Tokyo

I am in the hotel in Tokyo, and so far things are great! I mean, I haven't actually slept for more than an hour or two at a time for the past three days or so and am a little afraid to take a nap right now due to passing out and refusing to wake up. But other than that, excellent. Caffeine, how I love thee. Hmm. I think I will start some tea now...


Yesterday was introduction to the program and to each other. Most of our time will be spent with our city-group, and I really like a lot of the folks who are going to Aizuwakamatsu. I feel like I already have a little group of friends, which is nice. After the official meetings and the welcome dinner, a couple of us hit the hotel bar for a couple of drinks, hence the drunk-blogging yesterday. Pathetic, really. I used to be able to handle a reasonable amount of alcohol with grace.

Anyway, I got up early this morning (my roommate started to get ready at 4:30. In the AM. Seriously.) and I ran a couple of miles before getting ready to head to the airport. I thought about taking drugs on the plane, but decided against - I would rather be heavily caffeinated to overcome regular sleepiness rather than play the Judy Garland uppers-downers game. I probably drove the poor Navy boy next to me crazy with the fidgeting and ended up walking loops of the cabin at a couple of points. Will probably drug myself for the return flight, as I will be going all the way to O'Hare (14 hrs).

So the flight was uneventful, and I now have my very first stamp in my passport! The Tokyo airport is so quiet!! And one of the city group handlers gave some running commentary as the bus came in to the city. We also were given cash for all of the meals that the program didn't plan. So I have some yen in my pocket, and will be heading out to dinner with friends and a Fulbrighter in about half an hour.

I think I need to stop converting money in my head, but a couple of things - first, there is a gym (of a sort) nearby that wants the equivalent of about $35/day for a visitor pass! But the hotel provides jogging maps of the area, which includes the address of the hotel and distances. So while there will be running, there will not be a lot of lifting, which is what I thought would be the case. I expect I shall be weak when I return.

Random Japan fact for the day: There is the equivalent of 1 vending machine per 22 people in Tokyo.