There are many stories that I have already collected from my stay here in Japan. However, I think I must explain my first day when I got to Japan more than anything. This day of course, was the longest day of my life since the majority of it was spent on a plane going forward in time, and so it felt as if it was two days crammed into one. I don’t think I need to mention much about the plane ride besides the food they give you probably comes out from a flight stewardess ass straight to your plate and that I absolutely got no sleep what so ever, which was all kinds of terrible for my body even withholding the fact that I didn’t sleep the night before.
With my guitar strapped and the rest of my luggage in some way or form bounded to me I staggered out of the terminal exit. I was looking for my host sister in the lobby; she apparently was going to be holding a sign with my name on it. I was expecting to see some pyrotechnic, flashing sign. I saw none. I get past the velvet rope and decide it would be best to relieve myself from all my luggage that was strapped onto me. From my behind in a rather whisper of an Asian accident, “Escuse me, but are yuu Mr. Jacob Fund?” It was my host sister all right, defiantly looking a lot cuter than the picture she sent me. And I mean that definitely. “This can’t be right,” I thought. “ There is no way I am going to live with someone this cute for this long, this must not be her.” It was her. Keep in mind guys that is as far as my definite feelings go for her; she’s just simply cute, wide cheeks, dimples when she smiles, oh and she’s Japanese, but that’s about it, and so don’t harass me anymore than I need to be on it because I’ll just tell you,” I think she’s just cute! “
We humbly accept each other as I try to hide my complete exhaustion. Past the terminal we make it to the parking lot. We approach the parking toll machine and it starts talking in entirely robotic Japanese. I look at my host sister, for now I will refer to her as Sakai, which means “boundaries” in Japanese. I look at Sakai, I decide to make a joke despite my lack of concentration, and so half in Japanese and half in English I ask her, “Is this a talking machine?” She laughs. I guess she got it. We make it to her car which happens to be, get this, a FORD. I never would have guessed. I didn’t even know they made Ford’s in for Japanese. There is no way I can get in the car with a Japanese from the modern era driving a Ford. Was she just not raised right?? Did she Find it On the Road Dropped? Whatever, support the American economy, see if I care. (I really don’t care, by the way)
When we get in the car she tells me, in nearly perfect English fortunately, “Sorry, The apartment you are staying at is not ready, so today I would like you to stay in a hotel.” She spoke rather slowly and carefully, but it sounded nearly fluent, and it was almost eerie. I looked at her and smiled, and I probably looked like a wreck, “That is daijoubu.”(daijoubu means ‘okay’.) She laughed again. When we get to the highway she stops at one of the tolls, which starts to talk back. I had to ask in English, “Do all machines in Japan talk?” She laughed, I guess she got that too.
Sightseeing in the car was anything but ordinary. First off, this is Japan and the roads are all in flip mode. I felt that if it wasn’t for my strong amount of tiredness that made me just want to peel over and crash for the rest of my life then I would probably scream for mercy. Well I didn’t sleep because I was more intrigued by my new foreign surrounding than falling asleep. And despite Sakai’s offer to just go to sleep, I simply couldn’t easily relax. We made it to the city metro of Tokyo and I guess I started to just doze off, Sakai pokes me, “ Un, Tokyo Tower.” I wake up in a haze and notice the most beautiful miniature version of the Eifel Tower that I have ever seen. After that I did not go back to sleep during the car ride.
I guess I didn’t take the stereo type into consideration until I witnessed it myself. I know that some of you guys mentioned it before, but no one in Japan knows how to drive. It just seems like living in a jungle and every unit is for itself. I know, and worst one: a woman, and apparently it was really difficult to get to the hotel that I was staying at even with a GPS unit and while talking to someone on the phone asking for directions. And so now she is multitasking nearly running into anything that wouldn’t yield to her. It was terrifying, but honestly I didn’t care. My attention was directed towards the things like the giant Tommy Lee Jones billboard. He was HUGE! I could tell Sakai was not having an easy time finding this hotel, but there wasn’t much I could do to help her out. We drove around the street Suitenguumae at least 6 times or so. Every so often Sakai would shriek in terror at the oncoming traffic or a pedestrian with the right of way.
So it only took a couple hours before Sakai finally decided to flag a taxi and ship me and my luggage to the hotel via taxi. She was incredibly apologetic. I wanted to tell her that that it was the most fun I have ever had in a car but I couldn’t even start to think of the words and structure to use to say it. She handed me a bag with a bunch of Japanese yen in it and we moved the luggage in the trunk of the taxi. I waved goodbye to her; she told me to call her when I got to the station. I then begin to approach the driver side of the vehicle. The taxi driver looks at me and smiles sheepishly. That wasn’t the first or last time I would mistake the driver seat for the passenger seat. I felt a bit embarrassed but then proceed to other side.
The hotel was anything but a simple time. Apparently Sakai had reserved a room for me and I had no former knowledge of this. I ask her if there is a reservation under Fund. She did not understand, but she did laugh. So then I just decide to rent a room with the money Seiko has given me. We broke into a clash of terrible language exchange, and it was a bit frustrating. All I wanted to do was sleep. A small Japanese man asks to carry my luggage so I oblige and let him carry my guitar and duffle bag. When I get to the room I place everything down in the really narrow hallway which was basically my room. Quite literally there was a bed and a hallway and little room to stretch your feet. I felt content with just the bed. I ask the steward if I can call to cell phones with the phone in the room. He looks at me and takes me back downstairs. The hostess was on the phone with someone but she points at me then immediately at the phone. ” For me?” Well it was but the hostess continued to talk like a fire engine in the most polite Japanese I’ve ever heard, but I still couldn’t distinguish anything that she was saying. She finally hands me the phone, “ Helo Jake, I have made reservation for you - now you can go to different room. “ So we go back up to my room and move everything to a different floor where my new and even SMALLER room was waiting for me. The room was just about the smallest place I had ever lived in, and the bathroom made absolutely no sense to me at first. The light for the bathroom was for some reason not in the bathroom, the shower was attached to the faucet, and the toilet had way too many buttons for my comfort. I look back on it and that was probably the easiest bathroom to manage during my stay in Japan.
Before I went to sleep I realized that I never got the ability to call to an outside line, but I decide it would be best to avoid such a matter, so instead I email Sakai, thank her for all her trouble and hoped that it wasn’t too stressful. Remember all the troubles she face, I really did appreciate it all. Then signed off remembering that I was not able to charge my battery for my laptop due to an outlet to plug problem and went to bed in no other than a bed. I could see through the window, there was a street light searing through. A brick wall and a sign written completely in Japanese was visible, and I thought, “This is probably the finest Gaijin welcoming to Tokyo,” then I smiled and closed my eyes and went to sleep.
That was about as far as my first day goes. I guess I should end each post with something just trivial and but interesting. Today I was watching Japanese baseball, it was a good game but the ‘Buffaloes’ lost. Not the Buffalo, but the Baffaloes. No one at the table could understand why I was so enticed by the name, “The Buffaloes,” but as of today The Buffaloes have a new fan.
