This is by no means a comprehensive account of the last few days. Time here is very tight, and I’ve found it hard to get moments to write, but I wanted to record some impressions before my brain dumped it all!
At the time of writing I’ve been in Tokyo for about 48 hours. That doesn’t seem like a big number considering everything that has happened in that time.
The plane trip passed glacially. It was 3 movies, 2 TV shows and a smattering of the rock radio channel in duration. We would enter a pocket of reliably rugged turbulence (enough to make the pilot request all passengers stay in their seats) every 2 hours or so.
My stomach went rogue on me as a response to a slight case of nerves – the ‘you’ve sold your whole life and are moving to a country where you don’t speak the language’ kind. For me, the flight offered a valuable chance to calm down. Of course, once calm I just wanted to get the heck off the flight!
We were told to prepare for heat and humidity. More than once. But that’s a bit like telling someone to prepare for a rectal examination: it doesn’t matter how prepared you are. It’s still going to be a surprise. I don’t know how many buses were contracted to take us from the airport to the hotel, but the one I was on – the important one – had air conditioning. Sweet, delicious air conditioning. We rode for somewhere between 2 and 3 hours on this bus, all the time being told important information about the orientation we were about to arrive at.
And then suddenly we were there.
In Keio Plaza, we are receiving an almost continual supply of advice and food. One of yesterday’s speakers mentioned today – and it’s quite true – that you will probably never again see so many people from so many different countries all in one place as at orientation. Surreal.
The first night I was too tired to do much beyond enter a coma. I slept for 8 hours without so much as a stir. When I woke it was 8:15... in New Zealand. Where I was it was 5:15. Damn. I ended up starting the day with a nice relaxing bath. I got out only when I realised that I was blazing through my book – the only English one I brought with me – too quickly.
So on the second night I had something to make up for. Along with 11 other brave JETs, mostly from NZ (but not entirely. I’m not, like, a racist), we made our way to the viewing platform at the top of the Tokyo Metropolitan Building. There was a really nice view, which I probably would have paid more attention to, had this place not also housed the best toy store I have ever seen. I got some cool goodies: an Astro Boy t-shirt (to go with my Astro Boy hoodie?), a pack of Tottoro cards and an Astro Boy phone charm. Cush got a Catbus pencil case.
We decided to catch a train to Shibuya. To get to the train station we had to pass through a series of alleyways, each one crammed with hawkers, neon signs, vending machines, sauntering hipsters and weary salarymen. I couldn’t get it enough. This feasts for the senses was exactly why I wanted to be in Japan.
We made it to the station and from there to Shibuya itself. Riding the train was very reminiscent of being in China... riding the train. Actually, the whole situation of being unleashed in a huge unfamiliar metropolis was so similar that I had to make a conscious effort not to speak Chinese. That would have been embarrassing. Shibuya is the home to what I’m told is the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world. I was delighted to find it is also home to some genuinely talented buskers. I saw two different groups, and both impressed me with their musicianship and their performance. One was a funk trio – drums, bass and guitar. The other was a duo, female vocalist, male guitarist. They kind of put the buskers you see on Queen Street to shame! After an all too brief exploration of Shibuya it was time to race back to the train station. Last train was at 11:00, and nobody wanted to face the prospect of finding our way home without the train!
On the way home we saw a robot. Okay, a mannequin with a light stick taped to its arm, but I’m still counting it as my first Japanese robot view!
I’m looking forward to getting to my prefecture and starting to put a life and a home together with my beautiful wife. It has been hard being separated from her for the last few days (someone hates us, and placed us in different rooms). But I’ll never forget the adventures with the other JETs in Tokyo. I don’t feel like I’m finished here. I would like to come back one day.
