Week 1

view from my rooms balcony

Well I made it, safe and sound! So far Japan has been everything I dreamed it would be!

 My host family is very kind and understanding of my many Japanese mistakes and have been helping me understand and communicate a little more smoothly with each passing day. Over the past week I have experienced quite a lot, I've met many people from all around the world and made a few interesting new friends who I'm sure will  be experiencing many of the same things that I am as well.

The first thing that was of major interest for me was going to get my rail pass, or manaca card. Having never had to ride trains or subways before I was excited to get to try it out! So after my host mother kindly assisted me in filling out the information and spoke with the station employee running the register in rapid Japanese, I received my card and we proceeded to go and visit my university. I was amazed by the speed and ease by which the train system ran with perfect punctuality! not to mention watching the many different small towns go by was incredibly scenic and beautiful! The subway which we took next after was equally interesting and incredibly clean!  All in all, the commute to school which I will be making daily will take me about 45 to 50 mins with only one transfer to the subway line.

Gaijin story of the day: I've decided to document the most foreigner moments of my experience to help anyway who ever decides to travel to Japan. Sharing my embarrassment may help someone save a little face if they ever decide to travel. For the first Gaijin moment I look toward the first time I took the subway to school alone.

Being the first day of school I left a little early in order to ensure I made it on time in case I made any mistakes with directions. so I arrived to the subway earlier than planned and had time to wait for the next train to make its way to the stop. waiting with a few hundred other early passengers (all Japanese) I double checked the line I was about to get on and as the train pulled up and opened its doors I stepped in. after waiting a few seconds I realized no one else was getting on board (of the hundred Japanese people waiting I was the only one who got on. Frantically, I realized the train I had just stepped on was making its last stop at this station and was about to head off to a storage tunnel (or where ever they out trains when they stop running) and just before the doors shut I jumped back off onto the platform. Polite as always the Japanese people all around me said nothing, but I'm sure it was a good laugh for everyone who saw my look of surprise and embarrassment. Laughing to myself I got on the next train just fine :) 

Every night at 8 o'clock my host family (Miyako-san and Jun-san) and myself sit down for dinner. It is always something new and interesting. For instance, the other night I had deep fried ebi (shrimp) and fresh tako (octopus) it was delicious!!! :) we talk mostly in Japanese although Miyako does most of the talking and I do most of the listening it is still a lot of fun and the conversation is always interesting and great way for me to learn new things about the Japanese language.

This Sunday, my host family and I took a drive to a local book store up the street quite a ways it was huge!! and the selection of material was amazing!! after that we stopped at a chain of half price used book stores called Book Off which was even more interesting (considering I could pretty much anything I ever dreamed of for 100yen (about $1) ) I even picked up a couple of books! a children's Book telling the classic Miyazaki film Howl's Moving Castle (my favorite) and two of a reprint of the famous sci-fi graphic novel Akira (Uncle John you should be proud :p) 

Everyone here has been very kind and helpful so far and I am really looking forward to the rest of the year. I hope everyone is doing well back home, I miss you all. :) Today  I will be going to Nagoya castle with a group of students from school I will be sure to take  a lot of pictures to post in my next entry. Have a great week everyone!
Till next time じゃまた！