August 4, 2011

Since arriving in Tonosho it’s been a whirlwind. I started to notice the change when Gordon and I arrived at the airport in Detroit.

At the Detroit airport.

Unlike the airport in Charleston there were a lot more people traveling to other parts of the world. I would glance at a gate, see the destination and then look at the people waiting. If the destination was Shanghi, the people were mostly of Asian descent. This seems pretty obvious, but it was my first introduction to what life was going to be like as the minority. When Gordon and I got to our gate most of the people waiting there were Japanese. I felt even more isolated not having a cell phone and had to use a pay phone to update my mom on my flight and how I was doing. This was my first flight to another country.

We didn’t wait for long before it was time to board the plane. The plane was a two-level plane and could carry many people. We found our seats and settled in for the flight.The flight wasn’t too bad. I knew it was going to be long so I prepared myself. I got to eat airplane food for the first time. It actually wasn’t that bad. I choose the vegetarian selection, which was pasta in tomato sauce, a roll and a salad. I tried to sleep most of the flight especially because I stayed up all night packing and double-checking everything I had packed.

When we started our descent I opened up the window to see Japan for the first time. It was one of the most amazing sights I had ever seen. I had been studying the map of Japan and specifically Tonosho for some time and I automatically knew what part of Japan we were flying over. We flew over the eastern most tip of Japan, over the Tone River and over our new home, the town of Tonosho. It was awesome getting to see where we’d be staying before we even touched the ground. All I could see was tiny groups of houses, the river and miles and miles of rice paddy fields. It wasn’t long after that we touched down at Narita airport.

We’ve been in Tonosho for three days now and the transition has been easier than I thought. Half the time I feel like I’m in a Japanese foreign film walking around in a town I would only normally see in the movies. Nothing is in English except for the occasional word on a sign like “café” or “shop”. The night Gordon and I arrived, his supervisor, Endo-san, her sister and her sister’s husband picked us up from the airport. They were worried about us taking the train home and went out of their way to pick us up. Endo’s brother-in-law is from Australia and has been living in Japan for the past 20 years. He came to Japan to teach English and never left. It was a blessing having him there because he was the only person who spoke English. On the drive to Tonosho, he talked to Gordon and I about the earthquake and tsunami and the towns near us that were affected. Thankfully, Tonosho was barely touched. Miraculously only a few roads were cracked (Gordon and I would later see these roads on a run alongside the rice paddies).

Gordon and I arrived on the night a festival was taking place. Fireworks were being shot off from the Tone River and before we got to Tonosho Endo-san stopped the car and we watched the fireworks from the steps of a local high school. I was still trying to take everything in. I was watching the people around us and saw the cutest little Japanese girl. She was pulling a puppy, a baby dachshund, around on a leash (well, basically dragging it) and the dog lead her over to me and I pet it. Then like a scene from some scary insect movie, the biggest beetle I’ve ever seen fell from the light pole it was buzzing around and down onto the pavement. The little girl, being curious, dragged her puppy over to investigate. The puppy sniffed it and the bug, startled, flew across the pavement on its back and into a nearby bush. I was worried from that point on I’d find some mammoth sized beetle in the apartment and thought immediately about investing in some industrial strength insect killer. Luckily, that’s been my only encounter (so far) with an insect that size.

The fireworks were an amazing start/welcome to life in Japan. When they were finished Endo-san took us to our apartment. Gordon and I thanked her and went inside to unpack and get to bed. The apartment was just as I imagined it and even a little bigger than I expected. There’s a kitchen, living room and bathroom downstairs and upstairs there are two bedrooms and a small balcony. Gordon and I were exhausted so we quickly got ready for bed, set the alarm and went to sleep.

Our first morning in Tonosho, I woke up to a rooster crowing. Yes, a rooster woke me up. That was my signal that Gordon and I were in the Japanese countryside. I went out on the porch to investigate and sure enough, I couldn’t see him, but from the sound of it he lives in the house behind our apartment. It turns out that roosters like to crow at the first sight of daylight, so I ended up waking up around 4:15 am.

Gordon and I had plenty of time to get ready before we had to be at Tonosho town hall at 8:30 am. We searched for some food for breakfast, I made coffee, and we took a shower and got dressed. Lucky for us, town hall is only a 10 minute walk from the apartment. We left the apartment at 8:00 am got turned around, but finally got on the right track. Our landlord also happens to own/run the nursery school right across from our apartment so Gordon and I got to see all the little kids hurrying in with their parents. As we passed people on the street they smiled and greeted us with “Ohayo gozaimasu!” (Good morning) and Gordon and I said the same back. We were officially part of the town. Gordon and I arrived at town hall hot and sweaty from our walk. 

Gordon outside of Tonosho Town Hall.

Unfortunately, town hall wasn’t any cooler than outside due to Japan’s efforts to save energy by reducing the energy they use. But Gordon and I got used to the temperature and were introduced to everyone in the office. I got to meet Fumiko Suzuki, one of the only people in Tonosho who can speak English.

Endo-san took Gordon and I on a tour of the town. We went to the bank first to exchange our American cash for yen. After that we went to the grocery store (keep in mind everything is in Japanese) and Gordon and I shopped for items to carry us through the week. We bought lots of ramen (there is a whole aisle dedicated to ramen) and other essentials such as milk, bread and bottled water. 

YEAH! RAMEN!

It was challenging figuring out what we were buying because some of the items don’t have pictures. 

Gordon wondering down the ramen aisle.

We tried buying half and half for coffee, but ended up with low fat milk because we couldn’t tell the difference! Endo-san knew we were exhausted from traveling and from our first day in Tonosho so she let us go home early (around 3:00 pm).