Nippon (or Japan to you laypeople)

Konnichiwa, Welcome to Nippon (June 1996)

Touching down in Nagoya, Japan, after an extremely long day of travel, was like a scene out of a movie.  If you've seen "Lost in Translation", you will understand. 

The city was lit up like Vegas, billboards promoting everything from Pikachu and Hello Kitty, to Suntory whisky and sake. The streets were lined bumper to bumper with cars and taxis, and streams of people were everywhere. It was close to midnight and the city had a pulsing life. I was jet lagged and exhausted but felt exhilarated. 

I met with someone from the English school I would be teaching at, and they brought me to a hotel for the night. The room consisted of a single bed with a nightstand and a small washroom. There was just enough room for my two backpacks and myself. I could literally lay down and touch all the walls. I prayed my apartment would be bigger than this. After showering the filth of a 4 hour car ride, a 16 hour flight and a 20 minute taxi ride, I fell into a deep sleep. I awoke the next morning feeling slightly confused and pondering my decision to move across the world. I was here so decided to make the most of it. 

I took a quick shower and was ready when the same colleague  from the night before picked me up to bring me to work. Not even in the country 12 hours and I was due to start work right away. The Japanese certainly don't mess around. Or give a girl time to adjust! I was taken to the head office where I met with the president of the company and some of the Japanese teachers. They gave me a tour and orientation, then brought me for my first official Japanese lunch. The restaurant was extremely crowded and loud, and I got many stares from the tables around us. My fellow lunch companions were surprised I was able to use chopsticks but having worked at a Chinese restaurant all through school, I had mastered that skill. 

After lunch, I was taken to the train station, put on the Shinkansen (bullet train) and told to get off in an hour in Shizouka, the second stop, where someone would be waiting for me. The Shinkansen links most major cities and operates at a speed as fast as 320km/h. I could barely register what we were passing as the images outside were mostly a blur.  Reaching the second stop and hearing the conductor announce Shizuoka, I grabbed my bags and exited the train. There was a Japanese woman, Yuko,  waiting for me as promised. She walked me to the head office, a mere 10 minutes from the station. I met a number of people there and then took a taxi to my home for the year, an apartment that was thankfully slightly bigger than my hotel room. 

After climbing three flights of stairs with my heavy packs, I made my first of many blunders by entering the apartment without removing my shoes. I was so excited to see how big it was, I rushed right in after dumping my bags. I received an instant reprimand from Yuko and quickly returned to the genkan (entranceway) to remove my shoes. Reading up on Japanese culture and customs still hadn’t prepared me for what I would encounter. I was told that I would have the rest of the day to myself to unpack, shown how to use the washing machine that was on my balcony (I would need to keep shoes out there for the purpose of laundry), shown a map where the closest convenient and grocery stores were and was finally left alone. I unpacked my bags, hoping I had everything I needed for an entire year and four seasons (well, five if you include rainy season). I unrolled my futon and fell asleep to the sounds of the boys next door at the Esso gas station screaming IRASSHAIMASE, the standardized Japanese greeting to a customer. Little did I know that these boys would become good friends over the next year, waving to me daily, pumping air into my bike tires, and even lending their uniforms for a Hallowe’en party.  

Nothing can truly prepare you for living abroad. Not only are you away from the familiarity and comforts of home, you are experiencing new things almost daily. Being away from loved ones is hard and Skype or FaceTime didn't exist yet. Figuring out the time zones and waking up when loved ones back home were just going to bed made my head spin. 

Somehow,  I managed to survive in this strange, beautiful land.  

Return to read about some of my favourite adventures during what became a 6 year stay in Japan.

~MT