Easter in Japan

So Easter crept up on me again. On Friday, Keiko told me that she’d heard on BBC radio that it was Good Friday. I knew it was almost that time of year, but in Japan there is nothing to tell you that Easter is ahead.

On Sunday, we headed out to The Tavern, a British pub in Yokohama. They serve an all-you-can-eat carvery, a rare treat in Japan. It’s a relatively quiet place to go for lunch, but you can get roast lamb, beef, potatoes, yorkshire puddings and gravy, all washed down with a cider. This Sunday, the meat was a bit burnt around the edges but still, for ¥1500 a head, it’s not too bad.

As we left, I tried to buy a can of baked beans, also a difficult buy in Japan. The owner went into the back and said he couldn’t find any. However, he had a huge 2.62 kg can under his arms and said that we could have it for free. The lid says 11/2009, but it’s a can, so it should all be fine – although I need a large Tupperware container to keep it all in. Regardless, it’s sitting on shelf and waiting for me to open it.

After lunch, we tried to find another rareity: an Easter egg. We went to the import shop in Yokohama station, but no dice. It doesn’t feel like Easter if you’re not overdosing on chocolate though, so we stocked up on goodies and went home to watch a few movies and relax. Not a terrible end to the day.

How was your Easter? Did you eat some chocolate for me?

Using XBMC as your Home Media Center

Since we moved to Kawasaki, I’ve been working hard to hook up my PC and TV in such a way that I can watch the videos on my hard drive without moving from the sofa. After a few months of sustained effort, I’ve finally settled on a solution.

Hardware

Hooking up a PC to a modern TV couldn’t be simpler. There are expensive wireless systems available, but I use two cables: one is a VGA-to-D-Sub cable which carries the video (D-Sub is apparently a predominantly Japanese TV alternative to VGA), and a male-male 3.5 jack cable to carry the audio signal. Both are 3-5 metres in length, passing through my sliding door and along the skirting board (held in place with some Heath Robinson adhesive pads and cable-ties). If I had a surround-sound system, my audio would need an alternative solution, but for half-decent stereo – I’m not too fussy – my way is simple and effective – one of the problems, however, is that I have to plug the cable in manually before watching TV as the only slot available is designed for headphones, thus shutting off the PC speakers when plugged in, however, this is a small nuisance.

Software

After a long duel between Boxee and XBMC, XBMC became the most effective media centre application for me. However, the reason is apparently linked to my network or laptop hardware and it will be useful to discuss both here.

As a university student, I bought and chipped an Xbox which became my central means of watching movies on my TV – mainly because I needed a DVD player to replace my previous DIVX/DVD player. The key was the XBMC dashboard. Fast forward to today, and now XBMC is a multi-platform application and as a result is more versatile than its older Xbox-based incarnation.

The basic function of XBMC is creating an accessible media library in a package that can be controlled by remote. Newer features include media scraping, which allows you to browse through your shows more easily.

Boxee takes XBMC to the next level. With XBMC code at its foundation, Boxee incorporates internet based content to allow the user to watch streaming content, search for subtitles, and all other useful features. However, in my case, Boxee overloads my Internet connection with media scraping requests that essentially stops all net-based functions from working properly. This is the primary reason I am using XBMC now.

Both programmes have support for music, but anyone used to using iTunes, Winamp, or MediaMonkey will be disappointed with its lack of advanced playlist features.

In addition to XBMC/Boxee, you might want to get the iPhone remotes for whichever you choose. The Boxee remote is free but is rather limited. If you want a bit more functionality, the XBMC remote is a paid app ($2.99) but for the money you get more buttons, customisation and access to your library directly (making choosing the right film or song easier).

Setup

Hook up your TV and computer using the video and audio cables. You will want to set your TV as a secondary monitor and find a good resolution for it using Windows native Display Manager. Unlike simply switching display modes (standard function on laptops), using your TV as a secondary monitor allows you to use the laptop while your media is playing. This is essential if you are running this as part of a family.

Next you want to make sure that XBMC actually opens on the secondary screen. For this, you need XBMCLaunch.exe. Put XBMCLaunch.exe anywhere you wish, and then create a shortcut to it on your desktop. Right-click on the shortcut and launch Properties.  You need to edit the shortcut so that it looks like this:

[XBMCLaunch.exe location] [XMBC.exe location],[Screen Number]

For example:

C:\Users\JamesinJapan\Documents\xbmcLaunch.exe C:\Program Files\XBMC\XBMC.exe,2

Once you’ve done that and click on the shortcut, XBMC will load in the other window with a blank profile. This means that even if you have already configured it, you will need to do so again. It might be helpful to be able to see the screen from your PC as you set it up – I have a door between me and our tiny TV which made setting it up, at least to the point where I could use the iPhone, was a little difficult.

File Management

The next step, if you’re will to make the effort, is to make your media scrape-friendly.

I have separated my files into type of media. In the movies folder you will want to have each movie in a subfolder with consistent names including the year of release. My system works like this:

\Movies\Title (Year)\

Within each folder, name each file ‘Title (Year)’ plus ‘.cd1′ or other information where needed.

Likewise, with TV shows, proper file names are essential.

\TV Shows\Title (Year)\Season #\

Each episode is named ‘Title – S##E## – EpisodeName’.

To help with the scraping and renaming, I recommend Ember Media Manager (for your movies; it’s designed for XBMC specifically but generally applicable) and TV Rename (for your TV shows).

Final Comments

This system is not perfect, and there are many alternatives. I’m interested in hearing your suggestions in the comments below!

Never Again

Occasionally something happens when I interact with a British service that reminds me why I’m much happier living in Japan.

Tuesday, 3rd March was my father’s 60th birthday. In Japan, your sixtieth is called ‘kanreki’ and is celebrated by your children. It is the start of your second life (comparable to the English saying, ‘Life starts at 60′). Given the significance attached to this particular age, Keiko and I wanted to celebrate by sending something valuable and worthwhile – while I can’t say what it is, I can assure you it wasn’t particularly cheap and is quite nice.

With Keiko working crazily long days, we picked up the present in Yokohama’s Yodobashi and I planned to send it by to Britain by EMS – typically a 3-day and very reliable service. Japan Post’s best international delivery service comparable to Parcelforce back home. I sent it on Thursday, 25th February, which should have been enough time for it to arrive by the 2nd or, at worst, the 3rd. However, one week later: nothing had arrived.

Before I continue, I want to relate a story from my mother-in-law. Keiko’s sister, Ayaka is enjoying celebrity status in Uganda at the moment, volunteering with JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency). For the New Year, Keiko’s mother sent a parcel to Uganda, by EMS. The parcel arrived within 3 weeks.

By contrast, I sent my parcel to Britain, an industrialised country, and by the time it is delivered today (Wednesday, 9th March), it will have taken about 2 weeks.

Here is a screenshot from Japan Post’s tracking page:

The parcel arrived in Britain within 42 hours (accounting for the difference in time-zones). The Japanese end of the delivery was fast and efficient, as you might expect. Then 4 minutes after it arrived in Britain, probably due to the cost of the item, it was sent to customs where it remained for 4 further days (2 of which were the weekend, fair enough). It was then sent to Parcelforce’s local office where it was ‘retained’ – which sounds like Room 101 to me.

Yesterday, 8th March, my mother emailed me to tell me what was what: she had a invoice from Parcelforce for £38.24: £24.74 for VAT, and £13.50 labelled ‘Parcelforce Clearance Fee’ – whatever that is. Considering that this is a gift, wrapped and packaged with a card. I am quite annoyed that I have to pay tax on it, but I am absolutely livid that I have to pay Parcelforce for having sat on it for 3 days! Cheekily, at the bottom of the slip, they wrote that if they need to re-deliver, they will charge a further £12.00-odd for handling! I feel like I’m paying some arbitrary bribe for Parcelforce to do the job that I’m sure Japan Post already paid them for. I’m sure things would have been cheaper in Uganda.

Like the regularly late/cancelled trains working to impossible timetables for ridiculous prices (considering the service), the Post Office comes away looking like the post office of some developing country rather than the caring and diligent service that employed such luminaries as Postman Pat and the Singing Postman. They destroyed a well-considered and well-timed present with their antithesis of customer service. Bravo!

Never again.

Simulacra

Back when I was an avid reader of the Fortean Times, I used to be fascinated by the phenomenon of simulacrum, more particularly, the FT understanding of simulacra which can be taken to mean seeing an image where there is non-intended. Everyone knows of the pieces of toast bearing an image of the Virgin Mary or Jesus Christ, which Las Vegas casinos snap up on eBay. Many more have probably had that same experience as they looked up at the clouds and picked out patterns. Seeing patterns is in our genes, and yesterday I saw this duck-face on my toilet door.

Been sitting on that toilet for 6 months (not continuously), but I only just noticed that cute little buggar staring right at me.

The TV Dilemma (and What it Says About Me)

Over the past 5 years, the time I’ve spent in front of the TV has dwindled away, replaced by sitting at the computer, and sometimes healthier pursuits such as walks and shopping – although how healthy this last one is debateable.

The background to my current situation goes like this: when we arrived in Japan, Keiko and I did not have a TV. This didn’t bother me: I had a computer, internet connection, and a seemingly endless supply of streaming content. Keiko, however, felt we needed one, mainly so she could have some entertainment while I hogged the TV. So we bought a Toshiba 15-inch flat-screen. It cost us about ¥50,000 and is really good quality with all the inputs and features we needed. This TV was fine in a small living room where we sat relatively close to the TV, but now we have a larger living room, and we lounge around on our sofa. We’ve tucked the TV in the corner to maximise the space we have and it has become difficult for me to read subtitles (most Japanese variety shows have lots of text which I find easier to understand than the original speech sometimes). While I rarely watch TV, I often watch videos feed from my PC to the TV… many of which are subtitled.

Keiko agreed to getting a bigger TV so long as it was under ¥100,000. I checked online and discovered that we could find a good-sized TV for about that price, so we’re now saving up  for it in ¥500 coins. Having never been much of a TV-tech fanatic, I had no idea about what size we were looking at, so on Valentine’s Day, while present-shopping, we stopped off in Yodobashi Camera (the best electronics store in the world, in my opinion) and checked out what was on offer.

Our options were three-fold: 32-inch, 37-inch, and 40-inch. We could afford most 32-inch TVs, but I felt they were a little too small given that there were models in the 37- and 40-inch ranges that were also within our budget. Keiko ruled out the 40-inch TVs as being too big for our living room. They are a little over a metre long, and having checked the available space when I got home, she made the right call. We settled down to looking at two 37-inch TVs: one, a Panasonic TH-P37X1 Viera with a resolution of only 1024×720, or the full HD Sharp LC-37ES50 Aquos at a slightly more expensive ¥94,800. Both were being superceded by newer models and thus were on a time-limited sale (the Panasonic until the 14th, the Sharp until the 28th).

I had itchy feet. I had decided that I really wanted that Sharp. It always happens like that: I see something in a shop and I get that panicky feeling that I must have it. Keiko was surprised that I was even considering buying it straight away, but I could feel the hole burning in my wallet. Keiko convinced me to wait until her pay-day, but I was antsy.

We argued back and forth about whether we should get it. I felt that it was a good price and a good model, and we had no idea if such a good model would be available at such a good price when we finally finished saving. Meanwhile, I didn’t want to continue struggling to watch our current TV. For me, buying now made sense. As my friends chirped: “Buy now regret nothing.” Very true.

Keiko, however, was unconvinced. Having no problems with our current TV and unaffected by tech-fever, she was the calmer head. She argued that we could keep the money we would be spending just in case we needed it between now and the time we amassed our planned savings. She reminded me that we would be trying to go back to the UK in 2011, and that it wouldn’t be cheap. At each step, I countered with the arguments above, that is until Keiko mentioned that there would be summer sales too. Finally, at 1am, the calmer side prevailed and we’ll wait.

I’m a sucker for low prices, and I’m a terrible saver. I will do everything to make a good purchase today, but I cannot even contemplate the steps needed for larger purchases just a year later. It’s at times like this when I really appreciate Keiko’s financial discipline. She never stops me getting what I want, but she does a good job at convincing me to wait. If it weren’t for her, today I’d be playing with our new, big TV instead of writing this post. I think we made the right choice.

Thanks, honey.