So as many of you know (many of you being one), I am currently in Japan. I arrived on Tuesday and had my first day of work on the base today. I'll hopefully be mindful enough to catalog my adventures here extensively!
So, first of all, my flight connected through Chicago, so the road to Japan was rough. The thirteen hour flight wasn't all that bad - I watched two movies, got a good night's sleep, and listened to a couple podcasts, but it was still pretty grating toward the end. Anyway, after landing, our crew went through customs and immigration, and caught the "YCAT" bus from Narita to Yokohama. After that, check in was fairly painless, and after the necessary shower dropping my stuff off, I went out to eat with the coworkers. I had a beef-and-potato coquette, nothing fancy, as I wasn't really that hungry.
Wednesday was open for us to just rest and get our bearings in the new time zone. I took the opportunity to exchange $200 more into yen and get a few things in order. After that, I was eager to explore the area. Underneath the hotel is a large mall-ish subway called The Diamond. There's pretty much everything you could ever need there - fashion shops, restaurants, convenience stores, and of course a KFC. It's pretty easy to get lost down there, but after a couple hours of wandering, I'm managing quite well.
That evening, I headed outside to look around, and stumbled upon a crazy little area of town that had more arcades than I've ever seen in my life. Neon signs abound, I wandered into a land of video games, pachinko, and weird anime signs. It was daunting, and all I could do was stumble around as people shuffled by me, probably making fun of me in their native tongue. Either way, it was a great experience! I even purchased something from one of the odd looking vending machine - a tiny bottle of lemon soda that set me back Y120.
Today, work was filled with walking, something that did not go well with the fact that I had purchased (but never worn) my new pair of steel toed shoes. Lots of blisters, but hey, it's an excuse to soak in a tub a few times.
I spoke with Tom today about traveling up and seeing him in the coming weeks, and he'd recommended to me in the past about getting a JR East pass. This pass essentially allows one unlimited travel up and down the east portion of Japan (the majority of the main Honshu island) for about $208 at current exchange rates. Of course, it's never that easy!
I first headed down to the Yokohama Train Station and spoke with the tourist information counter. She was friendly, as everyone is here, and directed me across to the ticketing office. I headed over there, and the very friendly man inside directed me to the office next door - after looking a little panicked and heading behind a curtain for a good three minutes. After going next door, it appeared that the ladies there knew what I was talking about! The language barrier was cumbersome (they seemed to not understand why I gave them my travel itinerary until late in the transaction), but everything worked out. I am the proud owner of a 4 day flexible JR East pass!
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