Japan - Day 1 - Kashiwa, Chiba

September 19, 2010

Wow.. I'm going to Japan, I thought, as I sat in the Emergency row window seat next to an icky American dude. I was happy but at the same time sad as I thought this might be the last trip for a long time... I was excited to see all my friends again, and I was excited to do what I had come to Japan to do, excited to see places I used to visit, and just excited to spend the 7 weeks there enjoying all of what is Japan.

I didn't get much sleep from packing the night before. I tried to pack as little as I could into R's smaller suitcase even though I'd be in Japan for quite some time.

Delta's blankets are so thin, that you seriously need at least 4 blankets to keep warm. I was too lazy to ask for another 3, so just put up with the 1 blanket I had. The plane's bathrooms seem to be designed pretty well -- the sinks were much larger than traditional airplane bathroom sinks and the lights seemed to be a bit softer somehow. The food was gross of course. I didn't watch a single movie. Just tried my best to get some shut-eye.

I got in right on time via Delta but had to wait close to an hour to go through Immigration and all that jazz at Narita.

I was a bit apprehensive as I thought I'd have to figure out how to get to Kashiwa on my own, but to my pleasant surprise, B先生 was there to greet me! I was so happy to see him!

We made our way to the train platform after deciding that renting a sim card would be a bit pricey as opposed to roaming on my mobile. An hour and a half later, we were in B先生's cosey マンション, gnawing on some おにぎり and downing 麦茶！ B先生's flat is amazingly spacious, although his kitchen really needs more counter space.

It was HOT... at least 30C. I took a nap and then we made our way to Woody House for a salsa party! (Stay tuned -- pics to come!)

After a sparkle tattoo and some crazy dancing with people I didn't know at all, we walked home and got caught up on things. It's so good to see B先生 again. I LOVE his quirky Australian humour and his no-nonsense, tell it like it is attitude. He's such a breathe of fresh air from all the BS we'd get in HK.

Exhausted, we got ready for bed. I packed my snorkel bag, ready for the next day, as the day will surely be jam-packed!

Hello Japan!!!!! :D I'm back!