June 1st

Day one continued….

So they fed us once again. Fruit, stuffed tortellini and milano cookies. This time I made sure that I got coffee. Needed cream and two sugars. Had to wake my ass up. We finally arrive at the gate of narita airport at 430pm. Get off the plane and take a picture of a ‘welcome to japan sign”. go thru customs where a tourettes guy is spouting off. The girl in front of me is chatty and tells me that she is on her way to see her soon to be inlaws. She’s half Korean. Go downstairs and get my bags and leave thru customs.

I get out and I see naoko and mari. I get my travelers cheques changed out and go buy a ticket. They offered to carry one of my bags which is still quite heavy. We get on the train and start talking a bit. I don’t know much Japanese and they don’t know much English. Mari knows more than naoko but they still need their little dictionary/translator. Mari wants to go to America to see a mariners baseball game. I told them I want to see Tokyo street fashion and they weren’t sure what that was. I said it was when you dress up goth and they were like ohhh harajuku. They asked if I wanted to dress up and I said I would. They laughed and said to take a picuture. The ride seemed like forever.

We get to the dorm and had to walk up a hill so I felt bad they were carrying my bag. We check me in and I get the key and have a cubby for shoes. We don’t have time to eat at a restaurant and mari had to go back to her apt. naoko and I go to the convenience store and get dinner and breakfast. I get a strawberry yogurt and and udon noodles. We come back and eat and I need to blow my nose. I try to find the bathroom and find the shower room and am perplexed. It is a big open room with shower heads around the wall and no curtains. Naoko comes to find me and I ask if everyone gets naked all at the same time and she says yes. Hhhhmmm.. ok.

Well we finish dinner and then go to our rooms. I ask if she is going to bed and she said she has to take a shower. Oh yes. Well I’m going to unpack and then shower. I didn’t want to be awkward and see her naked since we kind of no each other. Well I try to wait it out and hope that not many will be in there if it’s getting closer to closing time. I was wrong. Suck it up. I get in there with one bucket with my things in it and open the shower door and realize that you use the other bucket to sit on. Ohhhhh. And I was walking around in my towel. So I get the other bucket and get to it. Naoko walked in the shower at the same time also. I’m quick, I wash my hair and my bits and rinse. I kept the towel in there, which I don’t think I was supposed to do. Wrapped up and went out. Got dressed in my room and brushed my teeth.

Then phon knocked on my door and gave me and rail map and we started talking. She is a pharmacist from tailand. She spent the day with Brandon at a fun park. She said she knew who I was because I kept myself wrapped up. We were talking about how we were not used to such practices. She said that in Japanese culture it is rude to shower standing up but it is polite to sit down. Okay! Well she is going to kyoto tomorrow and I’ll see her again on Saturday. Finally Brandon called back and we shared our last few days.

Man I really need to find some internet!

on my way

i've started out my day very early... Bryan and Ksenia were awesome and drove me to the airport around 1am so i could catch my 6am flight to washington, dc. when i get there, they are turning out the lights, so i'm too late to check in. i sleep in the chair for an hour and then decide to move to the floor. it's ok, because i've been sleeping in a sleeping bag at home the last few nights after my bed was taken to storage. but it's still uncomfortable and it's getting colder. i only have my red jacket. i'm huddled with my bags around me and it's around 3am and i'm awake. i eat some of my delicious cinnamon crunch bagel from panera bread and wait for the check-in to begin.

that doesn't really happen till about 430am and then i'm free of my huge bags and go to another waiting area. i keep getting stared at by an asian woman. weird. the plane is musty and hot, but i got a window seat, which i promptly shut the window to and put on my eye mask. i slept like a rock.

it's 715am and i'm in washington dulles international. waiting for the plane. i get a croisantwich from dd and try to study some japanese. i'm not getting very far, i'm very sleepy. i call mom and brenda and wake up a bit. i check in for my flight and finally brush my teeth. i was stupid and didn't write down anyone's phone number so i'm paying $6.95 for wireless internet. my flight has also been bumped back an hour. great! i was hoping to be asleep on the plane soon :( i've emailed naoko and told her my flight is delayed and write down kara's, maiko's, and brandon's phone number. i open my phone and i can't understand :( it's written in too much kanji. i'll get the hang of it i hope.

and here i am, 1147am, waiting for my 1:20pm flight out. i will then fly into the future 13hours hopefully sleeping most of the time.

i'm going to post pictures to my kodak photo gallery and post the link. if i'm crafty enough, i'll even post some on here :) be prepared for a lot of photos!