Hello from Japan
Well, I figured that I should check in and say hello to everyone back in the states. It's the middle of the day on Saturday, and I just got back to my hotel room after wandering around Nagasaki for a bit.
Let me say that culture shock can be quite true.
When I landed in Tokyo, I had to take a shuttle between the Narita and Haneda airports, because the latter was the only place I could get a flight out to Nagasaki. Well, on that ~50 minute bus ride, I noticed a lot of things. One, the trees are different. That was relatively expected, but it doesn't really hit you until you see it. What I didn't expect was that the grass was different (what little of it I saw). I mean, it's grass. You don't really think about that sort of thing.
Barely made the flight to Nagasaki--apparently my plane was slightly late to Tokyo, so I had a helper, held up a sign with my name and everything, to rush me through customs/immigration. I was the last passenger on the JAL flight, but at least I made it. Didn't make it to the hotel in time though--Nagasaki airport is another bus ride of around an hour away from the city, and I hadn't taken that into account when I made my flight. But I did make it, and after sending out an email, pretty much passed out.
Spent two incredibly boring days at work. Other people did most of the talking to the Japanese people, so my interaction has been mostly getting food and thanking them.
Speaking of food--I was dreading it. And thus far, I've managed ok. I've tried a couple of the japanese side dishes, without completing them, but I can't bring myself to even consider a main dish. It's just so..unappetizing. There's no doubt I'm a gaijin, right? Well, I tracked down a steak house last night (with some weird Japanese root, I think), and a pizza joint today. Their pizza (I got a plain) typically has some weird toppings--I think I saw one with corn and ham on the menu. And they use different cheeses than we do. Good enough, but it's not quite the same.
But I found a grocery store today, and was pleased to find what everyone had told me I could. Tony the Tiger. So at least I can have a breakfast now that isn't fish and rice. *shudder* Got some american-ized snacks to go along with it, too.
One final note of things I've noticed here. Coca-Cola? It's *good* here. I mean, like really good. Like, better than American Pepsi. Of everything I've experienced thus far, that's probably the thing I'm going to miss the most when I get back to the states.
Anyway, time to head to the Haminamachi (I think that's how it's called, anyway--it's a little covered street-mall thing), and see if I can't find a bowl and a spoon. The supermarket had paper plates and cups, but nothing else...so if I don't want to have cereal in a cup and try to drink it, I need to track down something to eat with.
That's it from me for now. I'll probably try to put out at least one other update before I leave.
Let me say that culture shock can be quite true.
When I landed in Tokyo, I had to take a shuttle between the Narita and Haneda airports, because the latter was the only place I could get a flight out to Nagasaki. Well, on that ~50 minute bus ride, I noticed a lot of things. One, the trees are different. That was relatively expected, but it doesn't really hit you until you see it. What I didn't expect was that the grass was different (what little of it I saw). I mean, it's grass. You don't really think about that sort of thing.
Barely made the flight to Nagasaki--apparently my plane was slightly late to Tokyo, so I had a helper, held up a sign with my name and everything, to rush me through customs/immigration. I was the last passenger on the JAL flight, but at least I made it. Didn't make it to the hotel in time though--Nagasaki airport is another bus ride of around an hour away from the city, and I hadn't taken that into account when I made my flight. But I did make it, and after sending out an email, pretty much passed out.
Spent two incredibly boring days at work. Other people did most of the talking to the Japanese people, so my interaction has been mostly getting food and thanking them.
Speaking of food--I was dreading it. And thus far, I've managed ok. I've tried a couple of the japanese side dishes, without completing them, but I can't bring myself to even consider a main dish. It's just so..unappetizing. There's no doubt I'm a gaijin, right? Well, I tracked down a steak house last night (with some weird Japanese root, I think), and a pizza joint today. Their pizza (I got a plain) typically has some weird toppings--I think I saw one with corn and ham on the menu. And they use different cheeses than we do. Good enough, but it's not quite the same.
But I found a grocery store today, and was pleased to find what everyone had told me I could. Tony the Tiger. So at least I can have a breakfast now that isn't fish and rice. *shudder* Got some american-ized snacks to go along with it, too.
One final note of things I've noticed here. Coca-Cola? It's *good* here. I mean, like really good. Like, better than American Pepsi. Of everything I've experienced thus far, that's probably the thing I'm going to miss the most when I get back to the states.
Anyway, time to head to the Haminamachi (I think that's how it's called, anyway--it's a little covered street-mall thing), and see if I can't find a bowl and a spoon. The supermarket had paper plates and cups, but nothing else...so if I don't want to have cereal in a cup and try to drink it, I need to track down something to eat with.
That's it from me for now. I'll probably try to put out at least one other update before I leave.