Hi everyone! Thanks for your patience with me for the past two weeks as I have gotten (mostly) settled into my new life in Japan. I have been very, very busy with training, setting up my new apartment, and other necessary tasks.
Below is a mostly accurate portrayal of how I’ve been feeling, trying to manage everything.
I’m sure you’re all excited for the first update, so without further ado, let’s get to it!
The Journey
Fourteen hour long plane flights are no fun. Everyone knows this. I was on one of the new Dreamliner jets, packed in like a sardine with all of the others in the economy class.
I did not appreciate that the Dreamliners have tintable windows, primarily coordinated and controlled by the flight attendants. The airplane remained in night mode for the vast majority of the flight, destroying my hopes that I would be exposed to natural light to help combat the jet lag. Not even the excitement of setting foot in Japan for the very first time could combat the zombie-like fugue I descended to. The multi-hour long lines to get through Customs and Immigration at the Narita Airport did not help matters at all.
Chiba (plus bonus Narita)
I spent the majority of my time in Chiba during my first week, commuting between the training location in this city and my hotel in Narita, Meet Inn Narita. I stuck close to the station in Chiba, which sits in the middle of a shopping mall called Perrier. I spent more time looking at the streetside shops than the mall. I went to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant in Chiba, and a couple of ramen shops in Narita.
Next up: my first selfie!
I visited a cat café in Chiba called Cat Cafe Myao. I only could stay for 20 minutes, but the atmosphere was very soothing. Most of the cats seemed to be asleep, or otherwise bored of interaction. One of the cats, Yuzu, pawed at the door and meowed to be let out into the reception, like many cats begging to be let outside.
Grumpy face.
At the end of the first week, I had my first nomikai (after work party) with my colleagues. I did not drink, since alcohol makes me sick. I did, however, pay to use the omikuji, or Japanese fortune machine! My lucky number is 1, and my lucky color is blue. There is also a fortune and a Shakespeare quote on the slip. My translator app helped me understand the fortune handily, but the Shakespeare quote… not so much.
Poor Gareth pretty much exclusively stayed inside during this time. The weather was rainy and cold, and he did not seem to appreciate being curled up inside his carrier for so long. He stayed at the hotel and rested.
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