Most days, living in Japan is great. Just the other day, I reserved plane tickets online, then walked down to the local 7-11 and paid for them there. (7-11 will also mail packages and accept payment for other bills). What a great system. Other times though...
On Friday, I noticed my internet at home wasn't working. I called the company, and after about an hour on the phone, we discovered that the problem wasn't with this company. I was told to call another company. Their business hours are 9-5 Monday - Friday, so with work, I was able to call on 4:45 Tuesday. At which point I was informed my account was canceled. Why? Well, I hadn't paid my bill since October. EH?! My phone line is also through this company. The phone bill is taken out of my bank account automatically (along with all my other bills) so this company sends me letters with "RECEIPT" clearly written on the envelope. I just assumed my internet payment was taken out automatically with the bill. Not so. They told me they sent me letters explaining this. Letters in Japanese. Also, they sent someone to my house when I wasn't there. My name is not written on my mailbox, so they couldn't verify I lived there. Long story short, they canceled my internet. So, not only do I need to reapply again, but I have to pay a $300 early cancellation fee on top of 4 months of payment.
Some days living in Japan is harder than it looks.
