Vacation Recap!

J110.1 Friday August 10th (Part 2)

My last post was written in the middle of the day, so a few more things happened. I met people!

On my way in to the Internet cafe, I struck up a conversation with an Italian gentleman by the name of Fabio. He used to be a table tennis player for quite some time, but now works for an advertising company. Hearing his Italian origins prompted me to mention my own heritage. For those unaware, I am 3rd generation Italian on my mother's side; my great-grandparents were born in Sicily but immigrated to America before my maternal grandfather was born. So, yay Italian genes!

I've noticed, however, that when I mention my Italian heritage to an Italian person, or someone similarly-descended, it's like I announce that I'm their long-lost brother. A switch goes off, and they turn from jovial, good-humored individuals to very generous, super-friendly people. They go from nice to amazingly nice.

Fabio and I had both purchased an hour's worth of time, and agreed to meet again once our time was up. I relished the air conditioned interior of my cubicle and the respite it gave my already-aching feet and legs. My last post was made at great leisure.

When my hour was up, Fabio was waiting in the lobby for me. We settled our bills with the staff and walked a while, exchanging stories. He told me of his life as a table tennis player for a team in Japan some years ago. I told him of my graduation from college and my job as an English teacher. When I mentioned I had no plans for the rest of the day, he insisted that I accompany him. He was in the market for some digital cameras, both for personal use and as gifts to friends, and we set about to find some good deals.

We walked back toward Akiba station, ending up in a deceptively large electronics store. Fabio educated me on the differences between several models, and while he haggled I browsed the laptop section. Japan's shops offer a large variety of portable computing solutions, and I've had my interest piqued by micro laptops. My current machine is a good computer, but it's somewhat bulky (as laptops go) and it's my only system. It's my link to the outside world, and I only take it out of my apartment when it's absolutely necessary.

I'd love to have a small, rugged machine that I could take with me when I go out. Nothing fancy. Nothing I'd be able to game on. Just something with basic internet connectivity, wireless if at all possible. A small platform upon which I could write, or check email, or display documents and other media to friends and associates. An actual mobile media platform. But not a micro computer. Not some tiny, 7-inch display thing that more resembles a chunky cell phone. A Sidekick or Blueberry would be nice, but either would be too small for my purposes.

The store I was in, and many others in Japan, offer many different models of small laptops. Their capacities range wildly; some use top-of-the-line processors, others use ones half a decade old. Some have only 10 gigabytes of hard disk space, while others boast quadruple that number.

Fabio suggested a few models, citing Toshiba as a good manufacturer. He also recommended another model, one that I scratched the name down, but I can't recall at the time of this writing.

Sorry, tangent.

Fabio purchased two cameras from the store, and we set out into the growing twilight. Akihabara is also known as Electric Town, so night never really comes. The sky darkens, of course, but the streets and alleys are lit by ten thousand shades of neon. LEDs blink from shop windows, warning passerby of alarm systems. Everywhere people check their email or the time from PDAs and cell phones. Akihabara is never dark.

We both felt the pang of hunger, and Fabio offered to buy me dinner at a nearby burger joint. This wasn't fast food per se; the hamburgers were actual grilled meat rather than a lamp-warmed discus of compressed "meat".

We chatted about life, as Italian folk so often seem to do. He shared some insightful advice with me, beseeching me to find my path in life and follow it with gusto. Being undecided about your future, he said, was a tragic thing. Find your goal, and then take steps to reach it. Common sense advice, perhaps, but something you don't hear every day.

In the middle of our meal, the seats next to us (we were sitting at a pseudo-bar in the middle of the eatery) two other foreigners sat down. They were both NOVA teachers from Canada. One, who's name I cannot recall (so let's call him Bob) was a self-proclaimed aboriginal Canadian, hailing from a reservation near Toronto. The other, Nick (that is his name) was of European decent, from a town near the reservation. They were friends, Bob having come to Japan with NOVA two or three years ago, and suggesting Nick come a few years after. Very similar to how I got this job, with my friend Tara suggesting I apply, given her overall happiness with the job.

Nick, Bob and I began to talk. Bob was leaving for Canada the next day, and was gearing up for a sort of last huzzah. Nick was along for the ride. They also work (in Bob's case, worked) in NOVA's Akihabara branch. They both were also unrepentant nerds, easily in my own league of fandom, which was amazing. They teach in a place that is so well-known amongst the Japanophiles of Earth that many would do...questionable things...to attain their position. Nick swore up and down that his post was attained through random chance, and that he in no way assassinated a high-profile target to get it. Honest.

Fabio had finished his meal by the time the two had sat down, and he decided to move on. We swapped numbers as he left; he was going to Kyoto, and wanted me to get in touch with him when I got there. I thanked him for the meal for what was probably the eighth time, and we parted ways.

Nick, Bob, and I soon engaged in full-blown nerd speak. Some of you may have experienced this phenomena. I know I've mentioned it a few times before, but I think I'd like to go into more detail.

Nerds know one another. There is a...sixth sense, I guess you could say...that we have developed. It's a survival mechanism, one developed so as to identify allies in a battlefield rife with hostile opponents. It's subtle things; body language, stance, eye contact. There are obvious signs, of course. One could wear a shirt proclaiming them to be a flaming Dr. Who fan, which is a dead giveaway. But those of us who must suppress our nerdity, lest it become a distraction or a hindrance to 'normal' social contact, must utilize well-honed, social minutiae, ninja-like in subtlety.

When this sense pings, when we catch the vibe, we begin tentative contact. An initial probe, to see if our reading is correct. One usually starts with a quote or reference to something nerdy, but not something super-obscure. This is testing the waters. A Monty Python quote will do, or if you're not adept, something from Star Wars. Most people have seen these media, and have enjoyed them, but nerds have a fundamentally different response to these stimuli. Non-nerds will laugh and say "Hey, that's from Monty Python, isn't it? That was a funny show."

A nerd will say something like "Funny, but I find the Cheese Shop sketch to be better." or "Dude, Star Wars was awesome until the second trilogy."

Success! Initial contact has been established! Warm up the engines!

What follows next is something akin to when a modem connects to the internet. You know that high-pitched squawking your computer made, and then that hissing sound? Well, nerds are like that. We engage in this...information exchange. Through carefully selected references, commentary, and conversation branching, one can communicate volumes about their particular style of nerd. Some nerds only enjoy science fiction, others fantasy. Some enjoy mostly books, while others are suckers for movies. Some enjoy tabletop gaming, or board gaming, or only video gaming. Some enjoy one of these intensely, while others sample from them all.

This establishes common ground. It lays the ground rules for the conversation. You know what to and not to talk about. If you like the latest Star Wars trilogy (and the devil take you if you do) and your newfound friend does not, you know not to talk about it, lest you actively detract from the conversation.

This is what Bob, Nick, and I did. For about 30 minutes, we talked at rapid speed, informing one another of our own tastes, likes, and dislikes. We discussed many things, mostly politics, and decided to quit the eating establishment and get some fresh air. We wandered Akihabara together, finding the RPG-specialized Yellow Submarine. Come to find out, Nick is a very, very big tabletop gaming nerd. This was a joy to discover, as I have been hurting for a good RPG fix, and have made little progress getting a group together. He and I share a love for many systems, though his knowledge is far more deeper than mine. I'm more of a breadth guy, while Nick's love of a few systems has granted him very intense knowledge of those handful. I, for one, salute him. Plus, he really likes Exalted, and that makes anyone awesome in my book.

We walked and walked, talked and talked. At a model shop, Bob and Nick had to call it a night. There were plans a-foot to rent movies and watch them with friends before Bob had to leave, and I didn't wish to interfere with their merriment. I decided to call it an early night, even though it was hardly 9 PM. I'd been walking all day with a full load, and was in desperate need of sleep.

I decided to return to the Internet Cafe. They had sleeper cubes, and was lucky enough to get one for the night. It was around 4000 yen for 12 hours, enough time to let me sleep in the next morning. Showers were available, but there was some sort of...difficulty...that I couldn't quite understand. My Japanese still is far from perfect, and many Japanese people aren't able to speak at a low enough level for me to understand them easily. Nevertheless, I found a place to sleep for the night.

A sleeper cube is a simple thing. It's a little longer than a normal cube, and instead of an office chair, it has a tiny futon. The futon rests on a large wooden cabinet and can ratchet in the middle, allowing the user to surf the internet from a relaxed, reclined position.

No sheets, blankets, or pillows were provided, but that was no problem for me. Something relatively soft and an air conditioned room was perfect for me. I used my handkerchief as a blindfold; the lights were dim, but still bright enough to make sleep difficult. I woke up several times through the night, but always managed to get back to sleep soon. In all, it was a restful night, and I was ready for the next day's adventures.