Ohayo!
The past few days have been extremely eventful and eye-opening! I’d rather not elaborate on our traumatic venture from the Tokyo to Nagoya train station after we landed, but I will say that the overnight sleeper bus was sold out, and you should never attempt to transport five huge (one 73 lbs) luggage bags onto a bullet train and expect not to experience humiliation in the crowded midst of stoic Japanese as you try, sweating and apologizing in a language foreign to those around you, to haul your bags down the narrow aisle and completely disrupt the flow of traffic. When we finally arrived in Nagoya (this is after 24 hours of straight travel without sleep) with our obese American bags we had to find a place to stay the night (we were planning on the sleeper bus to save money on a hostel—unfortunately these tickets cannot be purchased online) while speaking no Japanese. Mistake number one. I have never been so ready and excited to learn a language. Once we finally found accommodation, we fell into a stunned sleep and woke up five hours later.
The next day our positive attitudes were fully renewed. Our helpful Canadian landlord, Bruce, picked us up in his van and introduced us to our surprisingly spacious apartment that is well-equipped with kitchen aids, a comfortable bed, a TV/DVD player and beautiful Japanese sliding glass doors. We have a large balcony (where our washing machine is located), a deep bathtub with circulation to maintain a nice temperature, and a lot of storage space. We are coincidentally located directly above an Italian restaurant (harr harr) and next door is a small English pub as well as a fresh fruit and vegetable stand. We are located around the corner from a few coffee shops, two large supermarkets, and the subway line.
On Saturday Bruce arranged for us to meet up with Anne, another ECC teacher from Iowa, whom he also helped move in. Anne has been to Japan five times, speaks Japanese and has a Japanese boyfriend. She took us to her favorite curry restaurant for our first ever meal in Japan and taught us a few useful phrases. I’m sure we’ll all become good friends and it’s very helpful to know someone who speaks Japanese (don’t worry, we start our lessons soon). This morning we’re all meeting up for sushi and she’s showing us the ward where we’ll officially register in the neighborhood (this will enable us to get cellphones and internet—I’m currently using the internet I bought from a Wi-Fi spot at our place for a day).
We probably spent three hours total doing our grocery shopping yesterday. It was an experience (trying to determine what everything was) and our fridge and cupboards are stocked with Japanese food and fresh fruits and veggies. We made miso soup for dinner last night and had chocolate pockys for dessert. I am already loving this Japanese diet (especially the rice and seaweed).
Right now it’s pouring rain—a change from the warm tee-shirt weather we’ve had thus far. I woke up at 4:30 this morning and couldn’t fall back asleep so was making coffee in the kitchen by 5:00. It’s now 7:30 and I’ve managed to write this blog, in my journal, and send some e-mails. We love hearing from everyone back home and will post photos and hopefully have regular Internet access soon! Thanks for reading ☺
Claire