Even Better Than the Book

Okay, I’m back, and I’m staying back. I wanted to leave some space between my last entry and this one, so nobody would miss the last one. At this point I think all stragglers are in.

Now, you get to hear about Japan. Aside from the fact that I’m in Japan, I haven’t really had any “adventures” in the way that I mean that word in the title of this blog. However, this is an incredible place, and I’ve had a tremendous amount to soak up in these first two weeks. If you know me well, you know I’ve always been a bit of an Asiaphile, specifically a Japanophile. I’ve been dreaming about living in this country for nearly 20 years!

In coming here, my concern was that I’d built it up too much. Sort of like a movie that can never live up to the anticipation, I half expected that being in Japan really wouldn’t feel as remarkable as I expected. I predicted this, especially because my interest has always been mostly in traditional Japanese art and culture, which I already knew is not exactly what Tokyo is all about. Well, I’ve been pleased to discover that my experience has so far greatly exceeded all my expectations. I don’t know if I was Japanese in a past life or something, but I really feel at home here. It took me three years to feel that way about L.A., and about three hours to feel that way about Tokyo (don’t worry Ormond, you’re still my main squeeze)!

So first of all, what have I been doing? The first whole week was mostly spent shopping for things to get settled in. I’m not in a hotel or anything, I have an apartment for three months. So, dish soap, towels, groceries, etc. Plus we were shopping for a couple bigger items: I had to get a cell phone and plan that I could use here, and I had to get a bicycle to get around. This whole process also took an unusually long time, because we had to find places, get acquainted, and stop and check out every neat thing that came across our path.

By the way, by “we” I mean me and my buddy Aaron. He’s lived here twice, for a total of about 18 months, and has visited like five other times. He speaks Japanese fluently, and knows his way around our neighborhood pretty well. This trip really wouldn’t work for me without his help. I’m pretty resourceful, but I don’t think I could have nearly this complete of an experience.

Once we got settled in, we began filling our days with a variety of activities: cycling, yoga, rock climbing (bouldering actually, and in a gym, not on a real rock), Japanese language study, cooking, drinking in bars, and working. Just so you know, two of the business ventures I’ve moved into are moving forward already - panning out better than expected! We also met up with an American friend of Aaron, who happened to also be here. On that occasion we went to Meiji Jingu, which is a temple erected in honor of the 19th century Emperor Meiji, who is credited with modernizing Japan. It’s an extraordinary temple, set on grounds the size of Central Park (if you haven’t been to NYC, trust me, that’s big)! And, it happens to be right down the street from our apartment - the perfect location for a bit of jogging.

Okay, so I know many of you are dying to know about how Japan compares to America - what’s different? Well, this blog is already kind of long, and this is a long topic. So, I’ll give you a couple tidbits, and then I’ll spread the rest out over future posts (which I promise will be much more frequent).

The first thing I noticed is how clean this city is. Americans, we really need to get it together and take a little more pride in the way we care for our surroundings. I mean, this city has four times as many people as NYC, and there is nary a piece of trash to be found - not even a cigarette butt! I saw one piece of paper on the ground by a store that had probably just been dropped accidentally, and a policeman walked over to it, picked it up, and carried it to a waste receptacle! Trash is actually kind of complicated here. Everywhere - including my apartment - there are multiple containers for paper, plastic, and other. Everybody respects this system, and discards their waste accordingly. I can’t picture every customer in an American McDonald’s removing the lid and straw from their cup, to throw them in one bin, while throwing the ice and liquid in another, and then the paper cup in another. But, it works here. People just do it. Amazing!

Here’s a little difference - a subtle small thing to remind you you’re amidst a foreign culture. In every store, or restaurant, or whatever, every cash register has a little tray next to it. That is where you place the money. You don’t hand the money to the cashier. You place the money on the tray, and then they pick it up. Oh, and along those lines, some of the more sophisticated stores don’t even open the register. They just insert the money into a slot, and the register spits out the correct change! It’s so cool!

Alright, this is a major blog code length violation. I’ve got tons more to say about the ways in which Tokyo differs from American cities, but it will have to wait. For now just know that I’m having a great time. I already know for certain that I will come here again many times. And at the same time, I miss you all!

P.S. Thanks for the push Shayla. Now you don’t have to kill me.