| An Alaskan Girl in Japan |
[24 Aug 2008|03:34am] |
Well, I'm finally in Japan. Not a terribly easy process, but all things told, I think it's gone pretty well.
The story really begins Friday night. I had dinner with my sisters, their families and ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) mermaidrain. After that, mermaidrain kept me company while I packed a bit, and then the two of us nipped off to see Tropic Thunder. We had a late-night snack afterward, and then we came back and I continued to pack while we indulged in Spaced, a sitcom from the UK.
Even with mermaidrain there, though, I managed to get myself tied up in knots. Things weren't fitting into my packing the way I needed them to, and I finally ended up breaking down crying around 3:00 am, exhausted and emotionally overwrought. Therefore, I called Erin, my oldest sister. Fortunately, she was awake, as she was going to take me to the airport, and she came right over and took charge of the packing. With her help, I was able to fit everything I absolutely needed and a little more.
A little before 4:00 am, we left for the airport--mermaidrain, Erin, my niece Melissa, and myself. Minor hiccup when I realized I didn't have my cash money, but we weren't halfway down the street before I caught my mistake. Got the cash, went to the airport. The ladies insisted on coming with me into the airport lobby, which was a blessing. I was just working down from being so emotional, and having them to talk to calmed my nerves considerably as my departure loomed. Finally, I said goodbye with hugs all around, and they went home while I went off to adventure.
Fortunately, everything worked like clockwork. The flight to Seattle got off the ground on the dot, and we arrived exactly on time. I slept most of the way. After that, I found my flight to Tokyo on a board, crossed half of SeaTac, took their little subway to the international terminal, and got to the gate just as pre-boarding began. Got on the flight with no problems and ended up on the aisle, which was perfect in spite of my general preference for window seats. Meant I could get up from time to time without disturbing anyone.
The flight to Tokyo was remarkably smooth. I slept for another few hours, woke up long enough to eat dinner, played with my in-flight entertainment (they have games!), and finally settled in to reading a little more Harry Dresden. That took most of the rest of the flight. I also filled out a few customs forms and insurance paperwork. Fun, huh?
We landed in Tokyo ahead of time, and I disembarked in a foreign land. The weather's pretty hot and muggy to my Alaskan body, though I'm told it's quite mild compared to last week. Unfortunately, I got hung up in Immigration. They wanted to see my Certificate of Eligibility, which I was told I wouldn't need after getting my work visa. No, they were quite certain they wanted to see my CoE. They eventually were convinced I didn't mean any harm and let me through, and it seems to be sorted now.
At the airport, I met up with James, a nice lad from Cambridge who was serving as my guide. We had a bit of trouble finding each other after the hoohah in Immigration, and he ended up having me paged. After we found each other, we collected two others: Devin from Idaho and Crystal from Canada. The three of us girls got along great, which was nice, as we had to take a train out to Ueno Station, where we met the lovely David from Scotland. David from Scotland then took us on a subway ride to Asakusa, a region of Tokyo, and then we took a nice hop down the ginza to the Asakusa Central Hotel. Naturally, it was raining, but I was so hot and sweaty by then that I didn't mind a bit.
I'm now ensconced in a tiny, yet comfortable, hotel room, wearing a cotton kimono robe provided by the hotel and feeling 100% better for a little rest and a bite to eat. Tomorrow, the orientation begins. For the moment, though, I'm happy, if tired, and I've made some new friends and am enjoying just being in Japan.
Oyasumi nasai!
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