About this blog: I'll start off each post with a bullet-point list summary, that way if you see what I wrote and think tl;dr (too long; didn't read), you'll at least get the gist of it, though hopefully I'll be able to write intriguingly enough to keep you all enticed :P Please note that this first post will be a lot longer than most since I have an entire cram-packed initial week to cover. Also, I might throw in a Japanese word every now and then, though you should be able to figure out the meaning by the context. This way you can learn a little bit of Japanese too :P This post'll mainly be a recital of everything I've done since I first set foot into SFO...think of it as a post to assuage my parents' curiosity of my well-being :P
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- Detailed list of getting situated in Japan (pretty useless unless you're family...wait for the next posts, those'll be the interesting ones!)
So, after I was on my own at SFO, I went and chilled at the waiting area. My flight had been delayed by about an hour, so I was just going to chill on my computer. Some guy came up to me and started talking to me. I recognized him from a few of my Japanese classes. He had been there since Saturday (I left on Monday), they had messed up his flights, so he'd been pulling a Tom Hanks and had been living there for a two days. Anyways, we killed time, then finally boarded the plane.
On the plane I sat next to a Japanese girl, Yuriko-san. We played various card games to pass the time. I taught her Go Fish, Crazy Eights, and Egyptian War (she already knew Speed, or "Speedo" as she called it), and in return she answered the various questions I had about Japan. The flight itself was fine, having some company with a new friend definitely made time fly beside us.
Narita Airport was pretty chill. I got my passport stamped, then went down to get my luggage. Simple enough. Yuriko-san and I decided to stick together until we got on the Narita Train. She was going farther south to Yokohama, where as I needed to get to Tokyo. We could both ride the train from Narita Airport to Tokyo Station, then I'd switch trains and she'd continue. Anyways, I got all of my luggage, a cart, went through customs (I didn't have to open up anything for customs, they just looked at my passport then let me through), then went to one of the companies that sends off your luggage for you. Yuriko-san helped me figure out the best company to use, how much it was going to be, and then helped when they couldn't find the address to ship my stuff to (that had me worried, if I was by myself I wouldn't know how to help them find the place or give them a suggestion as to where to look).
The train ride was fun. We played more card games, which for her said was awkward for Japanese people to do on a train. How boring it must be to just sit there on a train if you can't even play cards, all you can do is text on your cellphone and play Gameboy. It was fun to eavesdrop on the people next to me, picking up on words that I understood (eavesdropping in Japanese is called "nusumigiki", or to 'steal sound').
Anyways, when we finally got to Tokyo Station, I exchanged goodbyes with my first friend I'd made in Japan, and then left to go find my next train. I ended up buying an extra ticket to get on a special train. Thankfully the guy behind me was American and told me what I needed to do to get to the right place. After following his instructions I found myself at the right place, Musashisakai Eki (train station). Boy, was I glad that I was at the right place!
The hotel was right next to the train station. No problem checking in. Within minutes I was in my room. It was actually kinda cozy, not the super crammed hotel room I was thinking it would be. They had a Western style bathroom (a shower / bathtub instead of a washroom), comfy bed, and a nice air conditioning, which, considering the temperature in Japan these days, was extremely welcomed. The pillow, however, was the hardest thing I've ever laid my head on. I would have had a better night's sleep had I gone and asked the construction worker outside for a spare slab of concrete.
The pillow, plus the fact that it was 8 AM in America when I tried to get to bed (FYI take America's time, add 4 hours, then inverse the AM / PM, and you'll get the Japanese time. Also make sure you add a day, we're in the future). I woke up every other hour, finally completely awaking around 6 AM, still tired but unable to sleep more. Apparently other ryuugakusei (foreign exchange students) had the same issue.
Anyways, it was now Wednesday, August 1st, and I had an entire day to kill. I decided to go exchange the rest of my American money and to do some window shopping. I had took the gamble that the exchange rate would be better in Japan, and thankfully it paid off; as opposed to the 1 Dollar = 108 Yen that I got in America, here it was 1 Dollar = 115 Yen.
So I went to the bank next door to exchange my cash, but the ginkoin (bank worker) said I couldn't do it there, that I had to go to Kuchijijo. I asked a cop how to get there (the cops in Japan are really nice and helpful, unlike the pigs back home that give you tickets just to fill a quota). I asked him how to get there on foot since I thought it was close by, so I followed his directions, only to get even more lost. I asked another cop for directions, and as I was nodding my head in agreement with what might as well have been "goo goo gah gah", some college student came up and offered to help. He said he had lived in Oregon until he was 7, so his English was really good. Funny enough his name was "Sandaa" (my name in Japanese is pronounced "Zandaa").
So I actually had to get on a train and go two stations over. When the ginkoin told me "tonari no tonari" meaning "next to next", I thought she was referring to buildings, not train stops, and thus that it was within a walkable distance. So, I got on the train to Kuchijoji Eki, mondainai (no problem). It was a huge train station, with multiple floors and shopping areas. I wandered around a bit, exchanged my money, bought some sushi for lunch, then went outside to wonder around the shopping district there.
I returned back to my hotel room in the middle of the afternoon and took a short nap, then wondered around the immediate area. I had dinner at the restaurant next to the hotel then went to bed.
The next morning I went to the restaurant to have my free breakfast (from staying at the hotel). The food was pretty good, a ham omelet, and you can't beat the price. On my way back up to the room I ran into the other ryuugakusei. We all boarded the bus to ICU (International Christian University) at 9 AM, got there in about 10 minutes, then wondered around in the jungle-like thick moist heat until we found the right room. Despite the heat, the walk was enjoyable due to the beautiful campus. It's hard to imagine going from an extremely crowded industrial part of Tokyo to a wide campus like ICU. There a few teachers came in and talked to us about the program and generic studying abroad do's and don't's. Pretty basic stuff. We then met the Tsuru studying abroad coordinator and the studying abroad founder and served a bunch of Subway sandwiches for lunch.
We were then bussed over to Tsuru Unveristy. The entire trip took about an hour. It gave everyone a time to talk and get to know each other. Also, the scenery is BEAUTIFUL. I have yet to take some pictures of the area, but it felt like driving in Jurassic Park, or like we were on the path in search of the last Treestar.
We got to Tsuru in the middle of the afternoon. There was a welcome group consisting of 10 Japanese students, jumping up and down, firing off fireworks, and waving fans with our names written on them. This motley, fun-looking crew would become our tutors, each designated to a ryuugakusei by the name on the fan they were holding. We walked with the tutors over to get our luggage (thankfully, everyones' was all there and intact), loaded it up on a truck heading to our apartment, then went inside one of the buildings for our next meeting.
At the meeting we met up again with the ryuugakusei coordinator (who's name currently escapes me, I think it's Takaguchi-san). We went over things more pertinent to Tsuru Daigaku (Tsuru Bunka Daigaku is the full name, which means "Tsuru Culture College"). Rooms were portioned, our week's plan was laid out, and various other topics were discussed. I can't remember them all now, but when I get to the different parts of my daily life, I'll point them out.
Afterwards we were shown around the campus. It's not very big, but it has all the essentials. And *yes*, thankfully, they have weights. It's not much, but it'll do. They have two small freeweight benches, some barbells to curl (I didn't see any dumbbells, though maybe I overlooked), and two or three big units that have a bunch of machines attached to it. I'll be able to make due. They have a soccer field, but there's no grass on it since the ground here is apparently poor. The three male tutors and 6 of us ryuugakusei played on the small field next to the regulation size one the day after, just a little 4 vs 5 skirmish, no gear or anything. It was a lot of fun, especially since you can slide around a lot, though my new silver running shoes are now a rusty brown color (I heard you can put them in the washing machine?).
After the tour we were shown our apartments. I've yet to take pictures of it since it's still pretty mechakucha (messy), but once I soujisuru (clean up) I'll take some pictures of it. I got room 101, on the very side, so I have two extra windows - very convenient. Apparently it's tradition that the biggest guy stay in that room, so I really had no other choice, even though I really wanted room 104, which had the internet hub. However, the internet (WiFi only) is totemo hayai (very fast), so I have no complaints, and in fact I really like having the extra mado (window). I'll make an update later about my living conditions. Just know that it's very spacious, has everything I need, including everything I don't need, like a lot of mushi (bugs) (everyone has numerous mosquito and spider bites. It's entertaining in the morning to try to find all the new ones obtained while sleeping).
The next day we went to the same meeting room as before. There they served us a really fun lunch, where you ate ramen out of sliced bamboo poles. You dip it in a sauce that you carry in a cup then eat. It's worth noting that in Japan it's considered rude if you don't slurp your noodles. The louder, the better! It's just too bad they never distribute napkins (you have to carry a small towel around with you if you want one, which I have yet to buy since I want to get a cool-looking one), so if you slurp and it flicks the sauce up on your face or shirt, zannen (too bad). Afterwards we went to city hall and applied to be Tsuru residents (we're still awaiting our Gaijin (foreigner) card, which we'll use at all places as our I.D.). Later we played soccer (as stated before) then walked around town. We had dinner at a Japanese restaurant, where for only 650 Yen (about $6.50) we got a ton of oishii tabemono (delicious food).
I'll stop there for now (Friday night). The first weekend had a trip back into Tokyo, to Akihabara, Tokyo's famous district to buy cheap electronics (as well as where all the otaku (nerds) go to buy anime, videogames, and visit maid cafes), as well as a fireworks festival. However, ima (right now) I've got to start my first load of laundry (wish me luck!), do my homework, and prepare dinner (spaghetti + meat sauce with garlic bread...oishii!) and tomorrow's lunch (sushi with my now ripe avocado and left over imitation crab legs from last night's sushi, where a lot of us made tuna sushi in my room), as well as take inventory of my iroirona (various) plates, bowls, and silverware left here by previous ryuugakusei and attempt to clean my room. If I have time to night I'll try to update this post with pictures, then possibly start talking about my weekend. Once I get through the weekend's excursions I'll be able to talk about the differences in Japanese society that I've seen and experienced thus far, as well about my apartment, tutor, friends, and other seikatsu mono (life things).
Ja! (Bye!)
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