Hello, everyone. Back to it I suppose. Hopefully my sautéed octopus breakfast will prove energizing fuel for an informative entry. By the way, "gaijin" means "foreigner" in Japan.
A lot has happened in the last few days, which have felt like months. I really hit the ground running here and haven’t stopped since. By now I have been here five days and have: set up and stocked my apartment with the necessities (wasabi sauce, a giant knife, a teapot, etc.), established my bank account, my alien registration card, my commuter pass, underwent a two day orientation, planned my first lesson, climbed a mountain, explored my city and visited downtown Tokyo. I am still spinning a bit from the completely sudden lifestyle and, although I am ecstatic, I'm whistling like the wind up bird.
First off, my apartment is amazing. It is like a futuristic life-support chamber outfitted for extended comfort. It is centrally controlled by a computer in the wall which speaks to me in Japanese when I make mistakes punching the interface with my blunted fist in frustration at not being able to get the hot water to turn on. This computer controls everything from the sink temperature, the light intensity, and the motion sensor settings, shower fan heat and duration, the front door, the door locks, and…the toilet is really one of those electronic singing ones…I shit you not. It is small but it has everything I need (kind of like Japan?). I call my restorative capsule the “Enetron”. Unfortunately it doesn’t feed me and even after a good night’s rest I am still hungry…
Shopping is quite an experience, as you might have guessed, but I have adapted a new philosophy which I hope will make it easier: toss things blindly in a bag then feast on it later. I think this might be the only feasible way to decipher what the hell it is that I am actually eating. Today I plan to have yellow squares and some red sticks with a bowl of ramen flavored with *&^%. The food is pretty amazing any way you slice it but slightly expensive for Western standards. I have really been enjoying the loose leaf green tea and the tuna filets. I also went out with my company contact, Mr. Sano, for a sushi meal and finally learned how to eat the stuff properly, which does actually make a substantial difference in the experience all around.
Sano has been a lifesaver. While the Japanese bureaucracy is quick and efficient, the general English level is prohibitive to any sort of errorless transaction. That said, I have never been so amused in a city hall office. The workers smile with huge grins, bob their heads in anticipation and flit around like busy bees from one station to another getting through customers faster than humanly possible and at the end they hand out everything with two outstretched arms and a bowed head. Even at the restaurants the staff seems to be buzzing across the room with intent. In general the people seem to be quickly moving from place to place but it doesn’t seem stressed. They move swiftly across roads, through shops and even up mountains but I don’t sense any urgency or worry.
I went with a few of the other teachers at my school to explore some nature reserves and we struck gold on the first try. We found our way to a mountain nestled hot spring house with a hiking trail into the mountains and valleys of Kanagawa. The mountain we climbed was magnificent. There is a Shinto shrine at the top and panoramic views of Tokyo sprawled below. It is about 20 minutes by bus from the Enetron and I am positive I will be going back frequently. It might be a necessary relief after the long days ahead.
The mountain were nice but central Tokyo is a wilderness all its own. Dazzling seizure-inducing displays illuminate the expanse of polished glass and concrete like some massive outdoor casino floor. People of all sorts, punks and suits, dart from place to place under the neon towers of this futuristic landscape. Extended bridges of white steel carry pedestrians through the treetops and over the river of cars below. Monolithic temples rest their stones aside the indigo glow of the skyscrapers. Seas of green parks abruptly intercede in the madness to bring fresh air into the chaos of a booming orchestra of movement and transaction. Everything is clean. Everything works. I spent all last night wandering the cybernetic streets of this harmonious techno-human settlement. Those are the initial impressions…wait and see how they change!
The work orientation was blah. I did learn a lot about the company, specifically, that the president has a hilarious sense of humor and, well, let’s say ultra-high self confidence. I met teachers from other campuses at the workshops who live around the city and am actually going to visit some of them today right after writing this. Which reminds me, I have a week off before I even start teaching! Because of the swine flu there is a delay in courses starting so I have to fill a week in Japan somehow… should be interesting.
I posted the photos from my historic first five days on Picasa. Sorry for the shorty…I’m not quite collected yet.
Thomas
