AH! So much information overload! The phrase “They’re years ahead of us” doesn’t even touch it.

After leaving the airport, we (Myself, a nice girl from Toronto, Canada, and the person who picked us up (Yes, I’m very bad with names)) took a bus into downtown Tokyo (Narita is 60km away (no, I can’t convert that to miles, I’ve had 3 hours of sleep in the last 24.)) Anyways, that took an hour. Once at the station downtown we took a cab another 20 minutes (the rest of the way.) The freeways (actually they’re all toll roads) as confusing, I mean REALLY confusing. To start, they drive on the “wrong” side of the road in “backwards” cars (driver on the left.) There are exits and entrances every 5 feet, not to mention the scenery around… it’s like a game of Sim-City gone horribly wrong, apartments everywhere, no open space… such tall buildings everywhere…

Once we got in the cab, we started to take side streets. Side Streets n: one lane roads on which one parks, drives, walks, rides, sits, etc. That was hair raising to say the least. Thank goodness I’m taking the train to school.

Once at the apartment (well a block away, due to construction* we had to walk) we set our things in out respective apartments and walked to the local grocery store (A. To find where it was B. To buy breakfast.) A quick note on location: my apartment is ABOVE a 7-11 and around the corner from a McD’s… I think I’ll survive.

Back at the apartment the person who picked us up (really… names to follow) showed us how to use things in our apartments like AIR CONDITIONING, yes most wonderful of all inventions, my apartment, unlike many others in Japan, has air conditioning. Also we learned how to use the inter-com system (which has a camera so you can see who’s at the door.) and other things like where the gas and water shut-offs are. On a similar note to A.C. my apartment has a shower, “western” toilet and a washing machine (no dryer, have to air-dry, but they supplied the poles.)

After everyone left I unpacked my things from my bags, kicked on the A.C. and sat down to write this.

I know what you’re thinking… paradise, right? Well a few things do kind of bug me:
-No grounded plugs in the apartment (which I need to charge my laptop)
-It’s hot outside. Even though the sun has set it’s still really muggy out. Gag me.
-There’s a funky smell about town… I think it’s the street restaurants… I’ll get used to it.
-Similar to the last one, the tap water tastes funny… I’ll get used to it.
-That construction* I mentioned, is right outside my window… they’re still at it… I hope they stop.

So much to write about… so much… hopefully pictures to follow very soon. I should get to bed, my day starts at 8:50am tomorrow and I’m so very tired. Well maybe a little Japanese TV first…

Ja Mata Ne.

*Why? Oh why, did the orange traffic cone follow me to Japan!? Cruel fate!

Tip #1) Training/Practicing/Learning is not doing. Doing is MUCH harder