Justin in Japan

Hello to all,

I have decided that instead of sending regular emails I am going to blog about my experiences in Japan so hopefully this works out as planned. For starters, the flight was long but not as long as I had expected - 13 instead of 14 hours. Luckily, the middle seat in the section I was sitting was open was I was able to spread out quite a bit and get a few good naps. Also, the aisle seat allowed me to periodically walk through the plane whenever necessary. The food was, well, plane food to say the least. The jet was a double decker and the most massive one I have ever been on, holding around 300 people. After the flight it was off to immigration and then on to customs. After reviewing my passport, customs allowed me to go right through without even checking a single bag. I guess they trust Americans in Japan.

The flight was followed by an hour ride on the train, at the end of which I was met by a NOVA employee. There were only four people from NOVA on the train, one of which got off at my stop - MIA Ray (more on the nickname later). I thought I had lost my $25 ticket which would have been a problem because I would need it to get through the gates again. Luckily I found it and we proceeded the the apartment - about a 5 minute walk. Joel, a good friend from WSU and the companion which convinced me to make the trip was waiting outside of the apartment complex. After dropping off my bags we walked around the streets for a bit, taking in the "big city lifestyle" before heading off to bed and a fruitless attempt at sleep. Perhaps it was the nerves or the jet lag but I only got a few hours of sleep.

Day #1

The next day we started off with a trip to Starbucks, an adventure in itself. Our orders were placed by pointing to the drink which we desired; however, I was still able to order a "venti." After that, we made plans for the day and first on the list was our visit to the City Ward Office to let them know we had arrived. Luckily, on the way out, we ran into MIA Ray and his flatmate who were headed to the same place. Joel and Ray needed photos so we made a stop in the train station at a passport booth. After Joel finished taking his pictures, Ray was due up, but he was nowhere to be found. After searching for a few minutes we decided to just wait by the machine. Sure enough, Ray came back, with apple juice in hand - of course, he needed a drink, but failed to mention that to anyone. And so the nickname starts to take shape.
We were off to the Ward Office. Registration was necessary to open a bank account as well as a cell phone account. After registration, our guide informed us that he is joining a friend for lunch before oh so kindly pointed us in the right direction. The three of us discussed our route for approximately 10 minutes before making any quick decisions and eventually asked for directions. This was the first but certainly not last time we became lost in the first two days. We got back to our station and decided to head to the bank. The bank itself was an another exciting adventure as we were directed to the second floor. We were told to fill in our information, including telephone number (the bank now has the Ward Office for Joel as he confused it with a NOVA number), address, and name - a relatively simple task complicated by the fact that the writing was entirely in Japanese. After help from the clerk, the arduous task was complete. Their only advice, which they told each one of us four times and in English, "YOU MUST RECEIVE CARD." After opening our Japanese bank accounts it was on to find a cell phone. Our ward office guide informed us that Namba was our best bet.
Needless to say, it was easier said than done. We arrived at the train station in high hopes and we ready for the challenge. Our spirits were quickly deflated as we spent 15 minutes watching others buy their tickets, with no clue as to which tickets to buy or which line to take. We went to the information desk and Joel's limited Japanese came in handy. We purchased our tickets and were off in search of phones. After some questioning and a little bit of help we stumbled across a cell phone center.
We were greeted in Japanese but we eventually directed to an English speaking employee. After questioning her for an hour or so, we eventually decided on a plan, which cost a measly 980 yen or $10 dollars a month. Joel and I are able to contact one another for free between the hours of 1 am and 9 pm but must pay during the peak time or to those who do not have the same service. Ray accompanied us and periodically added his own questions. About the time Joel and I finished the paper work and were ready to leave, we turned around only to find Ray missing once again. Joel and I went on a ReCon mission but came up ended handed. A few minutes later Ray wearily entered the building, informing us he became lost. The legend of MIA Ray was growing. Since we had dinner plans for that evening, we made plans to pick up our phones the next morning seeing as though they would not be ready for another hour.
Joel and I were off to meet the ladies, I in workout shorts and a plain white tee. Unfortunately, I missed the part of the information that said our luggage would not be delivered for two days after our arrival and only had on those clothes and the ones I had flown in. Also, since we were running late, Joel wouldn't let me go back to the apartment to change. We met Japanese friends from WSU, each at a different train station before heading to dinner. Miho made reservations and we took off our shoes at the entrance as we were lead to a private dining area. The walls of the room were covered with a back marble and the tables were made of a deep cherry oak and white glazed glass. The door was closed and servers knocked before entering. We sat on the ground to eat, dining on raw salmon, fish eggs on scallops, tofu with dried tuna and avocados, breaded shrimp in a coconut sauce, breaded chicken, an egg salad, potato balls, as well as desert for Joel's birthday. The desert consisted of a fruit cup, french toast and ice cream, chocolate sou flay, in addition to a bit of plain ice cream. It was a delightful, fanciful meal with what Joel and I considered to be VIP service, only costing around $17 a person. In Japan, everyone shares the meal as orders are placed in the center of the table and dished to individuals. Also, tipping is not a common practice. After dinner it was off to the bowling ally to finish the night but at a costly $16 dollars for two games, it is one activity that can wait until I come home again. Thus, my first day in Japan was over. It was filled with a lot of exciting memories and good times.

Day 2

The day before Joel and I decided to meet Ray in front of the apartment at 9:30 in the morning but quickly realized he was nowhere to be found as 10 o'clock quickly approached. We headed up to his room and gently knocked on the door which was eventually answered by his roommate from the United Kingdom, Phil, our guide from the day before. Phil informed us that Ray was still sleeping so we decided to head out on our adventure for the day. Today's goal - find our places of employment. However, Joel and I first decided to pick up our phones then grab a bit to eat seeing how it was closer to noon. We hoped on the subway, confident of our skills and quickly found our way back to the cell phone company. We picked up our phones then wondered the streets of Namba, a shopping district for quite some time. We decided on sushi for lunch and split the lunch special. Most of the sushi was delicious; my only advice, do not eat mackerel.
Before we left for Namba however, we decided to purchase our monthly rail passes to save a bit of money. After a 20 minute wait, we approached the counter in an attempt to purchase two rail passes. With little effort and lots of understanding, aided by Joel's Japanese, we were able to purchase the tickets relatively quickly, oh, in about 15 minutes. Then, we headed off to our places of employment and found them with relative ease. The only exception was the flower clock which threw me off just a bit. Joel's NOVA center was before mine so we stopped at his first and then ended up at mine a bit later in the day. Around my center there is what appears to be a market as well as a KFC and McDonalds. After we stopped in at the branch we headed for the train station to make our way home. Sure enough, who did we pass? MIA Ray was walking the other way headed to the same station as myself. Now, the nickname had stuck. We ended up riding the train back together. My luggage was supposed to be delivered between 8 and 9 pm so I spent the evening waiting on it. However, I began to wonder if it was going to arrive by 9:15 so I decided to hop in the shower, hoping the rest of my belongings would arrive. Sure enough, after I got out of the shower, the luggage was in my room. I spent the next hour unpacking before heading down to a coffee shop, which serves beer around 11. Apparently, the owners work 7 days a week so every friday night, they have a bit of a party. The man wears an Elvis get-up while the woman was decked out in a bunny skirt. They played a few Elvis and Johny Cash songs but I never could quite make out the lyrics, only the beat. I called it a night around 1 and hit the sack shortly thereafter.

A few interesting facts thus far:

The Japanese have coins which are equivalent to $1 and $5 but no bills for those amounts.
A person can drink beer on the street, in the subway, pretty much anywhere.
Beer cost approximately $5 a bottle in the bars.
Cars drive on the opposite side of the road and the driver is on the opposite side of the car, which takes some getting used to.
If you are good at acting things out then you can travel anywhere in the world and still communicate.