I don't speak Japanese, sorry dawg...
Adventure.
Just want to write a bit more about going to Japan.
I got on the plane to Haneda Airport set to arrive around the same time as my friend. We were going to meet, since we're from different states.
Not even 10 minutes before the plane takes off, he tells me he missed his flight, and has to get on a plane the next day.
Bro...- my heart sank. That meant I had to go to a non-English speaking country, figure out how to take the train, and get to the BnB all by myself...
I was only scared for a bit though, due to the indominable human spirit I think. An evil grin spread across my face. I found the situation more funny than anything. A true adventure.
So I screenshotted my train routes, BnB instructions, and an English to Japanese phrase web page. I looked over that train route so many times on the plane.
Keikyu Line (KK) to Shinagawa Station. Yamanote Line (JY) to Shibuya Station. Walk to BnB from Shibuya Station Hachiko Exit.
No amount of airport beers and strange in-air food could put me to sleep. I raw-dogged the 15 hour trip, watching The Soppranos on someone else's screen 2 rows ahead of me.
Heat.
As soon as I got down into the Haneda Station, the incredible heat hit my soul. It was diabolical. I was wearing jeans, and it was high 90s with 80-90% humidity... I was warned about the heat, but holy shit I've never felt anything like it. I genuinely felt like it was dangerous to be outside.
Instant ball-soup.
I watched trains arrive, waited, and watched them leave. I knew I had to get to Shinagawa, but actually getting on a train was nerve-racking.
The trains were very crowded. I'm used to trains having no ridership (lol).
So I waited and watched what people did, and figured out how to get in line and get on. I watched the electronic sign above the platform change from Japanese to English. I listened to the little song that plays when the train arrives (every time).
(A lot of things have little songs in japan. My shower had a song when the hot water turned on.)
Eventually I nutted up, almost got on the wrong train to Yokohama, then got on the right train to Shinagawa.
I kept my head down the whole time, and glued my eyes to my phone. Everyone else was doing that. I knew Japanese trains were supposed to be quiet as fuck, so I was trying my hardest to be a shadow.
I popped a headphone in and put on the Piku Niku OST. It made the train trip feel easier I dunno I WAS SWEATY AND SCARED.
Shinagawa station was where it actually got hot. I got nervous in the Haneda underground station, but holy fuck... The actual heat hit me when I got to Shinagawa. The platforms are outside. By the time I got to my train, I was drenched. I looked like a Gatorade commercial.
I bought my first of many Pocari Sweats at a vending machine in that station.
Locked in.
Once I got to Shibuya, my nerves calmed a bit. I got to the main street outside of the station, and put on my mean-mug face.
I power marched to the BnB, melting in my jeans and black t-shirt, with a heavy frown and a stompy-gait. I felt the need to keep my guard up because I was a little stressed.
People keep to the left in most places I went. So I tried my best to keep to the left. I knew about the "stand on the left, walk on the right" escalator rule, luckily.
Most of the main sidewalks in Shibuya had yellow ridged lines that divided them. I didn't know what it could be, so I just stayed on the smaller part of the lines. I assumed it was to guide the flow of people, or maybe a bike lane indicator for the sidewalk.
I eventually settled on the idea that it was for the visually impaired.
I got to the BnB and finally breathed. It was cool, and quiet.
I peeled my sweat-soaked jeans off of my body and took a meaty shower.
Japanese Bathrooms.
They are different than your typical western bathroom.
The bathroom has a shower-room, not just a shower. The whole room is waterproof for bathing, and the tub is just for chilling (soaking).
I only figured this out after I got back to the states.
Me being a fuck-head, I didn't look anything up and just assumed the tub was a very small shower.
Sorry for using the bath tub wrong, BnB host and Japanese population. GOMENNASAI!
The toilet and the shower played little songs when they turned on. That rocked.
Suica.
You can pay for a bunch of shit in Japan just using IC Transit Cards. The popular one I was led to get was a Suica card. I added it to my phone's wallet, and I didn't have to go through too much physical money thanks to it.
You can use it at combinis, vending machines, trains (lol), some resturaunts, and some grocery stores.
I uttered the words "Etto.... Sumimasen.... I shi cahdo de." quite a bit.
Life Market.
My BnB was next to a supermarket called Life. It was my first Japanese retail experience. I felt self-conscious and went in trying to be as normal as possible.
I forgot to get a basket, so I carried my groceries through the store.
A frozen omurice, a bunch of bananas, and a carton of what I thought was lemonade. It turned out to be bitter-ass grapefruit juice lol.
I figured it would allow me to survive one day so I could eat and get my bearings straight.
I got in line and checked out - my first public interaction. I gave a meek konnichiwa, the cashier met me with the same greeting. She scanned my items, and I handed her 1,000 yen.
She denied it.
She kept telling me "go" and showing me 5 fingers. I knew go was 5, so I went to the little stand across from her that said 5.
She waved me back because I didn't bring my groceries to the stand (lol).
I had to pay with cash over there.
I smiled gave her the ol' "arigato gozaimasssss~" as she and the older couple next in line stared.
Eventually figured it out. All the little stations for bagging your groceries were full, and I was ready to get the fuck out of there, so I carried my dinky groceries home in my hands.
My confidence level was below zero, so I decided to eat my omurice and bananas, and go to sleep.
The next day after waking up at 3am, I explored the streets of Shibuya. Nobody was awake except other foreigners just walking around. I heard crows cawing in the morning; it reminded me of them Japanese cartoons.
Later, I picked my two friends up from Haneda with my newly developed train-taking skill.
Confidence.
The whole trip I felt like an alien, which was very funny. After a few days I accepted it, and embraced the fact that I will not fully blend in.
You know it's bad when you initiate a conversation in Japanese, and the person responds in English.
My friends are Korean, so there were times where they'd get responded to in Japanese lol...
I realized that I could drop my guard a little bit when in Japan. Everyone's just trying to live their lives and stay out of the heat. Not in Shinjuku though - not my favorite part of japan. It was a little too gritty for me.
Death Marches.
We walked. A lot.
Like 25k-30k steps every day. By the end of each day we were practically limping home.
One day we went to Yoyogi Park to see Meiji Jingu, The Imperial Palace, and the Maneki Neko shrine. Once we finally got home and sat down, we sounded like ghouls - moaning and groaning as we peeled our socks off.
We referred to every walk back to our place from the train as death marches. The only thing keeping morale up was thing + Japan = cool.
My lower back would get so annihilated that the only remedy would be putting my hands on my knees and assuming the position.
Japan.
I love that country.
They have some luxuries there that would never be allowed in the states.
Clean food, small cars, a sense of mutual respect, non-depressing architecture...
Number one being good public transit.
I didn't need a car, and I was able to get around more than just fine.
I came home sad.
Sad that I left my friends.
Mad that I had to come back to a place where the car is worshiped, and any other mean of transit is seen as embarrassing to use.
Distraught that I had to start a new job in a few days, and was going back into the corporate meat grinder.
But damn, I will never forget this trip. What a beautiful and interesting country.
Thanks to Daiki for reaching out to me, and explaining that the white jelly I ate was Yuba.
Check their blog out, they have a very comfy daily-life style blog.
γγΉγΌγγγγγ¨γͺ! Ω©(ΛαΛ*)Ω