Arrival at Miyazakidai!

Sorry this too so long family and friends! I can't guarantee that I will post every day, but I will try to post once a week. Without further ado, my first few days in Tokyo!

         My journey to Japan was a long one. I was in the air for 16 hours, had a 2 hour lay over in Vancouver, and when I finally arrived in Tokyo, I had another hour of waiting in line at customs and immigration. I then took a 2 hour bus ride to Tama Plaza, and from there rode a train for about 5-10minutes to Miyazaki dai, there area where I will be living. There were no taxis, so we walked for 5 minutes to the dorm, dragging my luggage uphill. That wouldn't have been a problem, but it was so hot and humid! I am so grateful that the university had someone waiting at the airport to help me on the bus, and another person at the bus station to take me to the train. The train ride was only $1.50, for which I was relieved. The second person to meet me did not speak much English, but we managed and she was very friendly and helpful. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. I was so tired, I did not sleep much. Along with about 20 hrs of travel, I was up early to check in at the airport. My ears refused to pop for some reason, and I felt a little deaf. It was hard to hear and a little painful. Yes people, I chewed gum, but it didn't really help.

       The men who run the dorm are very nice and helpful. They had another K-step student, who's Japanese was amazing, come help explain the building and the rules. I admit, I was a little overwhelmed and very tired. They did a great job explaining stuff to me. After the tour, I ate with her and three other K-step students. For dinner, there was rice with curry sauce, grapefruit slices, salad, and daikon(a pickled radish). I did not recognize the daikon, because it was red. I thought it was peppers. It tasted very salty and sweet at the same time. I'm told it tastes better with rice, as I had eaten it after my rice was finished. For drinks, the cafeteria had hot tea and cold tea. I admit, I like my iced tea with corn syrup, but I did drink the tea. Maybe for breakfast I will try the vending machine for beverages. There are two seven elevens near the dorm, which makes me laugh for some reason, where I can buy lunch. After dinner, I went to my room and filled out a form about the condition of the room, opened the futon set and fell fast asleep. I haven't gone to sleep at 8pm in a long time. Hahaha. I am writing this entry now, at 5:30am, Friday the 13. I have not had the chance to figure out the internet. Here are some pictures of my room all unpacked and set up.

I am surprised by the indoor footwear. I knew I would have to take off my shoes and use slippers around the dorm. I did not know that I had to take off the slippers before entering the shower room. You can wear them near the sinks, but to go to the toilet stalls, you must exchange your slippers for shower sandals, which are provided. Umbrellas(called casas in Japanese, I keep thinking they are saying house!) are kept in their own closet by the main entrence, each having its own space on the rack, which are labeled with numbers. I have my own cubby to put my shoes and slippers, labeled with my room number. Next to the dorm manager's office is a board with our room number. Under these are pieces of plastic. These are color coded and hung according to which activity you are doing. There is one for going out, one for being in the dorm, and one for being out over night. You must fill out a form stating where you are going, as well as other information. For meals, the dorm cafeteria has a sign in sheet as well. To get into the building, there are cards which you swipe and then you can proceed. The dorm rooms themselves each have keys. The laundry room has shower stalls in the back. You put your stuff in baskets and then run to the stalls on the other side of the room while naked. I think I am going to stick to the private showers and the public bath... The private showers are really nice. There are three. To enter, one must remove their slippers and walk to a stall. The stalls each have a little carpet, hanger, and basket to put your things before leading to the shower itself. Each shower has a removable shower head and shelves to put your things, as well as a mirror.

        My Japanese leaves much to be desired. Lol. I will be studying before classes start, that is for sure! For breakfast I had a meal with what looked like glass noodles, cucumber, an eggplant-like veggie all covered in a clear sauce that tasted like Italian dressing or some sort of vinaigrette. On the plate there was lettuce, what looked like tarter sauce, and what appeared to be breaded and fried ham cut into triangles. I also ate a bowl of plain yogurt and peaches. Also available was a noodle dish, rice, fish, bread, jam, butter, coffee, tea both cold and hot, as well as the vending machine drinks.

       That same day, we visited the nearby hyakuyen store(dollar store) and looked around. There were a lot of good quality items. Of course, there was an overwhelming amount of cute items as well. They had these 3D dragon puzzles inside eggs that I was so tempted to get... I bought some snacks: seaweed, ramen with Pokemon shaped fish pieces, and green and red apple iced tea. The tea was delicious. We then visited a corner store which was chock full of electrical gadgets, clothes, shoes, suitcases, and Gucci and Prada gear, as well as Coach and some other high end gear. We then went to a conbini(convenience store) to buy lunch. There were many fruits and veggies. Peaches and oranges were wrapped individually in paper, other items you could buy individually as well. We looked for bags for the produce, but found the bagging station near the exit after paying. There were all sorts of fish and squid and mushrooms on display. The bread loaves are really tall and contain few, but thick slices. We searched high and low for onigiri(rice balls), only to find them at the cash register. They were around $0.50 each, so I bought two to go along with my tea. The roads and cars were very small and the preferred method of travel was bicycles. Many older women traveled with umbrellas to ward off the heat, as it was hot and humid. The area around the dorm is very quiet, except for crows and cicadas, there isn't much human noise. The air is warm and scented with flowers and green things. There are a lot of trees and gardens in front of houses. I wasn't a huge fan of the dinner, I ate mostly the kimchi and rice and picked at the pork chops and soup. I think I tried barley tea. It tasted like grain. Still not a fan of tea. Drank my apple iced tea back at the room and was pleasantly surprised. I am going to have to buy a large water bottle or the vending machines will have all of my money. Each drink is about $1 and there were vending machines every few blocks. Most offered drinks such as Coke, water, and tea. I passed one that offered ice cream cones that I was tempted by.

 

      Saturday morning I woke up at 3am after falling asleep reading after dinner. I made a mistake in the cafeteria today. I grabbed two meals by accident. There was a little confusion, as the dorm manager and the kitchen workers speak very limited English. I eventually understood and apologized and I am allowed this once to eat the two meals. I cannot tell what goes together in a meal or what is eaten separately. For breakfast we are offered a western style and Japanese style breakfast. I can't tell which is which. The two breakfasts that I ate were good. One was a beansprout,carrot,onion, soup with meatballs. The other was a sub roll filled with noodles, bean sprouts, and pickled ginger. Next to it was a small roll with lettuce, mayonnaise, and I think potatoes or onion as filling? It tasted like a fluffy mayo sandwich. I am still hungry. Hahaha. I will be sure to eat with my companions and ask which meals go together. This was the first time I ate alone. I went shopping again, this time looking for an adapter for my computer cord. The one I had brought from home was too large to fit in the sockets. It was blazing hot, around 90 degrees and the humidity was awful. My room is air conditioned, thank goodness! The area where I live is very hilly, so walking around is very good exercise! I bought more ramen and riceballs for Sunday, as meals are not served Sundays or National Holidays. I forgot that Monday is a national holiday, it is Respect the Elderly Day. I will be meeting with the K-step program directors and other Japanese students informally for lunch. I am excited to meet everyone.