First day in 日本♥

I am FINALLY posting!
I have returned from Italy. I got a full night's sleep in my own bed, which was bliss. Yesterday was exhausting, but I feel much better today.

I journaled all about Italy as well, but I'll update Japan first. It will go in chronological order of course, and I'll date each entry.
Enjoy! ^^


Monday, July 9th
Today was the first day of my Japan adventures. After leaving Minneapolis/Saint Paul around 2:30 PM, Sunday, going through a 13 hour, sleepless flight, we arrived in Narita Airport on Monday at about 5 PM, Japan time.
You'd think we'd be jet lagged and exhausted by the time we got off, but rather we were fueled by adrenaline.

After getting through customs, we were joyously welcomed by the Narita Kokusai students who visited Kennedy in March. They even brought a poster that they all made! We were all so happy, and one of the Narita students was almost crying. There were many screams and hugs.

The poster they made us! ♥

 

Shiho, me, and Moeko!
I was so happy to see them, thank you for coming and seeing us!! :)

Even though we only got to know them for two weeks, followed by Facebook connections and messaging, it was amazing how I think we all saw how important we are to each other. In a way, I think my international friendships are some of my most valuable.
After our short reunion with our friends, we filed onto a charter bus. Before leaving, our driver welcomed us with some broken English. He was very cheerful and friendly, and had us laughing with a few jokes.

Then we left for our hotel in Tokyo, about an hour and a half away. The time flew by though. We were all mesmerized by our surroundings, taking pictures of everything through our windows.

Coming through downtown Tokyo was an amazing sight. I've been studying the Japanese language and culture for three years now, so I had some sort of idea what Tokyo would look like. I'd seen pictures and videos, and I had been told of how crowded it was there. But getting the full real-life view of the streets of Tokyo from a raised highway, was remarkable for me. I could see all the narrow streets from the curving ramp. There were many pedestrians, and even though it was 7 PM, we could still see many people working in the soaring office buildings.

A view just outside downtown Tokyo. Note the ferris wheel! :D

Arriving at our hotel was particularly awesome. The grand Keio Plaza is very fancy. It has tall ceilings, large mirrors, crystal chandeliers, and lovely furnishings throughout the large lobby.

After getting situated in our rooms, we went out to eat. As we sat down, there was already a pan of vegetables, meats, and broth cooking over a fire directly on our table.

Our meal! :)

The place settings.

Adam showing off his chopsticks skills!

This was our first official Japanese meal, and we also encountered some Japanese table etiquette. Of course, you eat with chopsticks, but we also learned some things we didn't already know. For example, we learned the proper way to hold your rice bowl. One major thing we caught on to quickly, was that it is impolite to serve yourself at the table. You always serve others first, and someone will return the favor. Also, you are supposed to say, "いただきます," before meals, and "ごちそさまでした," after meals. Oh, and the food was reeeeaaalllyy good.

Leaving the restaurant, we were all definitely exhausted. Most of us went directly back to the hotel, but Sensei, I, and a few others went to the post office to withdraw Yen from ATMs. When I was there, I kept an eye out for fashion. One woman that caught my attention had a dull rose maxi dress, with a loose, white, crocheted sweater, which was almost crop-length. I thought it was adorable, and discreetly snapped a picture.

The girl on the right, with the outfit I talked about. ^^

I also had my first experience at a Japanese public bathroom today. It was cleaner for one thing.
I used a stall with a washlet. The door went all the way to the floor, and the toilet had buttons with different functions, one of which was a seat warmer. I didn't use it, but overall, the experience was much more pleasant than those in the U.S.
Later on, I used another public bathroom before boarding our charter bus. I was shocked to sit down and find that the seat warmer was already on.
Everyone has been so kind since we got here. I'm adjusting to trying to speak Japanese to everyone, but a lot of the times, they try to speak English to us first.
Overall, today was incredible! :)