Diary entry #3 - Teeth and Valentine's Day

Another week behind us – how come time flies do fast??

I actually just got home from the dentist, where I paid about 60,000 JPY for a white crown for one of my teeth. That is actually about as much as I pay for one months´ rent T-T. Oh well, I suppose investing in your teeth is not the worst way to spend money, but I have to take it easy with spending for the rest of the month.

Speaking of dentists, it was quite nerve-racking to visit one in Japan for the first time. It was a lovely Sunday at the time when the pandemic was at its worst, when one of my teeth got chipped a little while I was eating my lunch. I had to look for a dentist nearby me whose clinic is open on a Sunday and would take me in without a reservation. It took me a while and a few phone calls, but I finally found one just 15-minutes away. With my chipped tooth wrapped in a tissue I made my way there and was welcomed by a super clean clinic and a very polite doctor. He looked quite relieved when I spoke Japanese, but still tried to explain everything in a way I could understand and used English words where he could.

Well, they found out that there was a lot more wrong with my teeth than I thought and we set up on a long way to fix everything. I was quite terrified that I would go bankrupt, but actually the healthcare insurance in Japan is terrific and my visits would usually cost me between 300 and 1200 yen. Well, except for the white crowns which are not covered by the insurance. However, they look good and last long – which is why I have decided to go with one despite the price of a monthly rent.

At times like these I have to be thankful that I have a stable job which allows me to survive these unforeseen expenses. Speaking of work - it has been a busy week once again. On Tuesday I was so tired I could not believe only two days have gone by. It was also the Valentine’s Day – I hope everybody who has somebody was able to enjoy this day together.

In Japan, Valentine’s Day is mostly about girls giving chocolate to their boyfriends or guys they like (this is called honne choco or „real feelings chocolate“). They would also give some to friends (tomo choco or „friendship chocolate “) and coworkers (giri choco or „obligation chocolate“). It is quite different from my home country where it would be mainly the men giving gifts to women, or both of the partners doing something for each other. But don´t worry, the girls will also get their time to receive gifts in return – on March 14th or so called „White day “.

The White day is a completely marketing/commercially created holiday to get the sales up for cakes, sweets and other gift goods. It is a day on which boys and men give women gifts in return for the chocolates they have received on Valentine’s day. The white color fits the holiday as it represents the pure young love of the fools who fall in it and buy sweet presents for each other. By the way, according to a quick Google search, the gifts men give women on White day should be "roughly two or three times the value of what they received a month earlier". That´s one way to cover up for the wage gap I guess.

Anyway, my friend and I celebrated February 14th with a beer in our favorite Irish pub. And the number of people drinking there on Valentine´s evening there made us feel a bit better that we are not the only people spending this day here.

Friday came along and it was a Career Fair day. Working at a Global HR company, Career Fairs are one of the most exciting part of the job. You actually get to meet and speak with the candidates looking for jobs and companies looking for candidates. I feel like being able to see the faces of poeple your job is helping is very satisfying and makes you feel that what you are doing actually has a meaning.

It is always and incredibly busy day, as can be expected for a larger scale event. My role this time was to help one of our clients get enough target candidates to their booth. I was trying my best but everywhere I went there seemed to be another task that needed to be taken care of. The entrance organization as the candidates started flooding in, helping candidates find their way in the venue, interviewing potential candaites for our company... It never ends.

I got to speak with quite a few visitors and they shared with me their current situation and their hopes for the future. Many of them were students looking for their first job in Japan, or candaites looking to make their first job change, trying to advance their careers or leave a toxic work environment. No matter what the reason, there are always lots of poeple searching for jobs in Japan and to be honest, it can be quite difficult, frustrating and dishartening at times. But the important thing is not to give up, keep looking and ask for help if you need it.

Overall, the event was a success, I think. We had a good turnout and even though I only rarely participate in our company drinking parties, I went to this one and it was quite fun! But I guess that’s it from me for this week, and I will be in touch again soon. 😊