I went from that to the medical exam required by my new employer. A medical exam in Japan is like so many things, ranging from a night of drinks with coworkers to a wedding: timed and scheduled. Upon arrival I did some paperwork (natch), was handed badge #301, was asked to put my mask on, and then was shuttled from spot to spot with a cheery cry of "301-sama!" It was all over in 35 minutes. I am pleased that I got through the fasting without any .. meltdowns, fainting, what have you.
So I headed back to "mouth of the gully" for the usual round of shopping for plastic at "Donki". Today, recognizing that I'd be in my studio apartment/room for quite a while, I bought an ironing board that I can stand to use, rather than the tiny one I'd have to kneel to use and could only iron half a shirt's length at a time. I don't know if I can look at that as having wasted Y1,000 on the first purchase or Y5,000 on the second, but compared to $8,000 in fees, it's a walk in the park. I also bought a drying rack for my clothes and a special hanging fold-out thing to supplement that. Since I don't have a dryer, I'll have to somehow dry my clothes by hanging them despite the coming rainy season which will be followed by the monsoon season. I think I've discovered that my "apartment's" heater/AC unit has a laundry mode meant to turn the entire thing into a dryer. But I'll still need to spread the damp laundry as much as possible.
I've also decided that a rice maker is a must if I'm to renew my usual morning meal of rice, natto, a raw egg, and green onion.
Also, I met someone from my building. He was a retiree-age fellow who had somehow just pushed a bike of the steep slope from the main road. He saw me puzzling over the garbage bins outside the building and asked what the issue was. I asked him, uncertainly, if a certain kanji sequence meant that the garbage was burnable. Curiously, it read "生ごみ" which seemed to mean "fresh garbage". He said no, it's "fresh garbage". I asked "What's fresh garbage; oh, from food?" and he nodded. He then tried to tell me something else but I couldn't understand, so I introduced myself. He said something else I couldn't understand, so I introduced myself again. Derp.
Then I bought some dinner & beer. I finally remembered to register with Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (AKA Global Affairs Canada) that I was here. I was asleep by nine.
If you are going to tell people the truth, you have to make them laugh, or they'll kill you.
—Oscar Wilde