Kawaguchi brings culture shock!

Trip Start Sep 23, 2008
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Trip End Dec 21, 2008


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Flag of Japan  , Kanto,
Saturday, October 4, 2008

My second trip began yesterday, as I said good-bye to friends and farm and rode the bullet train to the city where I'll be living. The three Japanese people that are "hosting" me all met me at the platform and took me out to lunch for tenpura and cold soba  noodles... .delicious! They are all so sweet. Reiko, her husband Koichi, and their very good friend Jimmy whom I emailed with for months before now. I've only been here for about 20 hours and can't imagine how I will ever repay them for their kindness and hospitality after 2 months! However, they speak hardly no English so I have started copying definitions from my dictionary and referring to my textbook. I must become better at Japanese so that I can survive here.
This morning I woke up early and went on a walk with Reiko's husband. He wanted to show me the neighborhood park. There were many elder people walking around  a track surrounding a baseball field, tennis courts, and soccer field. Who knows, I may start running again... Koichi was so cute speed walking. I can say that he is cute because they grandparents. My host family has three sons, the eldest of which already has three kids. The youngest lives with them, maybe he goes to university? i'm not sure. I was actually very surprised last night when I went to the dinner table and in walks their son, Koichi's sister and 3 and a half foot tall mother. Oba-chan (grandma) is 92 and still making it up the stairs for dinner! I hope I will live for 73 more years! Wow so much time to enjoy live! The Kano family lives in a apartment that they own and live on the top two floors. (Koichi's sister and mother live on the second floor). many many stairs. However, I think there is another flight that goes up to the roof where you can see everything. I actually haven't gone up there yet, but soon.
Today, Reiko and I will practice my commute to my school in Shinjuuku and make sure I know what train to ride and such. Of course I won't get it the first time, but it would be scary to do it alone the first time on my first day of school! Including walking to and from the stations, our guess is that the the trip should take about an hour... I'll time it today though. The weather was very pleasant on our walk this morning, and it looks like it will be humid and sunny again.
My room is very nice and has a view.. of the city and buildings. Vast difference from the view of trees and vegetable fields at ARI. It took me about 3 days for the culture shock to ware off there, and I anticipate it waring off by the middle of next week here. It is such a wierd feeling- excited, nervous, confused, happy... all together equal "culture shock." I didn't understand it before this trip. It will take longer here because many people at ARI- more like everyone- spoke English.
KAWAGUCHI=TOTAL EMMERSION!!!!
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