The Gaijin Invasion! Pt. 1

So I have finally got a chance to meet my fellow classmates and enjoy a little bit of what the Tokyo Night life has to offer.

Boram, Mina, Jiyong, Tony, and I at Yoyogi koen.

Ami, Tony, and I at a nomihodai.

"This Yank can drink!"

DAME!

A Karaoke bar in Shibuya.

Fabian the photographer.

St John.

Great city, fun times, good people.

Shibuya, Sex Shops, and Squid Guts!

So today I got to finally have a day free to wander around Tokyo and test my scope out my home turf for the next 5 months. I was able meet up with a good friend from Vermont, DJ Chan Chan, and who lives a bit south of Shibuya station where we met. After the reunion we promptly decided to go wandering around mid-day Shibuya. We first went to bar to celebrate Chandlers new-found ability to drink legally called Hub. (which in Japan is 20, although they don't card)

Chandler with her first "legal" drink.

Hub is a British bar apparently packed with Japanese people usually drinking Heineken. At least when the Japanese Rugby team had a game on tv. Hub is a chain and they each have a different feel to them. This one was the most similar to an American sports bar I have seen. We decided that the the day would be a day of firsts and Japanese culture. We started by ordering two drinks with the most vague names; Summer Vacation and Brides First Kiss. I had the bride one, and it was kinda meh as far as mixed drinks go, but I'm more of a beer guy. Anyway, we chilled and caught up in between the ruckus of drunk Japanese sports fans and salary-men cheering on the Japanese Rugby team. I never watched much rugby but the crazy Locals were entertaining enough. We enjoyed a few more drinks before heading out to explore the area. 

We just roamed were our feet led us, which eventually led us to a hippy/rasta style goods shop that was reminiscent of more than a few shops in my hometown in Vermont. They had some pretty cool tapestries and stuff and at a MUCH cheaper price than the stores in Burlington.(And less hipster trendy in my opinion.) Chandler bought a cool looking tapestry for her room that had empty bare walls to make it feel more homey. I though of buying a new coin purse for all the coinage that exists in Japan since my current one was about to bust at the seams but decided against it for the sake of saving some coin. Im pretty sure it's Chandlers new favorite store in Japan.

Now up to this point I havent really explored Shibuya due to chores and getting ready for class, so I just wanted to people watch and roam about. Next we went to this weird store (I cant remember the name for the life of me) That had everything from sliced bread to sex toys that looked like vacuum cleaners. Literally, this place had it all! Champagne to knock off Nikes, porn to family bordgames, and cheap electronics to pillows shaped like butts all speckled with a little dash of Japanglish.

The most awesome store in Tokyo!

We roamed around a bit more, peeked around here and there, (Stopped by a 3 story shop catering specifically to Lolita Fashion) then decided to grab some grub. Chandler told me about this restaurant where practically everything was 270 Yen ($3.40ish). That was music to my stomach and wallet. These shops I simply love! I wish we had some of these in America. In these 270 Yen shops you sit down and just start ordering from an electronic touch-pad menu. They have everything from sushi to fries and soda to sake. Its fast, efficient, and AND there are no annoying waitresses or waiters with more pep in their step than a gaggling group of pre-teen girls with front row tickets at a Justin Bieber concert. I think a meal should be eaten and time spent with people you want to eat and spend time with, and I sometimes got a little bothered by waitstaff try to up-sell my on the soup de jour. (I could write a whole post just on the Japanese dinning experience but for the sake of brevity i will save it for another time)

We ordered a few more beers and and then perused the menu for the strangest thing we could find. We past up the octopus sashimi for squid guts! I mean, how often in your life could you eat squid guts? And since we were riding a high of the enjoyment of being in a new country half-way across the world we went for it. (However, not completely warm-heartedly. )

I think she liked it. :)

There were some potatoes to provide relief from teh salty rubbery squid innards.

After that we did a little bar scouting for places to bring our other friend (MOLLY M-DAWG) who would arrive after us. All in all The day was well used and pretty funb. It was good seeing a familiar face and exploring our mutual dream city.....the squid guts?.....not so much.

Tokyo, my home.

Ahhhhhhh!!! Finally! In my apartment and have reliable internet access. Sorry for the dead blog. Anyway let me talk about my day. It started with waking up at 4 this morning so that I could catch my flight. After a 1 1/2 ride and a heartfelt farewell to my host family I was on my own heading to Tokyo.

I had everything organized and good to go but I ran into a bit of trouble with my luggage. Good news is that I could have 2 carry-on's (And the fact that I had a big bottle of sake in one was not a problem for the airport.) But my checked bag was 16 kilos over the 20 kilo limit. (When you go to Japan, people give you ALOT of gifts. For me, since I told everyone that I am studying Japanese, those gifts were alot of Japanese grammar and Kanji books.) Books are heavy, and even though I got them for free they ended up costing me 5000Yen or $64. I could just leave my luggage so I ponied up the cash and hopped on the plane.

I sat next to a lovely lady, and after trading pleasantries got to discussing the idea of peace, my experiences in Onomichi, and her trip to Peru for a peace conference. We paused our discussion to take a look of Mt Fuji from the plane window. It stood above the clouds and didn't have any snow on it yet. We then talked about the probability of Mt Fuji still being open to climb. I though it closed at the beginning of September but she told me I could be wrong. I hope I am, I REALLY wanna conquer that mountain! I told her to try some Texmex food when she had her 2 hour layover in Huston. I think she may be in Peru by now. If not, have a safe flight!

So now I'm back in Narita. I was a little more aware of my surroundings this time around and took care of my photos for my alien registration card and headed down to the basement floor of the airport to purchase my N'EX ticket. (Basically it's a shinkansen that runs for  people with a foreign passport. It runs from Narita into the heart of Tokyo so it was an easy alternative to trying to manage the spiderweb of a map that was the Tokyo subway system.) My stop was Shibuya station, which is near my apartment. By this time I have been reunited with the lard of mass that is my $64 piece of luggage and am starting to worry about dragging it the 1 mile from the Shibuya station to my apartment in Sendagaya but push that thought aside and take a well deserved nap! The train ride was a nice break except for a very loud toddler who like to repeat everything that was spoken on the train. Cute as a button but lord did he have a set of pipes.

I grabbed all my luggage and packed up to get ready for my trek through Tokyo. On the map my path ran  from Shibuya station north along the east side of Yoyogi park and then a little right somewhere. That last bit may sound a little vague, but I figured that since I have seen the building online that I would be able to spot it.....yeah, not so much. So I start off well enough and find Yoyogi park with relative ease, but the time I assumed it would take to my apartment seem to get longer and longer. That was completly due to the 100+ pounds of luggage slinged to my back and being dragged behind me through the 90 degree Tokyo mid-day heat. I slowly began to hate my luggage with every slight incline that came my way. I took occasional rests on benches and stools near the park, but stools became less frequent as time went by and steeper hills and over-the-street bridges with endless steps quickly took their place. People would see me trudging up step-by-step and come over, grab a handle, and help me out. I thank all of the kind people of Tokyo for helping out a lost little gaijin because it would have taken me two minutes to go up 2 flights of stairs. I promptly took a rest at the top of the walkway right in the middle of the bridge where a heavenly tree decided to stretch its branches blocking the sun. The 36kilo piece of luggage standing next to me as if saying "You know you still not even halfway yet right? MWUHAHAHAHAHA!"

I began to become a little worried that I wasn't going to find my apartment by 5:30 (When check-in closes as well as my chance to not be homeless for a night.) Just as I was about to give in and grab a highly priced taxi (The whole point of walking was to save money by avoiding said taxi) I started to see stores and shops that the website said was near my apartment. It turned out that I had been circling my apartment for the past 15 minutes. I finally asked one more person for assistance. THANK GOD HE HAD A GPS! And he escorted my ALL THE WAY.....around the corner! (Fail #1)

If I had to describe the feeling of seeing that pink sign "SAKURA HOUSE" (my apt)I would say it was a mix of immense relief, sheer happiness, and a deep sense of raw inner-pride. I talked with a tennant about my ordeal, we laughed, and then I asked him where the check-in was...he stopped laughing. "You mean...the one in ...Shinjuku?"

If I had to describe the feeling of hearing "You mean Shinjuku?" I would say it was a mix of helpless despair, intense sadness, and a little bit of REALLY! WHAT THE F*@K TOKYO! WTF!? (Fail #2,3,4,5,6,........) (The Gods of International Travel are dicks)

By this time I would say my clothes were comprised of 1 part sweat.....that's it.

So after crashing on random parts of sidewalk, dehydrated, half dead, and finally feeling the sweat sensation of victory, the Gods of International Travel give me one more love-tap in the gonads. Lucky my roomates were pretty chill and allowed my in to drop off my luggage and guide me to the Shinjuku station (Which would have cost the same as my N'EX ticket to Shibuya station and was the next stop after AND turned out to be only 30 min away instead of 1 1/2 hours.) (wwwhhhUUUUUUUMMP! LOVETAP!) So I hopped the train, which was mad easy, and hopped off at Shinjuku, walked straight, found the Sakura House building and filled out all the paperwork. Came back, bought a bottle of sake as thanks for my roomates for saving my butt, took a WAY overdue shower, unpacked a bit, ate dinner, and am now safe and sound mingling with my international roommates and feeling at home. So, my day in a nutshell? DONE! PHEW!

               The common room in my Shibuya apartment. My room down the hall on left on the right side.

First Steps In Japan and Onomichi Gallery

 Me and Kazuo-san with our classy Junbe's (Working Kimonos)

In front of the Train Station in busy Mihara on my way to yet another teaching gig.

MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS!!!
Apparently in Japan, unless your under the age of 6, it is considered strange to watch Super Sentai (Japanese Power Rangers)...pft! Whatever!

Me and Michiko-sans English class that I helped out with. Fun people! I got to use a Japanese buzzer. Ill explain that later. Needless to say it's fun as all get out.

Japanese CURRY! A little sweeter and much less spicy than Indian Curry, but equally as delicious! And apparently my home state of Vermont has is the home of a unique type of Japanese Curry.

The land of JAMBON and POUTINE. (Motto Late Post)

The first start of my global tour of adventure is Canada. And I must say the country has welcomed me with open arms, and large hotel pools, and equally as large prices for hotel food. ($14 for a pasta dish? Peas and ham, it was actually pretty good. And it came with a baller mousse, so I guess it was about fair pricewise) Just had they teary heartwarming Hollywood movie family send off. Ya’ know, the one where they say things like “We’ll miss you!” “Be safe!” “Don’t get pickpocketed or beaten up in an ally and stabbed” (MOVIE CROWD: “Awwwwwww!”)

 But seriously, it was cool that my family dragged themselves through traffic to see me off. Although my mom believes that my main mission is to go get me a Japanese wife and not actually study. And I get the feeling that she thinks that if I tell ANYONE that I am American that a group of urban Ninjas will jump out of nowhere and beat the living shit out of me. But since the Canadian people have been so kind to me I don’t think anyone would hate them, so I’ll just say that I’m from Canada, I’ll be covered. I’ve already started to cover my basis by learning words like Jambon, Fromage, and started my day with a small bucket of Poutine. At a glance, no one will EVER KNOW!

Aight well, I gotta get to practicing some Japanese and find where the hell the bathroom is in this place. (BTW, Montreal airport is very friendly, clean, and efficient. A+.) Well, next stop Newark.  I will miss the Poutine. <:’(  

PHEW! (LATE POST)

 

Phew! Packing done! Classes done! Heading to my hotel in Montreal so that I can get up bright and early to start my epic journey to the land of the rising sun! (You know what they say: “The early bird gets the 14 hour flight to Tokyo!”) My family decided to travel up in the car with me so that we can have dinner at the hotel. (FREE FOOD WOOT!) But we have to ride in an oven on wheel for three hours before that happens and that is where I am writing this from, the car which feels hot like the 5th level of hell!

WARNING!! HIJACKED BLOG ENTRY!!!!!

My sister Alex is just so cool. There is no one else I would prefer to hang out with on my way to Japan. She is rearry rearry awesome. I wish she could come with me! But alas, she must stay and rule over Vermont. I guess I will have to suffer the grief of so many months away from my fabulous little sister.

END OF WARNING!!!!!

My sister decided to be a smartass and hijack my computer while I went to buy some sunglasses at a gas station. I will just assume it’s a farewell letter and something for me to remember her sisterly mischief with. Anywho Just wanted to say that the JOURNEY TO FUTURE LAND has begun! Im kinda getting nausiauce trying to type while in a moving car so I’m going to wrap this up. We’re are heading up to Monteal so that I can catch my flight  even though I connect in Newark (They keep pulling me back in!) But after a 3 hour layover in Newark I am bound for the LAND OF THE RISING SUN! But right now im just stuck in traffic…..lame.

Crunch Time, Stress Time, Time for Japan

Whew! Just spent the whole day shopping for Japan. I have some new clothes and gray hairs to show for it. (>^<) (When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Which in Japan includes emoticons) So let me give you the low-down on what I got and why I got it so that anyone who may travel to Japan may learn from my mistakes, that being procrastination. About that,,,don't!

I have T-minus 5 days till takeoff and I have just started my pre-flight checklist. ("But five days in the summer Patrick? I'm sure you can squeeze in some prep time between your appointments at the beach and the bars.") Unfortunately, my schedule is pretty packed. Summer classes (With exams the day before I leave) which have me busy from 9am to 4 Monday through Thursday and I have Stand-up Comedy class from 6-8. Both of these things leave me with little time to get everything ready. It's doable, no doubt, just lots unneeded stress. I haven't been able to write ANYTHING for my comedy class for the past 2 weeks, and that just makes me feel all anxious (Which is the last thing you need while trying to make a room of strangers laugh)

Even though it's a sloppy race to the finish, it will only last 5 more days then I'M FREE! When I land in Tokyo I immediately catch another flight to Hiroshima to teach English for a month at a local YMCA before I move back to Tokyo to start school. One problem, I don't know my grammar. Now don't get me wrong, I showed up for the 4th Grade and I know how to use an Independent Clause. (Even though I just googled "Independent Clause" to make sure what it was.) I know I know, "This kind of man is shaping our nations youth?" Well, technically it's not MY nations youth, so i guess I'm off the hook. (But the Japanese youth are pretty much screwed) And I can always play the "Well I'm the native speaker!" card. Haha, but seriously...I suck at grammar. (Wonder what the folks at borders though when my sister set aside a copy of English Grammar: For Dummies.) But I'm excited. Its not often that I get to dress classy. See in Japan student treat their teachers with alot of respect and the teachers thenseleves should present themselves in a way that acknowledges that respect. So in other words, I went dress clothes shopping and i get to wear a SKINNY TIE! (I frigin' love skinny ties, and Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger. Link at bottom) I also bought some new dress shoes that are pointed like a stereotypical male hosts shoes. Again, when in Rome. And even though I joke about the grammar thing I fully intend to cram grammar so that I can do my job right

I don't really know what I was typing about to begin with. This really just turned into a blog rant but me. Im pretty sure I did was paint a picture of a Japan with Male hosts with an addiction to emoticons and Japanese children watching Goukaiger while speaking horrid English. But yeah, make a packing list, check it twice, depending on what you bring immigration may be naughty or nice. (Unless you have a thing for rubber gloves...yeah) Bring copies of official paperwork of your reasons for being in the country and where you are planning to stay and for how long. But just make a list, buy the stuff on it, make sure you can fit it into your baggage (Leave room for omiyage that you will bring back) and, in general, get stuff done early! 

I will let ya'll know how things progress as I get closer to the land of the rising sun! I'm PUMPED! I have worked for this for over a year and have dreamed of going to Japan. I plan to do alot within the 6 months that I am there, visit some shrines, do some kareoke, climb Mt. Fuji, try some different foods, and make some new friends. T-minus 5 days! woohoo!

Kaizoku Sentai Goukaiger: http://www.dramacrazy.net/japanese-drama/kaizoku-sentai-goukaiger/

And to the Tokyo Trifecta (Fourfecta, Fivefecta, I dunno): Choose a Juuhachiban and practice, when you guys get into town we will hit up a Karaoke bar!