Getting There is Half the Fun

So, you know how at the beginning of every trip, you stop and say "I can't be leave I was about to leave the house without taking the ______"?

Well, that didn't happen for me.

Actually, I was flying along quite pleasantly for 13 hours, thinking myself the cat's meow until I got to the Japanese Customs and Immigrations Offices, convenient located at the lovely Narita Airport. I got through the line, showed my visa and boarding pass, smiled for a photo, and scanned my fingerprints (none of that ink business in Nihon-land-of-the-digital). Then as I was about to gather up my carry-0n baggage and head through the shiny, glass doors of Japan....I was asked for my Certificate of Eligibility. I'm sorry, what? I needed that paper months ago to get my visa. And, there is my visa, so obviously I had that paper. Why do I need it? You have my visa. They say the EXACT SAME THING! Are you calling me a LIAR?!

No, I didn't say that! It was all running in my head. Apparently, the fine print on the bottom of said certificate states that: in order to enter Japan, this certificate and the visa must be shown to the customs officials upon arrival. Ooohhh......yeeeeaaah.....ummm. About that. I might have, just by accident, kinda-sorta left that in my room. At home. In America. (oops)

And that was why I was detained by the customs officials at Narita for 30 minutes. Yeay!! :) Lucky for me, the Japanese consulate in Detroit had sent my return address slip proving that I had sent them my certificate and that the visa was valid. But that wasn't good enough for the Japanese; they wanted my certificate in person. So I agreed to send it to their extremely difficult to write address in exchange for my temporary freedom in their country (it wasn't this cool in reality, but it sounds more interesting if I phrase it this way.)

I've just avoided an entanglement with the Japanese govenrment and I'm feeling pretty shaken (not sturred), so I retrieve all my luggage (I'm carrying slightly less than 100 pounds at this point) and I try to find a way to get to Shinjuku. "All I have to do is get to the Shinjuku train station," I told myself, "then a Wittenberg alumni will help me get to ICU.

Haha, as if life were ever so simple.

Poor me, trembling in a new country, I was so scared from sitting alone in that quiet room with all the benches, that I coincidently bought a ticket to Shibuya and not Shinjuku. What is the big difference between those cities? Well, let's just say I should have taken a left turn at Albuquerque. Shibuya is a cool place, don't get me wrong, but it isn't where I want to go with suitcases dripping from my every limb. Once I saw my mistake, I jumped off the bus at the nearest stop and tried to reorient myself. Here's the short story:

1. Stored my stuff at the nearest hotel doorway

2. Dashed to the next door LAWSONS for some 100 yen pieces

3. CALLED FOR HELP!!!

And it came, funny enough. It took me a total of 5 hours to get from Narita airport to ICU near Mitaka-shi, and it sure did feel like 5 hours, too. On my first day in Japan, I broke all of the traveling rules and looked like an idiot on at least 6 points in my day. But, at least I got to see the city, and proved that I knew what to do if I got lost.

On a positive note, when I got to my dorm that night, my dorm mates were all outside having a huge barbecue and I got to start my ICU campus life with several huge plates of grilled sausages, meats, noodles, and veggies. Everyone was super friendly, and my roommate was so welcoming that I couldn't help but feel better. It was just what I needed to make the day worth the while!

Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan, the Basics

So that I can try to reset from jet-lag, I will be arriving in Mitaka about a week before my classes start. As far as I know, there isn't a major orientation for the September Students (so dubbed, because we all just show up in September), so I can wander around the city for a little bit. Hopefully, I can find my way back home, too. I could aimlessly stroll down the streets and jump on random buses to find something interesting, but I'm not that spontaneous. Wouldn't it be more fun to have Japanese Scavenger hunt?! Of course it would!!

Here are the things I need to find, photograph, and visit in my first week (I don't know what sort of batsu to give myself, but I'll think of something).

1. Locate a Lawson convenience store. I figure that this shouldn't be too difficult, since it is the second largest convenience chain in Japan with 1255 stores in Tokyo alone. Originally, it started in Ohio (my mother's family has fond Lawson memories) but now they can only be found in the land of the rising sun. Why is locating a Lawson also important? That is the ONLY place in Japan where you can buy tickets to the Studio Ghibli Museum!

2. Ramen shop. No, guys, I'm serious. A for-real-make-their-own-broth ramen shop. If you understand my need to find one, then you have probably already eaten at one before. I have only heard wonderful and great things about these places. Maybe I won't get some on the first day, but once I find it, I'll know where to go.

3. A dojo, maybe even THE dojo, I haven't decided yet. Every year, my dojo (at least, my teacher) goes to Japan to train with men and women who have been practicing Taijutsu for most of their lives. Our guys work with people (good and bad, skilled and .... lacking)from around the world. If I went with the dojo guys, they could show me how to get to a good Japanese dojo. But hopefully, I can spend a day to make it there on my own. I don't know how often I'll get to train in Japan, but I have to make the effort.

4. A second hand store. I'm told they are around, you just have to find them. And I'm not spending 10 months in Japan unless I can find some kind of Goodwill-look-alike.

5. The ocean. It is an island. Sure, I know that it isn't rivaling the surf of California or the beauty of the Bahamas, but I love water regardless. "Do they have any beaches in Japan?" - Silly blonde girl from New York

6. Cell phone company & Embassy. I'm not sure in which order I'll find these in, but they both need to get done.

If you have any suggestions, please let me know! I'll post the pictures to prove I've found the items in my list.