JDM G-Shocks and Why Multiband 6 Represents Japanese Fidelity to Time

I melt when I see JDM G-Shocks

I was never a watch guy. Never cared about brands, whether quartz or mechanical, features, looks, much less price. But all that changed when I wanted to get a replacement for my failing mediocre Fossil in the days leading up to the wedding day. Was a great time to get a new one but when pops knew, he offered to give me the Tag Heuer he got as an award for his length of service at work. Sure, it's a Tag -- so why not ? But I figured something else. That was when I noticed he still sports the generic Seiko diver he got, I think, since his first year of employment -- and you can only imagine its mileage.

Seiko. I did a quick Google search about it and came across SeiyaJapan and the amazing story behind one man's Grand Seiko. I have gone gaga about JDM watches since then. Anything "Made in Japan" and "Sold in Japan" is top quality. I knew I wanted to only wear one watch for a long time hoping I could pass it on to my son and give some backstory. Fast forward, I got myself my first JDM G-Shock -- the GW-M5610LG-8JF. I purchased it directly from TIP-TOP Rakuten (they are, unfortunately, no longer available) and arrived in the mail, via JP Post EMS, a week after ordering. I love it. Thing has Multiband 6 and can receive time calibration signals daily between 1:00am to 4:00am from 6 known atomic clock towers -- just to correct itself. WOW.

Multiband 6 to me was just a "nice to have," a welcome addition to the rare square's already-long list of features. When I got to experience Japan longer than 3D2N -- unlike last time -- I realized why every watch needs to tell the exact time, all the time! Because everything here is on-time and ON.THE.DOT. from local to intercity trains, to Shinkansens, to flights, to night or day buses, to... everything! Where I'm from, it's kind of OK to be late (sometimes). But NEVER in Nippon! Time is worth more than gold here. I think I can correlate Time with The Land of the Rising Sun now -- and why they work together in harmony -- because we could never tell time correctly if the sun only set.

Jollibee Owns NAIA Terminal 1

Chickenjoy with spaghetti and Coke Zero no ice, OK. And a Jolly hotdog classic ??

I left the motherland early last month for my Nippon dream tour and man was I delighted to have gone out of NAIA Terminal 1 -- because, chickenjoy and jolly hotdog!! Waiting 4-6 hrs for your flight overseas becomes easily bearable because #Jollibee can help set you up for a nap after your value meal.

My advice: consider #NAIA T1 as your point of embarkation next time you leave the Republic. When you get hungry or get bored (like I did and to save battery too), you literally won't have to leave your movieseat just to get food. The ordertakers aren't only very visible, they're everywhere! In the meantime, as I'm no airport operations security expert, I can't comment on any potential risk or threat around this arrangement. What I do know is it's very convenient when you're either flying solo or flying with family. No idea when this practice started. Last time I flew from T1 was Feb 2016 en route to where Starbucks was born (via TPE) for a work engagement -- and of course, on board #Airbus Hello Kitty (sorry for the shameless plug).

What happens when Hello Kitty gets reincarnated as an Airbus

Anyway, just don't eat too much @ Terminal 1! You wouldn't want any encounter with non-Japanese #washlets from TOTO® there, lol. YMMV.

First 14 Days in Japan

I completed my first 14 days in Japan yesterday the 22nd. I got in early on the 8th in Osaka @ KIX (Kansai International Airport) via Jetstar. Was my first time to fly Jetstar Japan and I must admit -- the flight attendants were exceptionally accommodating I thought I wasn't flying budget! Anyway, here's the list I made to note down some key differences between Japan and my home country -- the Philippines(!). And some side commentary on how my experiences here compare with other places I, fortunately, have visited prior.

• Almost everything expires -- including eggs!
• Always find time to drop by the grocery for the daily deals
• Always bring your own plastic bag/s to the grocery
• Do washlets have sensors ? They hit my spot on the first shot so had to contract haha ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
• They throw their own trash at McDonald’s (haven't been to KFC or anywhere else)
• No security guards at malls, libraries, apartment complex, etc.
• They hand you your bills or credit card using 2 hands
• You put your cash/card on designated mini trays when paying
• They have dedicated bins for combustibles vs. recyclables (yellow vs. green)
• No baggage counters to leave bags in malls — the "trust" system
• Walkways, sidewalks, almost everywhere is blind-friendly
• Soda is relatively expensive — guess to keep obesity at bay ?
• THIS. IS. BIKE. HEAVEN. THIS. IS. SPARTAAAAAAA
• Not everything is in Daiso at least I couldn’t find a nipper lol
• They have 20K+ kms of railway and Manila can’t even get the MRT right (in terms of user experience and efficiency) *will have a separate report on this
• Drivers yield to pedestrians and bikers 99.9% of the time
• Household space heating vs. central heating
• They turn off their cars while stopped at intersections -- why ? Traffic isn't that heavy
• DVDs (and some VCDs) still live ? No Netflix ?
• Someone else's trash is another man's treasure -- true but most secondhand I've seen are mint
• EDION looks and feels like BestBuy at least for me

Now let me share some photos of these unique encounters. Images help settle some confusion from mere imagination.

Eggs do expire

Eggs have an expiration date. The closer they are to the due date, the cheaper they become -- as with everything else in the groceries here. That's why you need to get out of bed each day and head out to the nearest store to check the deals. BTW, don't be surprised if the egg yolks are orange-y vs. the yellow we're all used to seeing.

The Japanese washlet because AUTOMAGIC

Of course, the washlet deserves a special mention. Not sure if I had any prior engagement with one the last time I was here (ca. 2004) but I immediately spent time with it on my first day back. And I can't help but burn almost an entire hour because -- heated seat. ZOMG. I don't know if I can live without one now, lol.

Your average trash bin at McDonald's

They are pretty serious about waste management. There is a big poster at my wife's apartment detailing what goes where, what color of trash bag to be used when throwing all of them away, and how and when to do it, properly. I am definitely keeping that poster, bring it back home, share, and reproduce. The City of Golden Friendship -- Cagayan de Oro -- and all its residents need some garbage school discipline.

Separate. Always separate garbage.

It took me a week to get some confidence in deciding which should fall into the yellow bags (combustibles) vs. the friendly green bags or recyclables. Where I'm from, all we ever do is put all of them in one bag and that's it! We need to change that soon to prevent the next great CDO flooding.

How grocery deals look like (mostly)

Should you decide to drop by the nearest grocery store, always make it a point to look around and check the goods arranged away from the formal aisles. This is where the cheap stuff usually are. Pro-tip: check expiration dates other than price. Heck, you can even start with the expiration date since you'll mostly end up holding the cheapest in the batch. So when it expires tomorrow, better buy it now (not later) and eat it, too.

Folders or foldies

If you can't find a bike you like to take home, then you are most likely not in The Land of the Rising Sun. Just about every bike imaginable is here, like WOW. You can find folders (or foldies), MTBs, BMXs, Mom-bikes or Dad-bikes, kid bikes, toddler bikes, trikes, road bikes, weekend bikes, e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-ggggggg (so I can stop enumerating)!!

Bikes on sale. Some new designs, some oldies-but-goldies...

That F6F got my attention like love at first sight... but fell out of love because, price.

Saw EABs (Electric Assisted Bikes) for the first time here!

Fat Bike by Jeep. Badass. Guess for off-roading ? Awesome.

And of course (shameless plug), my modest foldie by Asahi!

I bought a folding bike on my 5th day. Why a folding bike out of all makes, shapes, and types of bikes available here ? Because I've already owned all MTB sizes before -- 26, 29, and 650b -- and I can't use them without sporting the gears plus I can't carry them anywhere. I also wanted to bring something JDM home -- so it has got to be this Asahi Thrift-G 6-speed folder from Cycle Base Asahi. I love it and I can't wait to carry this back to the Motherland!!

Immediately night-rated after purchase because I brought the Jido & Omni CatEyes with me

Bike locks come standard with every purchase. This one's from my wife's bike.

Also wanted to share that when you purchase a brand new bike, you should also buy its license so when it, unfortunately, gets lost (or stolen), you can ask help from the police. Spent ¥500 for the green sticker here in Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture.

TGIF @ Hiroshima

I am going to Hiroshima today to see the Atomic Bomb Dome and Hypocenter (Ground Zero) as well as the Peace Memorial Park & Museum. Today will be full of new learnings! Thank you, Japan, for this opportunity!!

7 Social Sins

So I saw this list at a temple somewhere in Kyoto -- just can't remember where or which one. The Seven Social Sins:

1. Politics without Principles
2. Wealth without Work
3. Pleasure without Conscience
4. Knowledge without Character
5. Commerce without Morality
6. Science without Humanity
7. Worship without Sacrifice

Some thoughts... #2 is on point. I can always relate that with corruption. That shit is big where I'm from which is directly related to #1 -- or at least in politics. It's a business out there, it's not even funny. But still hopeful that PDU30 can change the whole painting, that is, if zeroing it out is next to impossible. #3 is good. And #6 reminds me of the atomic bomb. I've read several stories about why it had to be dropped (or tested) and why Hiroshima was considered. Learned a lot about that piece of history. And that's why I can't wait to get to Ground Zero in a couple of days!

Writer Feels

So I've finally decided to come back from the other side and write again. Feels like there's tons more to share besides the tweets on TW, the updates on FB, and the photos on IG. I'll be posting more in the coming days (and hopefully months) about my Greatest Adventure yet. I left work where I have been the past 11 years and 9 months -- am actually still on PTO through the end of the month. Long story but it was my decision to make and one of the most difficult ones in my history. Anyway, I'll be writing about my sojourn in Nippon. And I can't wait to start!