Thanks for sticking with me! This'll be the last chapter of my getting-my-ass-to-Japan saga. I hope you enjoy reading it!
The plane from Hong Kong to Japan landed at about 8:30 PM. It took me about an hour and a half to get my luggage, go through customs, get my tourist visa validated, and find the right train to take out of the airport. My carry-on bags were about 20 pounds. My check-in luggage was probably about 90 pounds. I was basically walking around with another me dangling off of my body. It was, for lack of a better word, painful. When I finally found the station, because of the earthquake, I had to wait an hour for the train to arrive. I wasn't even sure if it was the right one, but since everyone else was getting on it, I did too.
But one of fears had come true -- I got lost on the trains in Japan. All I knew was that I needed to get to my hotel in Asakusa, which is in Tokyo, so I figured that most people would be going to Tokyo from Narita anyway. And they were. But my problem was that I didn't know where the wards and districts in Tokyo were in relation to one another. The first train I got on had its last stop in a place called Aoto. There was a train headed to Ueno leaving shortly from this station, but I had thought that I would be able to take a train straight to Asakusa with relative ease, since there were signs saying that the Toei Asakusa Line goes through this station. When the train to Ueno came, everyone waiting on the platform got on. One of the station attendants told me in Japanese that this was the last train for the evening. I told him I wanted to go to Asakusa, but he told me that the Toei Asakusa Line wasn't running anymore for the day. I was shocked and crestfallen. I wanted to cry again, but told myself to be strong. Everything's gonna be alright...I can just take a taxi to Asakusa! Sure, it would be a little expensive, but at this point, seeing as I had been traveling for more than 24 hours on just under 4 hours of sleep, money was no issue. But first, I really had to go to the bathroom. So before exiting the station to find a taxi, I walked into a bathroom and encountered my first ever squat toilet! I wanted to cry again. However, thanks to some pointers from my friend Chie, I managed to pee without much difficulty and without getting anything on my clothes. ありがとう、ちえちゃん！^_^
I found a cab easily and asked the driver how much it would cost to get to Asakusa. He told me it should be no more than ¥4000 (around US$40). I told him the name of my hotel, but he had not heard of it before. Thankfully, I had the phone number and address of my hotel written down so he ended up finding the directions on GPS with no problems. However, when we got to the place where the GPS told him to go to, my hotel was nowhere in sight. Japanese addresses are very different from addresses in the states. There are no street names or building numbers...you find a building based on its district, block, and what actual building number it is on that block. It turned out that we were just on the other side of the block that the hotel was on, so after giving them a ring, the driver found my hotel.
I went to the lobby with my 110 pounds of luggage, told the receptionist my name, and provided him with the confirmation number provided by my travel agency. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep. I didn't even care about showering or brushing my teeth...I was just about ready to pass out. But of course, there had to be one final obstacle for me.
The receptionist couldn't find my reservation. I didn't even know what to say. I had notified the hotel and my travel agency through email that my original flight to Japan was canceled and that I was getting there at a later time. But that shouldn't have affected the confirmation number I was given...wouldn't my reservation still be in the record books? Apparently not. "Do you want to pay for just one night here?" the receptionist asked me. "No, I don't," I responded, gritting my teeth and holding back tears. "I already paid for my week here more than a month ago. Why can't you find my reservation? If I show you the email I got through the travel agency, will that help?" The lobby had free wifi, so I brought out my laptop and found the email I received with my confirmation number and reservation information. The idiot receptionist was still having trouble finding my reservation even after I showed him the email, but finally, his coworker managed to piece everything together and figured out whatever problem there was. I got my room key, received a small apology from the douche-bag receptionist, slowly made my way to my room, plopped on my bed....
...and at long last, cried those many tears I had been holding back since leaving California.
The end! If you made it this far, brownie points for you :) See you next time!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
My journey here, part 2
Continuing from where I left off last time, I was finally at my terminal and waiting to board my flight when I got a call from my best friend telling me about the earthquake in Japan. Memories of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake quickly filled my mind. I was only three then, but I still remember it so vividly. I ended up spending the rest of my time before boarding my flight looking up as much information about the earthquake online, texting/calling/Facebook-ing my worried friends and family who didn't know the details of my departure (some people had thought I was already in Japan), and feeling sick all over again. My 14+ hour flight to Hong Kong was filled with anxiety and uncertainty. I had no access to the news during my entire flight and I could barely sleep. The middle-aged man sitting next to me was super rude and obnoxious. A passenger who couldn't speak English got sick in the middle of the flight and the crew was helping him out right by my seat for a good hour or so. It was the longest flight I had ever been on and the experience couldn't have been more awful.
When we finally arrived in Hong Kong and I got off the plane, there was a woman standing right outside the exit holding a card with my name on it. She informed me that my flight to Haneda had been canceled, my new flight was leaving for Narita in the late afternoon, and I now had an eight hour layover in Hong Kong. The exhaustion and stress were getting to me really bad at that point, because I almost broke down crying right there in front of her. On the bright side of things, I got a free hotel room for a few hours, so I got to rest a bit (not really) and take a shower. I also got free brunch, so I filled up as much as I could on dim sum. But of course, I had to stand in a few wrong lines and get lost in the airport for an hour before finding my damn hotel.
By the time my plane to Japan was finally up in the air, I was beyond tired. The flight was only about four hours, but I got to sleep for most of it, and that helped me feel a little better. What awaited me in Japan, however, was another adventure altogether.
Part 3, the final chapter, is next! :)
When we finally arrived in Hong Kong and I got off the plane, there was a woman standing right outside the exit holding a card with my name on it. She informed me that my flight to Haneda had been canceled, my new flight was leaving for Narita in the late afternoon, and I now had an eight hour layover in Hong Kong. The exhaustion and stress were getting to me really bad at that point, because I almost broke down crying right there in front of her. On the bright side of things, I got a free hotel room for a few hours, so I got to rest a bit (not really) and take a shower. I also got free brunch, so I filled up as much as I could on dim sum. But of course, I had to stand in a few wrong lines and get lost in the airport for an hour before finding my damn hotel.
By the time my plane to Japan was finally up in the air, I was beyond tired. The flight was only about four hours, but I got to sleep for most of it, and that helped me feel a little better. What awaited me in Japan, however, was another adventure altogether.
Part 3, the final chapter, is next! :)
Sunday, April 24, 2011
My journey here, part 1
I took care of a lot of errands today on top of relaxing a bit, and since I'm free now, I thought I'd take some time to sit down and practice my English. One of my friends remarked the other day that my spoken English has been sounding "Japanese" lately (I've personally noticed that my spelling has been getting pretty bad), and I blame it mostly on using super simple English at work to communicate with a good number of my students and coworkers. I'm allowed to use Japanese at work especially with the really young kids and teachers who don't know any English, but I'm supposed to use mostly my mother tongue while on the job. Anyway....today, I wanted to write about my actual journey to Japan a little more than a month ago. I had mentioned before in an earlier post that it was a crazy adventure in itself, so here we go!
I had booked through a travel agency back in February for a flight going from San Francisco to Hong Kong and then from Hong Kong to Japan between March 11 and March 12. I had picked this particular itinerary since a) it was pretty cheap, b) it had the least amount of layover time/flight changes for its price, and c) it flew in to Haneda Airport instead of Narita, which is much closer to the center of Tokyo. Since it was going to be my first time in Japan and because I get lost pretty easily, I didn't trust myself enough to navigate the trains. On top of that, I figured I'd be pretty tired from traveling for 14+ hours, and that the extra two hours of traveling from Narita to Tokyo would only make things worse.
My flight to Hong Kong was a red-eye leaving at midnight, meaning I had to be at the airport on March 10. I'm a very last minute kind of girl, so of course, on the evening of March 10, I still had a bit of packing and getting ready to do. Right after my family and I finally left the house at around 8:00 and were on the freeway to SFO, I realized that I had forgotten a very important document at home! Thankfully, we hadn't gotten too far, so that only set us back about 15 minutes. Upon getting to the airport, however, I encountered another setback.
I had only purchased a one way ticket to Japan. My work visa had not gotten to me yet since I was given notice that it was received by company just a week before my departure. This meant that I had to enter Japan on a tourist visa and change my visa status after my arrival. This also meant that I needed to buy a refundable return ticket somewhere [anywhere] to qualify for a 90 day tourist visa. The cheapest ticket was $2000. I only have a debit card with less money in my checking than my savings, so I couldn't buy it on my own. My dad's credit card wouldn't work either. The airline could not split the ticket price between our two cards. I felt like crying...after all this anticipation, hard work, and preparation, would I not be able to go to Japan after all? Luckily, my awesome friend Will had come to SFO to say goodbye to me. He had a working credit card, and being the punctual fellow that he is, had gotten to the airport way before I did. My knight in blue jeans! I really owe him big time for this one, haha.
After finally checking in and getting my boarding pass, I was all set and ready to go. But first, I had to say goodbye to everyone. Will had told me that his dad had driven him to the airport, so I was expecting to see him waiting around the corner in front of security. However, I was shocked to see that instead of his dad, my Friday Night Family was there instead! There are nine of us, including me and Will, that hang out every Friday night in San Francisco for drunken antics and all night [video] gaming fun times. I had thought I had said my final farewell to them when we had our last Friday night together the week prior, so you can imagine my surprise when I saw their smiling faces there at the airport! I was so touched and still a little shaken up about the whole ticket fiasco that I almost started crying. But I didn't, and we took a couple of awesome Family Fotos before parting ways.
I said goodbye to my dad and brother, went through security quickly and easily, and found my terminal without managing to get lost. Everything was going so smoothly, and I couldn't wait to board the plane! I turned on my laptop and was about to go on Facebook to help myself relax when my best friend Audrey called my cell phone. "I don't want to alarm you or anything," she said, "But there was just a 9.0 earthquake in Japan, and I thought I should let you know..."
This has gotten rather long, so stay tuned for part two!
I had booked through a travel agency back in February for a flight going from San Francisco to Hong Kong and then from Hong Kong to Japan between March 11 and March 12. I had picked this particular itinerary since a) it was pretty cheap, b) it had the least amount of layover time/flight changes for its price, and c) it flew in to Haneda Airport instead of Narita, which is much closer to the center of Tokyo. Since it was going to be my first time in Japan and because I get lost pretty easily, I didn't trust myself enough to navigate the trains. On top of that, I figured I'd be pretty tired from traveling for 14+ hours, and that the extra two hours of traveling from Narita to Tokyo would only make things worse.
My flight to Hong Kong was a red-eye leaving at midnight, meaning I had to be at the airport on March 10. I'm a very last minute kind of girl, so of course, on the evening of March 10, I still had a bit of packing and getting ready to do. Right after my family and I finally left the house at around 8:00 and were on the freeway to SFO, I realized that I had forgotten a very important document at home! Thankfully, we hadn't gotten too far, so that only set us back about 15 minutes. Upon getting to the airport, however, I encountered another setback.
I had only purchased a one way ticket to Japan. My work visa had not gotten to me yet since I was given notice that it was received by company just a week before my departure. This meant that I had to enter Japan on a tourist visa and change my visa status after my arrival. This also meant that I needed to buy a refundable return ticket somewhere [anywhere] to qualify for a 90 day tourist visa. The cheapest ticket was $2000. I only have a debit card with less money in my checking than my savings, so I couldn't buy it on my own. My dad's credit card wouldn't work either. The airline could not split the ticket price between our two cards. I felt like crying...after all this anticipation, hard work, and preparation, would I not be able to go to Japan after all? Luckily, my awesome friend Will had come to SFO to say goodbye to me. He had a working credit card, and being the punctual fellow that he is, had gotten to the airport way before I did. My knight in blue jeans! I really owe him big time for this one, haha.
After finally checking in and getting my boarding pass, I was all set and ready to go. But first, I had to say goodbye to everyone. Will had told me that his dad had driven him to the airport, so I was expecting to see him waiting around the corner in front of security. However, I was shocked to see that instead of his dad, my Friday Night Family was there instead! There are nine of us, including me and Will, that hang out every Friday night in San Francisco for drunken antics and all night [video] gaming fun times. I had thought I had said my final farewell to them when we had our last Friday night together the week prior, so you can imagine my surprise when I saw their smiling faces there at the airport! I was so touched and still a little shaken up about the whole ticket fiasco that I almost started crying. But I didn't, and we took a couple of awesome Family Fotos before parting ways.
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| Taped-on chap was there in spirit. He was sick at home for a couple of weeks :( |
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| Love these guys! ♥ |
This has gotten rather long, so stay tuned for part two!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
わたしが誇るまち
Long time no blog, I know! I'm finally getting settled in to a place of my own and started work on April 8 so things have been pretty hectic. But I thought I'd disclose some information about my new job and living situation since I've got some time on my hands.
I found employment through a private ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) company called RCS after being put on the waitlist for the prestigious JET Program two years in a row. I have several friends working through this company as well and they have had nothing but good experiences! I'm currently working at two junior high schools and one elementary school in the city of Kumagaya in Saitama Prefecture, which is just about an hour north of Tokyo. My job is to aid the head teacher, a native Japanese, in teaching English as a foreign language to the students. In a big way, my job is to also act as a cultural bridge between the U.S. and Japan because in addition to teaching English, I am a "living resource" -- I give my students a glimpse of what life is like in a country with a culture different from their own. I finished up my first full week on the job on Friday, and although I was a little nervous during my first few classes, I think they all went pretty well! The kids are very cute and sweet, although a few are a bit rowdy, haha.
The city I live in, Kumagaya, is well-known as the hottest place to be in Japan over the summer. I love the heat, but I don't know if I can handle THIS sort of weather! Japan gets hot, but it also gets humid. My friends in other cities in Saitama have told me that it feels like you're melting 24/7 because you're constantly sweating. I don't know what only a few degrees of difference will actually make out here, but I guess I'll find out in a few months when summer rolls around. Other than the potential heat factor, my city is great! It's close enough to Tokyo so that I can see my friends and family pretty frequently, the people here are really nice, and there's plenty to do in the area since it's not considered totally inaka ("rural"). My apartment is small but cozy, and I have only a 10 second walk to a river and road lined with sakura trees!
I found employment through a private ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) company called RCS after being put on the waitlist for the prestigious JET Program two years in a row. I have several friends working through this company as well and they have had nothing but good experiences! I'm currently working at two junior high schools and one elementary school in the city of Kumagaya in Saitama Prefecture, which is just about an hour north of Tokyo. My job is to aid the head teacher, a native Japanese, in teaching English as a foreign language to the students. In a big way, my job is to also act as a cultural bridge between the U.S. and Japan because in addition to teaching English, I am a "living resource" -- I give my students a glimpse of what life is like in a country with a culture different from their own. I finished up my first full week on the job on Friday, and although I was a little nervous during my first few classes, I think they all went pretty well! The kids are very cute and sweet, although a few are a bit rowdy, haha.
The city I live in, Kumagaya, is well-known as the hottest place to be in Japan over the summer. I love the heat, but I don't know if I can handle THIS sort of weather! Japan gets hot, but it also gets humid. My friends in other cities in Saitama have told me that it feels like you're melting 24/7 because you're constantly sweating. I don't know what only a few degrees of difference will actually make out here, but I guess I'll find out in a few months when summer rolls around. Other than the potential heat factor, my city is great! It's close enough to Tokyo so that I can see my friends and family pretty frequently, the people here are really nice, and there's plenty to do in the area since it's not considered totally inaka ("rural"). My apartment is small but cozy, and I have only a 10 second walk to a river and road lined with sakura trees!
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| I think I'm going to like living here :) |
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Discoveries, part 2
Hello! It's been a while. I've been somewhat busy lately. My last post was written when I had just moved from a hotel to a youth hostel, and I've been living with my relatives since this past Saturday. On Monday, I had my first day of training for my job, and in between everything, I've been doing various things with the relatives I'm living with.
I've found a few more interesting things about Japan that I thought I'd share. This list will no doubt keep growing and growing as long as I'm here, haha:
I've found a few more interesting things about Japan that I thought I'd share. This list will no doubt keep growing and growing as long as I'm here, haha:
- Produce in Japan, especially fruit, is pretty expensive. I bought a bag of three apples a while back for about US$3. A dollar an apple! My aunt bought a bag of oranges today for about US$5. I'm pretty sure there were less than six oranges in the bag. Small salads at convenience stores are generally more expensive than a decently sized bento meal too. I'm not really sure why this is.
- Japanese TV is some of the most entertaining stuff ever! I often watched variety shows and j-dramas on the Asian channels or the Internet back in California, but having access to it on a real TV has been a really great experience. Because of the recent disasters, a lot of the regular scheduled programming has been substituted with [often depressing] news (which I want to watch but have a bit of trouble understanding sometimes) so when I get the chance to watch an uplifting variety show, I'm never disappointed. It's been pretty helpful with my Japanese learning too.
- Squat toilets. Freaking. SUCK! If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out this video (note: subtitles are totally inaccurate but still pretty funny). My legs are pretty strong from working out and doing ballet so the squatting part doesn't bother me. What I hate the most about these is that I have no idea how I'm supposed to avoid getting "stuff" on my pants after I pull 'em down. My solution has been to completely remove them before squatting. This, however, is very troublesome and apparently unnecessary. These toilets are usually the only kind available publicly at train stations and other such places, so in an emergency, I have no choice. Suggestions on how to properly use these (from the ladies especially!) are most welcome.
- You really don't need to know much or any Japanese to get by in Japan, especially if you're in a super metro or touristy area like Tokyo. One of the big reasons why it took me a while to finally get to Japan is because I wasn't sure that my Japanese ability would be sufficient, particularly since I'm mistaken as a native Japanese person from time to time. A good number of Japanese people know English. The train station names are written and announced in English. Most of the menus in restaurants have photos that you can point to if you can't read Japanese. Even taxi drivers with no knowledge of the English language have "point here" cards for riders to easily let the driver know where they need to go. So if the language barrier is something that's holding you back from visiting Japan, don't let it!
- Not everyone here is super fashionable. I think it's a pretty widespread stereotype that Japanese people, especially the youngsters, are oshare. Now that I'm living here, I find this quite untrue! I still feel super bumpkin walking around places like Shinjuku or Shibuya in my old jeans and favorite tee (I'll definitely buy some clothes from 109 when I have the money though, haha), but I do encounter a similarly dressed person from time to time. Some things that are "in fashion" right now in Japan are kinda dumb anyway. One example is glasses frames with no lenses. Really, Japan? Really?
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Itadakimasu!
Since I don't have a permanent residence with a kitchen yet, I've mostly been living off of stuff I find at convenience stores or vending machines, just like a real Japanese salary man! I oftentimes come across things I'm familiar with and have had before in the states, but since I'm on a new adventure, I've been attempting to broaden my horizons by trying stuff I've never tasted before. Here's a small list of things I've enjoyed (○) and disliked (×).
○ Curry pan (curry bread): It might sound surprising to some, but I hadn't had it before Japan! It's like a savory donut, covered in breadcrumbs, and injected with curry sauce. Amazing, amazing, amazing. Not super healthy, but a tasty treat every now and again for sure.
× Mentaiko (pollock roe): I ate it in a riceball. It was way too salty for my taste. The kind I bought was also supposed to be spicy, but it totally wasn't. Maybe it would've been more edible if I had some Sriracha to throw on there, hehe.
○ Royal milk tea: I heard about it back at home, and it's now become a new obsession of mine! It's not the healthiest thing in the world, but holy moly, is it ever a delicious sweet treat :9 I think it's a basic black tea with sugar and cream. You can find them in vending machines too, but the one I had in a cafe was so much better. The cream they added to it was hot!
× Dark green tea (Oi Ocha brand): Bought it in a bottle yesterday just to see what it tasted like. It's not terrible, but I do prefer the original which, strangely enough, already tastes darker than the ones I've had in the US.
○ Ramen: The REAL kind. With a pork-based broth, big ol' slabs of pork floating on top, and thick chewy noodles. Heaven in a bowl.
× Potato chips: Alright, obviously I've had these before, but all the ones I've come across out here are basically like Pringles -- mashed potatoes molded into a chip shape and then baked or fried. Where are the dang kettle chips?!
Looking at this list makes me realize that I should probably start looking for delicious Japanese food that won't make me fat. I heard that most people, especially Americans, typically lose weight while they're in Japan because the portions tend to be smaller. Obviously this won't be the case if I keep eating curry pan, royal milk tea, and ramen all the time, so I'd better start watching it!
○ Curry pan (curry bread): It might sound surprising to some, but I hadn't had it before Japan! It's like a savory donut, covered in breadcrumbs, and injected with curry sauce. Amazing, amazing, amazing. Not super healthy, but a tasty treat every now and again for sure.
× Mentaiko (pollock roe): I ate it in a riceball. It was way too salty for my taste. The kind I bought was also supposed to be spicy, but it totally wasn't. Maybe it would've been more edible if I had some Sriracha to throw on there, hehe.
○ Royal milk tea: I heard about it back at home, and it's now become a new obsession of mine! It's not the healthiest thing in the world, but holy moly, is it ever a delicious sweet treat :9 I think it's a basic black tea with sugar and cream. You can find them in vending machines too, but the one I had in a cafe was so much better. The cream they added to it was hot!
× Dark green tea (Oi Ocha brand): Bought it in a bottle yesterday just to see what it tasted like. It's not terrible, but I do prefer the original which, strangely enough, already tastes darker than the ones I've had in the US.
○ Ramen: The REAL kind. With a pork-based broth, big ol' slabs of pork floating on top, and thick chewy noodles. Heaven in a bowl.
× Potato chips: Alright, obviously I've had these before, but all the ones I've come across out here are basically like Pringles -- mashed potatoes molded into a chip shape and then baked or fried. Where are the dang kettle chips?!
Looking at this list makes me realize that I should probably start looking for delicious Japanese food that won't make me fat. I heard that most people, especially Americans, typically lose weight while they're in Japan because the portions tend to be smaller. Obviously this won't be the case if I keep eating curry pan, royal milk tea, and ramen all the time, so I'd better start watching it!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Discoveries
My actual trip to Japan was ridiculously crazy in itself, but that'll wait until another post. Here are a few fascinating things I've found since being in Japan though:
- There are drink vending machines just about everywhere! You can get hot or cold stuff too, and most are only about ¥100 (around US$1).
- Japanese toilets are amazing. I'm not talking about the squat toilets though....screw those! Haha. The Western-styled kind with a Japanese twist have all sorts of gadgets like a seat warmer (really amazing in cold weather!), butt spray (not personally recommended), and the ability to make a fake flushing sound to cover up the noise you make when you go number two (apparently developed just for the ladies). The stalls in most of the public bathrooms I've been in also have sanitizing solution available so you can directly put your bottom on the toilet seat after cleaning it.
- The trains here are incredibly efficient and totally clean. Because of the earthquake, they apparently haven't been quite on schedule and some aren't even running, but they still seem very reliable to me. The stops and transfer stations are all announced (in both Japanese and English), and even when it's super duper crowded (as seen in this viral video) people will actually move out of the way for you when you need to disembark.
- There are no garbage cans anywhere! A friend told me that most Japanese people hold on to their garbage to deal with at home because they sort it according to whether or not it's flammable. But there's very little, if any, litter on the streets or sidewalk, surprisingly enough. My inner-hippie loves it!
- Convenience stores are convenient. Not only do they sell snacks, cosmetics, and toiletries, you can get full on meals that are affordable and delicious. What's more, if it needs heating, the store clerk will do it for you! Most, if not all, are open 24 hours too.
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