Japan or Bust!: First Post! (In Morioka...)

The first part of this post is from the night of the 28th, when we first arrived at Morioka:

I have reached my [almost] final destination for the next two years of my life: Morioka City in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. The impression that I get from Morioka is that it is similar to Tokyo, just a lot smaller. Like how Chicago and Kansas City are similar....They're in the same country. HAH!

Our hotel is attached to the train station, so I suppose this is the center of town. There is a nice shopping mall attached to the train station as well, so I have a feeling I will be coming here often (I do adore looking at Japanese fashion...).

I flew into Tokyo on the 26th and was greeted by my wonderful Waseda-era host mother. She was already at the airport saying goodbye to the host daughter that came after me, so she was kind enough to wait for me and help me with my luggage. We arrived ‘home’ a little after 4 p.m. and I took the rest of the day easy. Dinner with the host family was nice, relaxed and the elder host-brother had no idea why I was in Japan, but just accepted it as a normal thing. He was very surprised to learn I would be here for two years. I don’t think he even knew I had graduated.

The next day I went to the Imperial Palace (the ‘gardens’ that is) and walked around in the terrible heat and humidity. I forgot how hard summers in Tokyo could be...The grounds around the palace (which I didn’t actually see...the palace, that is) were very nice. The landscaping was impeccable, there were some pretty flowers and even a cute little orchard.

Imperial Gardens and Tokyo

citi bank looks so nice..

After that I went to Citi Bank, which happened to be right next to the subway station entrance and exchanged my traveler’s checks. I was afraid I would not have enough money for the Shinkansen ticket, but in the end I did...now I have copious amounts of yen, and I don’t know what to do with them (spend? save? Maybe I’ll save them. Maybe...). The teller gave me a hard time because my signature was not 100% the same as the original one, so I had to write it five more times! It was crazy. At least I was in the air conditioning.

After that I walked through the subway station (otemachi station) all the way to Tokyo JR station (it was probably a fifteen minute walk) and took the yamanote to Ueno, where I walked around for a bit then decided to go home. The combination of heat and jet-lag really got to me so I just gave up. When I arrived at my home station, I went to my favorite conbini (7-Eleven) and bought a pack of mini-onigiri, peach jelly and some milk tea (yum). It was a good lunch, and after that I was so exhausted I stayed in bed until dinner.

Overall, I had a decent day in Tokyo. Unfortunately, most of my Waseda friends were in their home towns so I was unable to see them.

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So, that's what I wrote waaaay back when.

Since then we have had a week of orientation (learned basics about the school system, went on a walking tour of Morioka's 'downtown', applied for the Alien Registration card, opened a bank account, got a cell phone, signed up for internet and even learned how to sort my trash! Speaking of which, I missed trash day on Thursday so I have a giant bag of trash--but that is irrelevant.

This past week was our vacation week and I've spent it learning how to, among other things, ride a bike in Japan, and how to get to the three nearest grocery stores. I suppose it is the same in America, but in Japan it is common to go to different stores for different items. One store has special sales on Wednesdays, one store has cheaper rice, and another store sells cheaper, but still good quality, produce. That's not very interesting, but it's what I've learned.

I start work on Tuesday, so if I'm not super lazy, I will post again soon about work!

Until next time!