Plonkers Or What

Leos just gone back to the states and the project manger for this job is arriving over later this week, his name’s Fred I’ll call him Fred No2 as the other one was here first, it can get a bit complicated, I’ll have two Fred’s with me for the next few days what a joy.He’s a good bloke though same as the other Fred first met him in Korea years ago for that matter I met both of them there about 10yeas ago, now I’ve said that seem like the last 10 years have shot past.
The day before Fred No 2 arrived when to see the apartment I was thinking of getting for a second time, it was the best of the ones I’d seen. Went with a guy called Takizawa San nice bloke but he spoke almost as much English as I spoke Japanese so it was hard work but we got along like a house on fire especially as we couldn’t talk to each other but he know me and I knew him, the first time I had seen the apartment I’d had Megume with me to interpret. To cut a long story short decided to take the apartment and I gave him the thumbs up which I guess is the universal language for OK or yes, went back to his office and started the paperwork rolling. There was a lady in the office who spoke decent English and they had been through the same process with Fred No 1 so they knew what to do even if I didn’t. Basically had to get a Japanese person to vouch for me, was going to use the same one as Fred No had and I’d already asked him so no problem there, the other thing was to get the deposit money agents fees and all the rest wired over from the states and I would have an apartment, should all take about a week or so then I could pick up the Keys and the fun would begin.
So that was the apartment out of the way and Fred No2 arrived the next day when we were going out to site for meetings and stuff, he’d not been there got along time and needed to catch up with a few things and check on progress.
On site the next day and Fred No 2 had brought some chin straps for the hard hats on site that were shipped from the states, in Japan hard hats have to have a chin strap apparently to conform to H&S regulations, we'd been using some borrowed has from the Japanese.
Fred No 2 being the project manager wanted to use our company's hard hats and was adamant that he was not going to wear a Japanese one, so he brought chin straps from the US. Hence the title of this blog “Plonkers Or What” the chin straps he brought were basically just fancy bits of elastic and in my opinion were a damm site worse looking and worse to wear than the ones on the Japanese hard hats.
Didn’t say anything but as soon as Fred No2’s gone I am using the Japanese one again and going back to being cool and not a plonker, check out the photo an you’ll see what I mean. We also have to wear sort of a safety belt thing with a hook on for tying off at heights, god only knows why we have to wear it when you’re at ground level just another one of the mysteries of the East. Wearing that’s another thing I’m going to do for a while and then sort of forget about it. You can probably guess why I hit on the title for the blog now you’ve seen the photo.
Moving on to Saturday the 28th June, myself the two Fred’s and our interpreter Chris were all going out for a meal and it was at the best possible price as Fred No2 was paying.
Don’t think I have mentioned we had an interpreter before his name is actually Krzysztof, he’s Polish but speaks fluent Japanese, at least it is to me, no seriously it is really good I can’t tell the difference when he speak to a native Japanese guy speaking.
Went to a Japanese restaurant, food was really good Chris had translated the menu to English so at least we could order ourselves with out having to ask about everything, yes we did get desert and this time we only got one each. Did not really realize before but have eaten at quite a few Japanese restaurants now and the food is not spicy at all, to be honest some of it can be a bit bland.
I took Fred No 2 up the Lions head after the meal for a drink or two to round the night off all in all a nice night, met some guys I knew there. In Utsunomia there are basically three type’s people, native Japanese, foreigners who come over here to work for Honda and then the contingent of English teachers, who are a pretty mixed bunch from Brits to Aussies to Americans not forgetting the Canadians. I’m sure I have missed out somebody but the ones we met that night were English teaches and all from the UK, actually a couple of them from Yorkshire, a small world like I say not a bad night.