Update: I have put up some new pictures; you can find them at Japan, Part 2
The day started out at 7am; well, no, that actually isn't true.
The day started out the night before as Pam and I packed my suitcase and made sure I had all of the stuff I would need for the trip. This is a long and tiresome process as I am not someone who travels light.
So, then I started (the next day) at 7am. I had a car pick me up and take me to the fabulous International terminal of Chicago's O'Hare airport. My flight wasn't until 12 noon, so I didn't have to hurry too much.
Actually, I had some confusion about where to go; the flight was an American Airlines flight, but it was being flown by their partner, Japan Airlines. Nevertheless, I managed to get it sorted out and I got through checkin with no problem.
It turns out I had some time to kill, so Pam drove out to meet me at the airport and we sat down and talked for a while. John came along, so we had automatic amusement. The time to go came, and we parted - Pam going her way, me going mine.
I got through security with no problem, and Japan Airlines was kind enough to give me a free pass into the Aer Lingus lounge - this was especially nice as the regular terminal area was quite crowded.
The flight itself was quite nice; I managed to get seats in "Executive class" - business class for us Americans. The seats are quite roomy, and have a lot of adjustments, including a footrest. The flight attendants spoke perfect English, and each seat had it's own little TV set with a selection of movies. Also, there was a larger set in front that both seats could see.
The larger set showed the actual view from the front of the craft as we took off; this was surprising to me, and actually helped me with the biggest problem I have - air sickness during takeoff and landing. Once we were in the air it showed NKK news from Japan.
The weather forecast ws interesting, as Tokyo has snow - unusual - and they had a cartoon of a girl in boots and a raincoat that conveyed "Don't drive without chains". I suspect this is for mountainous or hilly areas, as the live shot of Tokyo just showed rain.
The forecast was surprising because, although in Japanese, I could understand it readily. It had a bevy of animated characters, and knew where Tokyo was located. There was a cute, animated Japanese "Old man winter" blowing in cold air, a troop of very cute snowmen, and a strangely grim yellow disk that, I think, signified "sunshine".
The animated/cartoon overload was mentioned to me by others, but I have a feeling that this is but a taste of what I am in for.
Finally, the big screen started to show us our route, heading, location and destination in real time, alternating between English and Japanese. It seems I get to fly over Alaska - whee!
Arrival was pretty easy, actually. Once I got off of the plane I got in line for the passport check. This went very smoothly. I then proceeded down to the baggage area, then on to the customs inspection station. The paperwork I needed to do was already done before I exited the plane, and I simply handed them the paperwork. There was quite a variety of people in line, including a guy that had a mole with hair that was not only long, but braided. Okay...
The signs were quite interesting. I could make out what they meant, but you can tell they were translations. "Engrish", I've heard it called. Not really a complaint; after all, their English is a LOT better than my Japanese.
Customs asked me what I was there for and how long I intended to stay. They then asked me if I had anything to declare. Now, before coming to Japan I had gone to a bunch of trouble to get doctors slips for my prescription medications; however, it turns out this was not necessary. I simply mentioned that I had some prescriptions with me, and the customs inspector said "I understand; please proceed." Unexpected, but nice. Canadian customs isn't nearly so polite.
I then purchased my ticket for the "Limousine Bus" to take me to the Shinjuku train station. That went pretty well, even though I had accidently gotten into the wrong line. The very polite baggage attendant simply smiled and pointed me in the right direction.
The seats on the bus certainly are NOT "american sized". Luckily the bus was not crowded so I had the row to myself. I hope it's that way when I go back.
I did notice a few things on the bus trip; most of it was unremarkable because, well, a bus trip is a bus trip. I saw a LOT more bikes than I'm used to, but the most interesting thing follows:
First, the music. I began to feel like I was on a Disneyland ride. Then a very crisp, English-accented female voice came over the loudspeaker and said "Portable telephones should not be used on the bus, as they annoy the neighbors." This was ignored by almost everyone.
There was some literature in the seat pocket in front of me, but I couldn't read any of it. The only thing I managed to catch was the local AT&T number for calling the US collect. I began to feel that this is what it was like to be illiterate. However, upon thinking about it I decided it was more like being alien - illiterate people can at least speak the language. That, or as Sandy later put it, "An illiterate deaf/mute".
One thing that surprised, and somewhat alarmed me, was when the bus driver did something wrong and had to back up at a toll booth. I've never had that happen before, and I don't recommend it.
Another thing I noted was the use of "seat condoms" - each seat had a cotton overcloth on it, probably so it stays clean. If only Greyhound Bus Lines were this fastidious.
And, even though I wasn't getting in until after 8pm, I noticed that almost every office was still teaming with office workers. I'm not sure I'd like that, myself.
I did find a cab at Shinjuku station and managed to get to my hotel.
I also managed to take a few pictures of my room and the view it had for Day One.
I didn't get a lot of pictures on day two; in fact, my memory of it is somewhat hazy.
The primary reason for this is that I was severely jetlagged and I had a screaming headache the whole day due to my sleep schedule being completely destroyed.
I'm in Japan to do training for a product called "Sendmail Switch" - Switch is a commercial version of the open source sendmail mail routing program. So, today was the first training day, and I'm in great shape to do it (what with a pounding headache and all).
The day started with Etsuko of Sendmail, Inc. leading me to the training center which was, basically, at the Canadian Embassy. In fact, the easiest way to tell the cab driver where we wanted to go was simply to say "Canadian Embassy". They know where that is.
I met Bo Liang (I hope I've spelled that correctly), also of Sendmail. He was to serve as a helper and translator as needed. Bo turned out to be invaluable, as he was kind enough to help me find a pharmacy during lunch so I could get some aspirin. That was a lifesaver, as it enabled me to complete the day in only mild pain.
I noticed during lunch, as we wandered through the subway/shopping complex, that Christmas music was playing everywhere, and there were Christmas advertisements everywhere. Bo explained that, while there weren't that many Christians here, the Japanese really went for Christmas because it made sales. Plus, I suspect they - like everyone else - like to give gifts. What better excuse could you get? Still, it did feel a bit odd.
I also noticed that about half of the people here seem to have stuffy noses. Japan is not like America where you can go to a convenience store and buy Aspirin, Motrin, Tylenol... Instead, you have to go to the pharmacy. And you get to have... aspirin. Also, you can't buy anything with Pseudoephedrine in it (the active ingredient in Sudafed) because it is considered a "stimulant". So, you get to suffer. Luckily, I didn't have a stuffy nose, but a lot of Japanese seem to.
Not much else to report for day two - I came back to the hotel and crashed. I did manage to snap a few photos of Day Two. This is the view you get when you walk out of the Yotsuya rail station.
Ok, day three was no fun. By the time I got through with the day's work I was useless.
I did have a few observations as I slogged my way through the day, though.
One was the unusual sight of a very stylish Santa Claus on the back of a container that was strapped to a courier motorcycle. Said motorcycle was weaving in and out of cars in a totally fearless manner. Where I come from we'd call that guy "an organ donor".
One of my students in the class has a custom ring tone for his watch - it's the theme for "Log" from the Ren & Stimpy show. I wonder if he knows the origin of that music.
Bo and I went to Subway for supper. Yeah! Food I recognize. It was a little different from what I'm used to, but I took a 6 inch back to put in my fridge "just in case". I'm still not sure about the food in this place.
And, finally, I met a very nice taxi driver. I have a "magic paper" that has the written description of where my hotel is - this is helpful, since I can hand it to the taxi driver and he'll take me there. Since few of the taxi drivers speak English... and I speak even less Japanese.
Anyway, the driver was kind enough to point out that the instructions were wrong - they had Shinjuku station on the wrong side. He corrected it for me. Then he thanked me. How very polite.
Here are the pictures - and captions - for Day Three.
Today was the last day of the first class I'm here to teach. It seemed to go well, although Japanese students are more polite than I'm used to and will say good things even when unhappy. You kind of have to draw them out, or make sure they know when they are supposed to express their views.
Still, it seemed to go well.
On the way to the class I had a vision - a vision in cooking oil. Mr. Donut. Actually, "Mr. and Miss Donut" - as Brad put it, "He still hasn't made an honest woman out of her."
Donuts! In Japan! Mmm... donut...
I only got two pictures today; one of the BSA ("Business Software Alliance", a legal kind of extortion ring) ad in the cab telling you not to pirate software, and a picture of the sidestreet near my hotel where Etsuko, Brad & I went to find a place to eat.
One of the things I like about Tokyo is that it is very bright and colorful. Ok, there is clean and safe, too, but the bright and colorful portion of it is very pleasing to the eye.
Etsuko took us to a traditional Yaktori restaurant. We, we slipped off our shoes and sat down on Tatami mats, while ladies in traditional Japanese dress kept bringing us little skewers of chicken. Ok, I balked at the uncooked stuff - sorry, no raw chicken for me - but it was actually very good. Yaktori restaurants seem very labor intensive - "just bring me a plate of it and you won't have to come back so often" was my thought... Still, very good.
I also got to try Sake at a nearby stand-up bar. I've discovered that I don't like Sake very much. I'll add it to the list with wine.
Oh, yeah; here are the pictures.
Ok, heaven for me, which means geek toys. Well, and donuts. Yum.
Etsuko was kind enough to take a large portion of her day and show us around Tokyo.
First stop was just outside the Emperor's Palace grounds. The pictures don't do it justice; you have to understand that Tokyo is exceptionally crowded, and land like that simply isn't available.
Of course we don't get to go traipsing around the Emporer's back yard, but the view of the guard houses and the moat was interesting.
From there we took the train to Akihabara - "Electric City".
Akihabara is a section of the city that specializes in electronics - computers, computer games, software, DVDs, etc. You name it, they have it. And it is crowded; some of the shops were so crowded that I simply had to step outside - this is partially due to the Japanese habit of saying "I would like by you, please" by pushing you. Anyone who knows me probably realizes that this is not likely to go over well with me, so I simply eliminated the problem by going outside.
Outside is stand after stand of computers - new and used, parts, TV sets, cell phone stands (a lot of those), and entrances to crowded computer shops with very narrow aisles. Some of it is a really good deal - Japanese used computers are especially attractive, and the very small Japanese form-factor laptops are a good deal as well. If only I had had more cash on me...
Also, the stands are run by people - mostly young women - who are hawking their goods (in Japanese, of course) at the top of their lungs. At first I thought "Oh, how quaint, this have a very non-American feel to it". After two hours of listening to them, both on and off the megaphone I was thinking "Oh, shut up."
We managed to find a Chinese place to eat in Akihabara. Well, I'm told this is the Japanese version of Chinese food. I had, basically, fried chicken. I just used two sticks to eat it...
Yes, Pokemon world. All parents are required - by Japanese law - to visit Pokemon world and purchase something.
I hear that Pokemon is not as popular as it used to be in Japan. If that is the case then I'm really glad I did not go to Pokemon world when it was popular - boy, was it crowded.
Stuff was flying off the shelves, and they had girls with tall signs sheparding the eager shoppers into lines that terminated at the cash register.
Yes, I did buy some things for Phillip and Johnathan. I'll put pictures of them up later.
Here are the pictures of Day Five. Lot's o' pictures.
Once we got back from our tour I crashed. I was so tired I didn't wake up until about midnight...
I didn't go anywhere or do anything tourist-like on day six. I needed the rest, and my laundry needed the wash.
Remember the "Dryer of Mystery" picture from day one? Well, it truly was a mystery.
You see, that machine is a washer AND a dryer, and it seems that (since I can't read Japanese) I managed to wash my all-cotton sweat pants in hot water. Care to guess what happens when you wash something that is 100% cotton in hot water?
Anyway, other than that a pretty good day.
Sandy - another employee of Sendmail, Inc. - flew out the night before and he, Brad and I went to eat at a place called Checkers in the Tokyo Hilton. No, it wasn't fancy or terribly expensive, but it had good service and the food was familiar.
I did get to see some nicely tall buildings in the section of Shinjuko where we were. I love vertigo.
One concern... the new class starts tomorrow and I can't find the right files. And there is a storm in California, so the Sendmail, Inc. Emeryville office (where files are located, mostly) is blacked-out due to a power outage. Tomorrow could be a lot of fun...
Sorry, no pictures for day six.
Etsuko came by to get me at 8:10 am to take me to my new training facility near Tokyo Station. She managed to get Ozi (another Sendmail, Inc. employee) to get me the files I needed before I left for the class.
Tokyo Station. God, what a maze. The Timeout Guide to Tokyo says to watch out for minotaurs in Tokyo Station, and they weren't kidding. Too much for me, thanks. Bo was kind enough to help me get on the right train when I went home.
To explain, in very light detail: There are three main rail systems in Tokyo. One is nationally owned, Japan Railways. It has older equipment, and seems to always be losing money. There are two other privately owned subway systems, the Eidan and... and I can't remember the name of the other one. Those systems are modern and very nice. Guess which I got to ride?
One thing I noted on the faces of the riders - I could not find one person who seemed happy. Part of that could be the fact that we were packed in like sardines - they literally have white-gloved attendants that shove and pack people into the cars - but you would think that on the train or in the station I would have seen one happy looking person. Not one. Maybe Tokyo is a good place to visit, but I'm not so sure about living here.
The class went well; the first day of class is always weird since the students are sizing you up. Still, I think it went ok.
Sandy, Brad and I ate locally - I had some sort of Sweet and Sour Pork disk. It would have been better if the restaurant didn't have bugs - there was a very ornate and odd looking beetle of some kind on the wall behind me. Well, if it going to have bugs at least they are of the decorative variety.
I did manage to get some pictures today; here are the pictures of Day Seven.
Not really anything to report or discuss for Day Eight.
Teaching is hard work. I know we make jokes about "those who can't do, teach" but that really isn't true. It's exhausting work to stand up in front of a class for 8 hours and talk. Makes me have a new respect for my father, who did this professionally for 30+ years.
Anyway, the biggest problem for today was I went to get Mr. Donut and they were closed. Now, some businesses in Tokyo are closed on Monday, and some are closed on Tuesday. Seems Mr. Donut chose Tuesday. *sigh*
So, breakfast consisted of a Coca-Cola and a Snickers bar. You know, health food.
Class went well. We're finally getting to know each other, and they are getting comfortable enough with me to start asking questions. This is good, because if they don't I'm going to run out of material before Friday is over.
For supper I ate one of my left-over Subway sandwiches. Yes, it was still good. And it tasted good, too.
Not much time for anything during the day, but I explored the train system a little bit during the evening. I even managed to get a few picture of Tokyo station using my el-cheapo camera. You can find them here.
I wish there were more to report, but with working all day in an area that lousy architecture (the buildings remind me of concrete filing cabinets), there just isn't that much. If only I could get paid to be a tourist...
So, it seems that Mr. Donut does not open before 9am. I have to leave before then. Oh, fate, how cruel you are!
You know, you kind of MISS THE POINT of a donut shop if you don't open early enough for breakfast.
Anyway, the day went well. The class is coming along fine, thank you.
However, Brad and Sandy called to say there were eating bait - wait, I'm sorry, I mean "Sashimi", or Sushi - and I don't eat raw fish. So, I'm on my own.
I've decided to go slumming. I'm going to the Japanese McDonald's.
So, off I go, clomping down the street like a crazy gaijin (which, actually, is a pretty good description of me) in search of American-style bad food. And I found it.
Now, I speak no Japanese. When I came here I thought domo meant "Thank you". When I later found out it was arigato I realized I have been saying "very much!" to people instead of "Thank you". No wonder I got strange looks.
But, you don't have to speak Japanese at McDonald's! Simply point at the menu item and grunt. So, I point and grunt and say "Hi!" when they ask if I want "Potato" (french fries to you and I). They were very friendly and the food was very good, especially by McDonald's standards. Ok, I accidently got a Teriyaki McBurger, but it was still good. So, even with McDonald's, I ended up eating somewhat Japanese.
Sorry, no pictures today. I didn't see anything new or interesting enough to photograph.
So, I'd like to go home now.
Homesickness has set in - mostly I'm tired, and I don't know anyone here, and I can't really communicate with anybody.
Still, some observations.
One: no matter how strange you may look, you fit into a class. For example, when I go into the 7-11, I am a "customer". I could go in there with bright orange hair, a bone through my nose and a loincloth, and I would be treated the same as if I had entered in a three-piece suit. Actually, I kind of like that.
This was explained to me. The problem is that, if you join a company 2 weeks after someone else and 3 years later you win the Nobel Prize, you will still be his inferior. Forever. So, rigid class structures have their problems. Still, you don't have the problem of a snooty waiter trying to "put you in your place" in Japan.
No one can make up their mind about which side of the sidewalk to walk on. Usually they walk forward on the left side, but there are those who seem to disagree, and I'm not talking about the lone, confused gaijin.
The television programs are very strange, and I have yet to find the Second Audio Program button to see if they are dubbed in English. You see, I know the TV has a SAP capability, but all of the buttons are in Japanese and... you get the point.
I've managed to capture some of the with my camera, and I hope to convert them to MPEG4 so that I can put them up here. The camera has a limited capture capability, and the volume is low, so I'm not sure I can accurately portray just how odd these programs are.
Sadly, pictures are a poor media for accurately transmitting the true experience of Tokyo. I'd like to be able to do some sort of virtual reality capture, so that you could see the sights, smell the smells, hear the noise. If you don't have all of those the pictures seem somehow - flat, stale.
For example, there is a Circle K convenience store next to the Tokyu Stay Hotel that I am in. But it's like no Circle K I've ever been in - it smells like fish! Simply taking a picture of it and saying "Circle K - it smelled weird" doesn't do the job. Anyone know of a good VR camera I can buy that is standards compliant?
So, with that discussion, are you really expecting pictures?
I've started trying to pack for Saturday, but I didn't really get much done.
Note: I did find the SAP button, but only CNN was actually carrying an English SAP signal. Oh, well.
So, my plane heads home tomorrow. It's a weird feeling.
Today was a full day. I finished the class (it seemed to go very well), and I'm supposed to attend the Sendmail, Inc. (Japan) year-end Christmas/New Years/End of Year celebration. Bo says that I can go with him, since I have no idea where I'm going.
Of course, we got lost. Well, not lost, but it wasn't exactly clear where we were going. We ended up asking a motorcycle courier, and he pointed us in the right direction.
We were to meet at "Cabo Tokyo", which is a Brazilian restaurant in Tokyo... Okay...
The food was absolutely delicious, and the company was very good. Naturally, the English speakers gravitated to one side of the table and the Japanese-only speakers gravitated to the other side.
The way it works is you get a little piece of cardboard with a red cow on one side and a green cow on the other. Green means "Yes, fill my plate" and red means "No, I'm full". Then, guys with skewers of meat prowl around the place filling your plate until you tell them to stop (with the cardboard cow) or until you explode. Or, perhaps, are buried under a landslide of un-eaten meat. We tried to get Sandy some more food after he was done, but he caught that we had turned his cow back to green. Pity.
The pictures are mostly from Bo and I trying to get to the party or of the party itself. You can see the pictures here.
Thank you to Sendmail Japan for having me over. It was a great experience, and I hope to visit again someday.
Andrew Templin
12/21/2002