Coming to Japan - Part 1 of 2.
Since I'm writing about these Japan experiences as they come to me, the
timelines are pretty out of whack. Each article may take place at a
different time, so please don't let it confuse you. This particular
event occurred when I had just arrived to Japan, and I was green,
nervous and extremely confused.
Since I came to Japan to study Martial Arts, one of my very first goals was to get to my hotel, unpack, and then try to find the dojo. Things didn't quite go to plan. I become lost immediately after flying into Narita airport. I was surrounded by a swirl of Japanese people, language, kanji, bustle and luggage carts. Foreign smells assaulted my nose, foreign languages bounced off my ears, and since I hadn't slept in about 35 hours, I was zoned out and nearing delirium.
"Man up," I instructed myself. There was no-one coming to meet me at the airport - no courtesy car, and no man with my name written on a sign. "You've somehow ended up alone in this foreign country, and you've got to deal with it."
My bleary eyes tried to focus on the small, tattered map to my hotel. My headache intensified as I realised the map was completely in Japanese - I had no points of reference. I stood at Narita airport, frozen in time, clutching my incomprehensible map while all of Japan flowed around me. 2 meters away from me, countless families and friends were re-united and were hugging each other. For the first time in Japan, I understood what it was like to be completely alone in a room packed with people.
Fortunately some part of my brain was still working. "You should probably get on a train, right?" it reasoned. That seems to make sense, I thought as I began walking, looking for a train station. Soon after, I found a picture of a train on a sign, and it was written in English too. "Train Station", it proclaimed. Spirits lifted, I began walking. I soon after became lost again. 30 fuzzy minutes later, I located the train station, where I was faced with my next challenge : buying a ticket.
Firefly : Uhhhhhhhhh... Ohayo...... gozaimasu.
Attendant : Ž´ŽÁŽ»ù鎳Ž¡Ž¼Ž¥ŽÉŽ¤ŽËŽ¤ŽÏ3Ž¼¡¦à¦Ž¢Ž¤¡¦ŽÎŽ¤ŽÇŽ¡Ž¢ŽÅŽ¬ŽÀŽÚŽ¤ŽËŽÁŽªŽÂŽ·Ž¤ŽÆŽ°Ž·.
Firefly : Uhhhhhh.....
Attendant : ò§Ž¦Ž¥Ž¶Ž¤ŽÎŽ¾¡¦î¦ŽÏŽ¡
Firefly (Heavy australian accent) : Actually I don't really speak Japanese. But I'm trying to get to Kita Senjuu, I have a hotel there. Can you help? What should I do?
Attendant : .........
Firefly : ..........
Attendant : What?
Firefly : Kita Senjuu?
Attendant : Um.... what?
Firefly : Keeta Senjiu?
Attendant : .........
Firefly : Kida Sanju?
Attendant : Ticket to Tokyo costing 2,500 yen.
Firefly : Um. One please, I think.
I stumbled down to the train track, and boarded the first train that came through. I was excited and pumped, but also exhausted and naseous. The train arrived at Tokyo station one and a half hours later. I dragged my bags out. I had a large carry-on bag, and a 30 kilo large blue luggage bag. The carry-on bag's strap began biting into my shoulder as I tried to pull the large suitcase up the stairs. Since it was also Japanese summer, and mid morning, it started heating up and becoming extremely humid. To give a quick summary, I was hot, tired, sweaty, exhausted, excited, confused, shocked, and in pain from the luggage. I dragged my luggage around until I found a man wearing a uniform.
Firefly : Hi, um, do you speak English? I'm trying to get to my hotel, it's in Kita Senju, can you help?
Guard : Ah... no speak... English. Umm... Come. Come.
Firefly : Uh, ok.
Guard : Here.
We walked together a short distance, and he pointed at a service desk. The two girls sitting behind the counter saw me. Their eyes opened in shock. Imagine the look in a mouses' eye when a scorpion gets dropped into his tank. Same look.
Firefly : Hello... look, I don't speak Japanese, I'm trying to get to Kita Senju.
Counter Girl : Ah..... I don't....... have, any, English.
At this point, I'm pretty sure a small vein popped out of my head.
Firefly : Kita. Senju. I am going to Kita Senju.
Both girls look at each other in confusion and concern. Japan Rail staff training did not cover angry delirious foreigners. Looking back, I now know they couldn't understand due to my bad Japanese pronounciation. I grabbed a pen and a bit of paper, and wrote it down.
Counter Girls (in unison) : Oooh! Kita Senju!
Firefly : AARGH. Thats exactly what I said.
Counter Girl : Hibiya line. Ueno changing. Changing Ueno.
Firefly : I don't understand. Can you write it down?
They wrote it down, and pointed me in the right direction. My head was throbbing with a headache, I was thirsty, hungry, and feeling more lost than ever. I walked off in the direction they pointed me in, dragging my luggage behind me.
Part 1 of 2. Part 2 to be added soon.
Since I came to Japan to study Martial Arts, one of my very first goals was to get to my hotel, unpack, and then try to find the dojo. Things didn't quite go to plan. I become lost immediately after flying into Narita airport. I was surrounded by a swirl of Japanese people, language, kanji, bustle and luggage carts. Foreign smells assaulted my nose, foreign languages bounced off my ears, and since I hadn't slept in about 35 hours, I was zoned out and nearing delirium.
"Man up," I instructed myself. There was no-one coming to meet me at the airport - no courtesy car, and no man with my name written on a sign. "You've somehow ended up alone in this foreign country, and you've got to deal with it."
My bleary eyes tried to focus on the small, tattered map to my hotel. My headache intensified as I realised the map was completely in Japanese - I had no points of reference. I stood at Narita airport, frozen in time, clutching my incomprehensible map while all of Japan flowed around me. 2 meters away from me, countless families and friends were re-united and were hugging each other. For the first time in Japan, I understood what it was like to be completely alone in a room packed with people.
Fortunately some part of my brain was still working. "You should probably get on a train, right?" it reasoned. That seems to make sense, I thought as I began walking, looking for a train station. Soon after, I found a picture of a train on a sign, and it was written in English too. "Train Station", it proclaimed. Spirits lifted, I began walking. I soon after became lost again. 30 fuzzy minutes later, I located the train station, where I was faced with my next challenge : buying a ticket.
Firefly : Uhhhhhhhhh... Ohayo...... gozaimasu.
Attendant : Ž´ŽÁŽ»ù鎳Ž¡Ž¼Ž¥ŽÉŽ¤ŽËŽ¤ŽÏ3Ž¼¡¦à¦Ž¢Ž¤¡¦ŽÎŽ¤ŽÇŽ¡Ž¢ŽÅŽ¬ŽÀŽÚŽ¤ŽËŽÁŽªŽÂŽ·Ž¤ŽÆŽ°Ž·.
Firefly : Uhhhhhh.....
Attendant : ò§Ž¦Ž¥Ž¶Ž¤ŽÎŽ¾¡¦î¦ŽÏŽ¡
Firefly (Heavy australian accent) : Actually I don't really speak Japanese. But I'm trying to get to Kita Senjuu, I have a hotel there. Can you help? What should I do?
Attendant : .........
Firefly : ..........
Attendant : What?
Firefly : Kita Senjuu?
Attendant : Um.... what?
Firefly : Keeta Senjiu?
Attendant : .........
Firefly : Kida Sanju?
Attendant : Ticket to Tokyo costing 2,500 yen.
Firefly : Um. One please, I think.
I stumbled down to the train track, and boarded the first train that came through. I was excited and pumped, but also exhausted and naseous. The train arrived at Tokyo station one and a half hours later. I dragged my bags out. I had a large carry-on bag, and a 30 kilo large blue luggage bag. The carry-on bag's strap began biting into my shoulder as I tried to pull the large suitcase up the stairs. Since it was also Japanese summer, and mid morning, it started heating up and becoming extremely humid. To give a quick summary, I was hot, tired, sweaty, exhausted, excited, confused, shocked, and in pain from the luggage. I dragged my luggage around until I found a man wearing a uniform.
Firefly : Hi, um, do you speak English? I'm trying to get to my hotel, it's in Kita Senju, can you help?
Guard : Ah... no speak... English. Umm... Come. Come.
Firefly : Uh, ok.
Guard : Here.
We walked together a short distance, and he pointed at a service desk. The two girls sitting behind the counter saw me. Their eyes opened in shock. Imagine the look in a mouses' eye when a scorpion gets dropped into his tank. Same look.
Firefly : Hello... look, I don't speak Japanese, I'm trying to get to Kita Senju.
Counter Girl : Ah..... I don't....... have, any, English.
At this point, I'm pretty sure a small vein popped out of my head.
Firefly : Kita. Senju. I am going to Kita Senju.
Both girls look at each other in confusion and concern. Japan Rail staff training did not cover angry delirious foreigners. Looking back, I now know they couldn't understand due to my bad Japanese pronounciation. I grabbed a pen and a bit of paper, and wrote it down.
Counter Girls (in unison) : Oooh! Kita Senju!
Firefly : AARGH. Thats exactly what I said.
Counter Girl : Hibiya line. Ueno changing. Changing Ueno.
Firefly : I don't understand. Can you write it down?
They wrote it down, and pointed me in the right direction. My head was throbbing with a headache, I was thirsty, hungry, and feeling more lost than ever. I walked off in the direction they pointed me in, dragging my luggage behind me.
Part 1 of 2. Part 2 to be added soon.