July 22nd, 2008: Getting to Japan! Excitement!

When we landed, the excitement built up again inspite of the 11-hour flight and the warning ache in my stomach. Once the plane made an anticlimatic landing, we set foot on the Land of Japan. We followed the masses over flat escalators for 200meters before climbing down stairs to go through our passport check-in, and finger-printing and photo. We claimed our luggage and made a quick trip through customs before wheeling our bags out into an immaculate hallway and a clearing of people looking for their loved ones. Eriko and Risa ran up to us, holding out signs with our names on it.

"Kochira wa..." and I went on to introduce everyone else in Japanese before we exchanged our US dollars for yen. My $370 yielded 38,000 yen for me. We left and went straight through the trains that stemmed like roots from underneath the Narita Airport.

We spent another 4 hours waring through Japanese people, most of which were businessmen and a few yukata-clad festival goers. We talked to the two girls as we held round plastic rings for support and swayed with the trains many stops and go's. Eriko, an English major, held a better grasp of the language, translating the long explanations of certain questions in Japanese to Risa whenever possible. Risa, with her bright smile, was quite the fashionista out of the two girls. She wore white high heels that seemed to be pulled out of a fairy bridal magazine, a brown tunic, and black shorts that peeked out from the tunic's chocolate material.

The trains weren't packed like I assumed. We simply rode, watching lights zoom past our eyes with pictures and Nihongo splayed across billboards and signs. There was nothing disinteresting to look at. On our last train ride on an express train, we snacked on sandwiches with the crust cut neatly from the rest of the bread. It was good, but the long trip over the Pacific Ocean and the multiple train transfers began to take its toll on me. I napped between stares out the window, enjoying the feel of my body succumbing to the fatigue.

After the last train, we hurried down several stairs to be greeted by a group of Japanese people, all happy to see us. There was a lot of commotion, and I'm certain we made passerby head turns. We introduced ourselves, becoming excited from the bubbly energy from the crown, and nervously introduced ourselves with the knowledge that our train-bouncing had ended.

Many pictures, laughter, and introductions later, my host family--Eriko and her parents--lead me to their car and loaded my two bags into it. We chatted as Eriko's father, Papa-san as I call him, wounded down the narrow streets of Odawara, driving on the left hand side. It was completely different driving in Japan versus driving on the right side in America.

Arriving "home", I took off my shoes when I entered and followed Eriko up to my room with my luggage. They had prepared a small room for me, equipped with a futon, a flower rug, small drawers, a small bedside table, and an electric fan. I unpacked the gifts I brought and gave them to the family. I gave the parents a bottle of American wine, Eriko a few small gifts, and T-shirts I designed, and See's Candies lollipops to all. Apparently, See's Candies is a highly expensive brand in Japan, and it is a common gift to Japanese people from both tourists and Japanese alike.

Once the gifts were exchanged, Eriko showed me how to use the shower. It was very different to say the least, from an American shower. You sat on a plastic bench and switched the water between facet or shower modes. I stood up to accommodate the rather awkward seating. I was in desperate need of a shower after 48 hours since my last one.

In the Japanese shower, once finished scrubbing and washing my hair, I dried myself with a small thin towelette before entering the room attached holding a regular towel to dry everything. I felt at ease and warm after my shower and proceeded to talk to Eriko about the next day's activities. Soon, her mother announced that she was retiring to bed and before long, Eriko was showing me how to turn on the fan for 3 hour timing, if needed. I finally drew the thin covers they supplied with the futon over my body, and once my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light.