Metrics:
15 = Total hours WR spent on a plane two weeks ago.
26 = New foods WR has tried in Japan and liked.
1 = New foods WR has tried in Japan and not liked. (Weird
honey-bun thing.)
3 = Cold showers WR had to take before Sempai came over and
showed her how to properly work the bathroom water-heater.
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Hello from 日本, readers!
The good news: I’m ALIVE! I survived the 12:45 flight from Chicago
to Japan, and then I made it through a turbulent 2 hour flight from
Tokyo to Fukuoka (we were flying toward a Typhoon… awesome). I’ve
also started settling into my apartment and I can feed and clean
myself to a functional degree. So, things are alright.
The bad news: I am totally disconnected. As of right now, I have no
internet at the house (and only momentary, very limited access at
work), no cell phone, not even a home landline. I’m totally cut off.
And it sucks. But, once my “Foreigner’s Card” arrives in the mail
(in the next 10 days, here’s hoping), I’ll be able to get a smart
phone and use some of the lovely Apps Dan mentioned in the previous
post. The home internet will take WAY longer (like, weeks and weeks),
but once I have a phone I won’t care!
(Update: I just recently got my “Foreigner’s Card” and cell phone!
Yaaaaay! But I can’t use it as a mobile hotspot for my laptop [which
I write the blogs on]. However, the angelic Ellie [my JET Sempai]
informed me that the school’s computers can read Flash Drives, so I’ll
upload that way. I still don’t have my own access to the Internet at
school, nor any Internet at my house.)
With that out of the way, let’s talk Tokyo!
So, I landed two Sundays ago, on the afternoon of July 29th, at Narita
Airport (flew out Saturday morning, landed Sunday afternoon… wheeeee,
time-change!). I, along with hundreds of other JETs, filed out of the
plane and into the passport line, dragging our carry-ons behind us.
It was hot and crowded, and the wait was over an hour (thanks to an
entire Chinese tour group cutting in front of us). But we were
thrilled to be out of the plane and finally in Japan.
After the passport line and customs, we went to the turn-styles to
collect our baggage. Now, since JETs are actually moving to Japan,
most of us had around 150 lbs of goods (some had more) and there were
100 of us on my plane alone. So, there was a lot of baggage flying around.
And we were limited in what we could take with us to Tokyo
Orientation. That meant that there were a lot of JETs on the sidewalk
with their bags open, desperately repacking as fast as they could.
But, thanks to Dan’s and my super-planning, list-making abilities, I
didn’t have to do that. I dropped my extra baggage off at the
shipping truck and waited (while sweating a lot) for the next
available bus to take us to the hotel.
The bus was caught in traffic a few times, so we arrived at the Keio
Plaza Hotel around 8:30 pm. I unpacked, familiarized myself with the
bizarrely complicated toilet, Skyped with Dan (thanks to the free,
fast hotel internet… GOD I MISS THAT…), and went to sleep around 10:00
pm. Many people went out in Tokyo Sunday night, but my roommate and I
were just too exhausted from the day’s journey.
The next morning, Orientation began with breakfast (a strange take on
the Western style, with things like “scrambled eggs” [tasty, but with
a consistency of American peanut butter] and sausages [which were
actually tiny hot dogs, served with mustard]). But, the food was free
and the coffee was plentiful, so it was a good start to the day. Next
came the formal JET Program 2012 Opening Ceremony, followed by
speeches, workshops, meetings, and the like. There was a lot of great
advice given at the Orientation, but it’s hard to keep it all in your
head (given the overwhelming nature of it all). And, since “every
situation in different” (a common JET expression), one is constantly
having to filter the information through the perceived notions of our
specific situation. But… the best you can do is try, right?
Let’s skip to the highlights of my time in Tokyo: my evenings out!
SPOILER ALERT: 2012 Fukuoka JETS in Groups C or Late-Incoming
Alternates, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER. The surprise is totally great,
if you’re going, and you shouldn’t ruin it!
After the Welcome Reception on Monday night, the fun-loving FUK JETs
went to a Shinjuku bar called “The Lock-Up.” It… was… amazing. Weird
Japan at its finest, some said. The bar, which is located on the 7th
floor of some neon-encrusted building I could probably never find
again if you paid me, is “prison” themed. But, Americans, it’s closer
to a prison-meets-Haunted-House theme. The hostesses are decked out
in an outfit that’s somewhere between a leather “French Maid” and a
police officer. One of these “guards” led us to our cell (all the
drinking / eating rooms are private-party “cells”), where we sat and
ordered drinks.
It’s difficult to describe the drinks, really. Most were very tasty
and had a mad-scientist flair to them (i.e. most were served in
beakers, test-tubes, or made use of syringes, etc.) But you can see
for yourself by clicking
HERE. After an hour or so, the lights
suddenly shut off and alarms start blaring. A woman starts shouting
over the intercom (in Japanese, of course), “A monster has escaped! A
monster has escaped!” Then, we hear some sort of encounter between a
man and woman, which clearly ends poorly (I mean, the guy goes,
“MUHUHAHAHAHAHA!” at the end, which is International for “Bad Guy”).
Then, we see shadows outside our doors. The windows start to rattle.
Strobe lights go off. There are sound effects: creaking wood,
shuffling feet, and the occasional chainsaw. We hear screams in
neighboring rooms, which are definitely not sound effects.
Then, one of our doors bursts open. A blood-spattered, white-coated,
masked madman runs in the room and begins to terrorize us. We, of
course, start screaming and laughing as he moves from JET to JET,
playing with their hair or suddenly rushing at them. After a few
moments, he leaves. Other madmen enter from time to time, each
scarier or more hilarious than the last. My favorites? One that was
dressed up like a scary-clown-reindeer (no, I’m being serious) and
another that entered right as “Thriller” came on, who danced some of
the MJ moves (naturally) and, just before leaving the room, tweaked
the nipples of the guy sitting next to me (….umm, naturally). It was
beyond hysterical.
The production went on for many hilarious minutes (my stomach actually
hurt from laughing) and culminated in one of the She-Guards kicking in
the door, shooting the escaped prisoner, and dragging him back to his
cell in chains. The lights rose and, of course, the drinking and
eating resumed. But really, if you’re ever in Shinjuku and you’re
looking for a great place to hang out (and only 3,500 Yen for 2 hours
of all you can eat and drink!), “The Lock Up” is one crazy experience.
My second night out, though not as dramatic, was really enjoyable. I
met up with my friend Peter, whom I’ve known since my days at JCCC.
He lives in Yokohama now and was willing to meet up with me in
Shibuya, to take me to dinner. So, I actually braved the Shinjuku
Train station… by myself. I was terrified and it was INSANE (people
EVERYWHERE, confusing signs EVERYWHERE), but I made it. I got off at
the Shibuya station and followed the signs for “Hachiko Statue” (a
famous dog and a very popular meeting spot in Tokyo). Peter found me
and we walked to a nearby yakuniku restaurant, one of his favorites.
(Note: Yakuniku is where there’s a small grill set in your table. You
order a plate of raw meat & veggies that you cook to your own liking,
and eat with rice [or whatever other side you want]. There are
several sauces on the table. It’s DELICIOUS.) We had a great meal
and a wonderful conversation (it was nice to talk to someone I already
know, versus people I’ve just met [even when they’re really nice
people]) and it really put a nice close on my brief Tokyo experience.
I’ll probably stop there for the time being! There’s much more to
tell, especially of my first experiences in Chikushino & Fukuoka, but
my lack of keyboard-friendly connectivity makes uploading difficult.
I look forward to being able to share more with you as my e-access
becomes stable!
Thanks for reading!
WR
