a weekday.
River by my apartment. Always has pretty ivy and views
I decided to go to Toyama Park and run around there.
I took some pictures of flowers around the park and on the way.
I love the cloudiness and emptiness of the streets before they get crowded with cars and people. Something really serene about this. This is what Shinjuku looks like on a non-weekend morning. I love it.