finally.... a post about my first week in Japan

Konban wa (good evening)

It is about 930 pm on Tuesday here in Japan and I finally, I have a little bit of time to get some details and photos out to everyone.

I am about a week behind in keeping you all updated...  I am sorry but I just have been worn out every night when I get home from work & dinner.  

One thing I have found is we do a LOT of walking.... to the train station, from the train station to the office, to the restaurants and then back again.  It might not be so bad if my ankles didn't hurt so much but hey... I am in Japan!

The train we take for 4 stops between the hotel and work is an "unattended" line (no people running it -- all computerized).  It is called the Yurikamome line which I think means "New Transit".

 Each station has a different "theme" -- the one we get off at for work is a type of cherry blossom and the one we get on at the hotel is a wave pattern -- and there is a sign in Japanese and English at each station describing the pattern and its history and significance - very interesting. 

Our stops are basically right outside of the hotel and very close to the office (especially now that we have found the shortest paths to the office!)  It costs 240 jpy (Japanese yen) -- about $2.60 USD -- each way, and there is a train about every 4 minutes.  It is very clean and even when busy everyone is quiet and polite.  What is really cool is that everyone lets the passengers off the train before they get on (same with elevators!) -- makes life a lot easier.

It is amazing to see that in just a few rides we got our "train legs" -- the first time we were straphangers (all you New Yorkers know already know that those are the folks that stand on train rides and hang on to the straps that are on a bar overhead) we were really wobbly and unstable.  Now we are like pros - barely need the strap!

Our first day to the office we got there a little early - about 20 minutes (ok so a lot early) and I am not sure they knew what to do with us.  We sat at a table by ourselves and then was taken down from the 13th to the 9th floor where we joined up with our interpreters.  BUT they were being told what they would be doing -- in Japanese -- and for about 20 minutes (felt like more!) Karen and I felt like we were in some surreal or out of sync movie.  Eventually the rest of the English speaking BCI folks arrived and we felt a bit better -- at least then we could understand what was being said!

We went to a coffee shop there in the office building for break -- great coffee.  They have a separate room there for smoking and boy was there some smoke in there! Lots of smokers around but there are only certain areas designated for smoking.

For lunch we ate at another restaurant in the same office building -- had a "personal-type" cheese and basil pizza that had a VERY thin crust.  Was pretty good but apparently I was the only pizza eater who knew to eat pizza with my HANDS and not a knife and fork!  Obviously the folks I was with were NOT New Yorkers!

After work a few of us met for drinks - Baileys of course - and then went to a Korean "BBQ"place - had kimchi for the first time.  Not bad, although one of the guys said it was a VERY mild version and I wouldn't want to eat too much of it.  We ate all sorts of meats and vegetables that we cooked right at the table. 

Tuesday we went and met our students and our translators.  We each have 2 translators and they work in 15 minute shifts.  The first day I did the teaching so I had all 4 translators and on Wednesday we split the groups.  I will tell you it is quite a trip to work with a translator... you have to remember to talk for a little bit then stop and let them translate.  Fortunately it did not take either Karen or me too long to get into that rhythym.   

<< some of Karen's class (1 guy and several girls)

                    

my class (4 guys) >> 

Despite the obstacles -- no documentation in Japanese or if there is any it is out of date, the adjustment to
going through a translator and on top of that some major network and pc problems - things went pretty well the first day.

Well, I wish I could write more right now, but it is now 1030 pm and I have some work to do and a 530am conference call so I will say oyasumi nasai (goodnight) for now.

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