Welcome to Nihon

06/14/08: Sunny
This is my first blog entry. Since my blog is titled hans eat japan, every entry will have something to do with food :) I will keep a detailed blog (along with pictures) of the delicious food that I will eat in Japan.

So, I arrived in Japan on 06/12/08 on ANA flight 952. However, within the first 3 mins of my arrival, I found out that ANA had lost my luggage--that my luggage, due to some computer error, was somewhere in Beijing. Great. I was pretty worried. However, thank god the airport workers all spoke English. They were extremely responsible in tracking down my luggage and delivering them to my apartment the next day. Whew. But I still didn't have fresh underwear to change into the first night =[. I arrived at the Prince Hotel at around 4pm, checked into my room, and took a nap. Although my room was terribly small given American standards, it was nonetheless very cozy. I have to say, Japanese are the most efficient people in the world. Every bit of space is perfectly utilized.

For dinner, I had a Big Mac, fries, and Japanese tea. I wanted some American junk food, and besides, I got 2 months in Japan, so I was gonna take it slow. However, even McDonald was more expensive in Japan than in the States. It's terrible. A Big Mac meal, with a medium drink (which was actually an American small) and fries, cost 680 yen, which was more than 6 dollars. With the depreciation of the dollar, US money got you nowhere these days, especially in Japan.


After dinner, I went back to my room and studied a little. I went to sleep around 11pm because I was exhausted.

Next day, our nihongo senseis picked us up from the hotel, took us to our apartments, then to school for our orientation and placement test (which I absolutely failed). For $2200 dollars a month, our apartments were DEFINITELY worth it. We have our own kitchen, bathroom, queen size bed, TV, DVD player, AC, and a toilet that washes your butt with water (although I have yet to try it).

For lunch, I had to buy a set meal from AM/PM. It was really good. I was pleasantly surprised. Japanese do a great job with their fast food. They are also very healthy--that most of their tea drinks do not have sugar in them and their foods are not loaded with saturated fat (although they can be pretty salty).




For dinner, our senseis took us to a Italian restaurant for our welcoming party and to meet our Japanese buddies. It's funny how our teachers took us, of all restaurants in Tokyo, to a Western restaurant. Maybe they thought we were spoiled Americans. We also met our Japanese buddies, except for me, because my buddy didn't show up =(. Yeah, I felt pretty left out. But it's ok, I met some cool nihonzin anyway.


So far, meaning my first 2 days here, my Japanese experience has been absolutely amazing. I am so thoroughly impressed by the efficiency, manner, and diligence of the Japanese society. There is definitely so much I can learn in Japan, other than Japanese. Thank you Light Fellowship!










Until next time,
Hans