Bloom In Japan

After spending all night packing and finally getting to sleep around 2 AM, I awoke a few hours later ready to begin the biggest day of my life. The nervousness that had been non-stop for the previous week or so was at a new level, as I realized that I was really about to leave my family and friends and move to Japan. I hurriedly repacked my bags to be sure that they were under the weight limit, and after taking some pictures with my family, we left for the airport. Saying goodbye to my parents and sister was really tough, but as I held back the tears, a new excitement was building as I worked my way through the security checkpoint and into the terminal.

The flight from Milwaukee to Detroit was super smooth, but the flight from Detroit to Tokyo was a little more complicated. After boarding, just as we started to move out of the docking station, the entire 747 shook violently and we came to a stop. Everyone was obviously a little concerned, and a few minutes later the captain unleashed his first words to us. “Folks, I’ve got some bad news”. Not exactly what you want to hear right before you’re supposed to travel 13.5 hours in a plane. Turned out that the towing taxi had its connection to the plane snap off, and as it rebounded it managed to whack the front wheel. The pilot explained that we would need to wait as they performed an inspection, and if everything looked OK we would be on our way. To make matters worse, the ventilation fans that were supposed to keep us cool were spewing warm air due to the engines not being on. The temperature inside the plane had to reach 100 degrees, getting to the point where we were told to close all the windows to try and keep the sun out. An uncomfortable and anxious 2 hours later the captain finally told us that everything was good to go, and we proceeded to take off and enter a heaven of AC. The flight itself had a few episodes of rather violent turbulence, but overall it wasn’t too bad. I tried to sleep a few times, but I think I only managed to get an hour of actual shut-eye, making the flight seem a bit longer than it should have.

I had an aisle seat, and most of the windows remained closed, so I really didn’t get much of a look outside during the flight. That was until the 13th hour or so when we began our descent. About 30 miles off the coast, I was able to see the typhoon that was approaching Japan, which was kind of cool. A few minutes later we finally made our way over land. My first reaction was to think of all the history that had happened below over the past 2 or 3 thousand years. To actually see Japan with my own eyes sent a wave of emotions throughout my whole body, literally giving me chills. It was one of the most thrilling moments of my life, and one I hope to never forget.

We touched down at 5:46 PM local time on Wednesday, and I was officially in Japan. I was kind of worried about going through immigration and customs, as I had a lot of random junk packed, but after all was said and done it was surprisingly non-eventful. I walked away with a year-long visa stamp and my golden ticket into Japan. One thing that was rather surprising was the amount of new recruits congregated in the lobby. I was expecting maybe 5-10, but there was easily 50-75 fresh-faced instructors. We each received our welcome packets, handed off some luggage to the courier service, and broke off into groups based on our destination. I was originally supposed to travel by bus into Kawagoe, pretty much bypassing the downtown Tokyo area. As it turned out though, we took a bus straight into downtown, on our way to Shinjuku Station, where we were to catch another train to our home stations. As we left the airport and hopped on the freeway, everything looked very similar to home, except for the driving on the left side thing and the Japanese text everywhere. It was dark by this time, so you could see the ominously bright glow of Tokyo all across the horizon. It was kind of eerie actually, as I knew that it was Tokyo, but I had no idea what to expect when we actually got there. What I should have expected apparently, was to have my jaw hit the ground as I took in one of the craziest sites I have ever seen. The city of Chicago has been my favorite place for a long time. For some reason, being in a massive city like that makes me incredibly excited. Seeing Tokyo however was like seeing Chicago, New York, and LA thrown side by side. You really can’t describe how huge it is. Unfortunately I was too amazed to even think of taking a picture, but I hope to get some pictures of that view up sometime soon.

We first dropped off about half of the bus in Shibuya, and then departed towards Shinjuku. If you’ve ever seen Lost in Translation, where Meesta Halis is riding into the city by taxi, that’s exactly what I was greeted with. Being in Tokyo at the micro level is insane. Neon everywhere, hundreds and hundreds of different shops, and thousands of people out and about like it’s a Saturday night instead of a Wednesday.

We finally arrived at Shinjuku Station around 10:30. For those of you who don’t know, Shinjuku Station is the busiest train station in the world. When you walk down to the sub-level, it’s a bit overwhelming, as you are thrown into a sea of people that doesn’t seem to end. If it wasn’t for my escort, I probably would have just fumbled around and got lost for the rest of the night. At any rate, we worked our way through the maze of people and boarded a train bound for Ikebukuro, which is the closest part of Tokyo to my apartment. From there we switched trains, hopping on the Tobu Tojo line, and arrived at Tsuruse Station 25 minutes later. It was quite late at this point, but my guide walked me out of the station all the way to my apartment about a half-mile away. Walking through what was to be my new neighborhood at night like that was an awesome experience. It had just finished raining, combining with the random neon glow of signs and street lights, to make it one of the most surreal walks of my lifetime. Once again it’s hard to explain, but the vibe it gave me was exactly what I’ve been searching for for a long time.

After getting a little lost on the way, we finally arrived at my apartment, and I said thanks and goodbye to my guide. I chatted briefly with one of my new roomates, sent off a quick email to my family, and went to my room to crash. My initial reaction to the apartment was that it was quite normal to what I’d seen back home. The one thing that was obvious was that my room was freaking tiny. I’ll be throwing a video tour up sometime soon, but you’ll be able to see in my next post just how small the space is.

I finally fell asleep around 1 AM, as I prepared for my first full day in Japan.

So the time has finally come to depart for Japan. The past week has been nothing but controlled anxiousness and procrastination, but I think I am ready to Lock N’ Loll. The magnitude of the situation really hasn’t sunken in yet, but there have been brief moments where it kind of just hits you, and it seems like all the emotions are about to spill out at once. I’m sure saying goodbye to my family is going to be rough, but I hope to return from this little adventure having grown enough as a person to make it all worthwhile. Hopefully I will have internet access and be able to post a little message upon my arrival, but if not I will do my best to update as soon as possible. Until then, peace.

So hopefully 1 week from now I will be sleeping in my new Japan apartment, beginning a new chapter in my life. I now have my 1-year Visa stamp in my passport courtesy of the Consulate-General of Japan in Chicago, as well as my plane ticket to Tokyo. To say I was excited would be an understatement, but I also have a million other emotions running through my head. My mother had her CT this past Tuesday, and she is still awaiting the results from that. She will be having her biopsy a week from tomorrow, which will obviously be very telling. I myself had to go into the doctor yesterday, and it turns out I have a ganglion cyst on my left middle finger, which is basically making it have a funny-bone sensation at all times. Hopefully that will clear up in a few weeks, otherwise I will need to have it removed. As for the company, well the stock is taking a beating, but that really shouldn’t affect the current situation unless a bulk of the shares were being moved internally. Basically things overall are still rather tense, and it remains to be seen whether the waters will calm over the next few weeks. As of right now however, I am planning on staying the course, and doing the best with what is handed to me.

First the good/normal. My COE arrived this week and I quickly shipped off my Visa application to the Japanese Consulate for processing, which they received yesterday. If all goes well I will have my shiny new working-Visa on Monday. I’ve also been doing some more research on my future living area, and it is looking more and more ideal, which is very exciting.

Now the not so good. The company that hired me has been going through some troubles in the past months, and it only seems to be intensifying at this point. My plan all along has been to stick it out with them and hope that they could improve their situation, but I have been fully prepared to find a different job once in the country if need be. I should have enough cash to support myself in the event they fold before paying me my first paycheck, but obviously it would be a lot easier if they somehow recovered and provided a bit more job security. Next week should be a rather pivotal point for them, and will have definite repercussions for me as it will be the final week before departure.

Annnnd the possibly really bad. My mother may be sick again. They have found some cysts and growths on her thyroid and liver, and while they normally would not be too worried, her previous history and the radiation treatments she received make them a bit nervous. Long story short, she will be having a biopsy and CT next week, so I may not even know what is going on before I’m set to leave. I really hope that for her sake this all turns out to be nothing, as that woman has already been through far more than her fair share of medical anomalies.

What does this all mean? It means I’m stressed the hell out. I don’t think I have ever been this excited for anything in my life, and it seems like it’s all starting to crumble before it even starts. Worst case scenario, my mother has cancer and I am already in Japan when I find out. Unless it is something very easily treatable and the outlook is great, then that pretty much ends everything as I would obviously rush home to be at her side. Another scenario, I get to Japan and my company folds before I receive my first paycheck. I basically end up trying to survive on the funds I have and find another job and apartment. Other possible scenario, shit hits the fan on multiple fronts and since I have already payed for my plane ticket I end up taking a short vacation in Japan. Then again if I don’t have the funds to do this, I may just end up eating the ticket and staying home completely.

So yea, this sucks. In a perfect world I get my Visa on Monday, I find out my mother is OK later in the week, I fly out to Japan on the following Tuesday, and start work shortly thereafter with a company that will remain afloat and provide me the steady income I have been promised. I guess I can only hope for the best, see what fate hands down, and proceed appropriately.

So in a little less than 17 days, I will be on a plane on my way to Japan. I am set to leave General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee on September 4th, and via Detroit, I will spend 12+ hours in the air before arriving at Narita International Airport (around 4:25 PM local time on September 5th). After meeting up with a representative from my employer, I will take a bus 50-some miles into Kawagoe. Finally I will take a train a short distance to Tsuruse Station, and proceed on foot to my new apartment in Miyoshi Town.

While I don’t know the exact location of my apartment, I have been able to find the local area within Miyoshimachi, which is called Fujikubo. You can see it here. I will have 2 flatmates, one guy from Australia who has been in Japan for over a year, and an American guy who just arrived this past week. Looking at the floorplan, it looks as though I will be getting the tiny room, which is only 4 tatami mats in size. A tatami mat is a unit of measurement in Japan, and is approximately 6′x3′, so I have about 72 square feet to look forward to. My room right now isn’t much larger actually, so I don’t think I will be that bothered by the size. After doing some Google Earth exploring, I was able to find a couple driving ranges within 2 miles of my area, so I should not have too much golf withdrawal while I’m there. I will give a much clearer description of the area once I’m there, as I don’t want to spoil myself with details yet.

At any rate, I am very pleased with my placement. If I were placed in Hokkaido or somewhere else I would have made the best of it, but being so close to downtown Tokyo is going to be quite the experience. I can’t wait to join 35 million close friends in the largest metropolitan area on the planet.

Now is as good a time as any to get this thing rolling. So without further ado, here’s my story…

My name is Scott, I am 26, and I was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I’ve recently graduated from college, and to reward myself for finally earning that elusive piece of paper, I have decided to embark on a little adventure. So in a little less than 3 weeks I will be flying into the country of Japan, to work as an English instructor, and live as a foreigner in a strange and intriguing land. My Japanese ability is very limited, I have never taught before, and I have never set foot on any other continent beyond North America; so this should indeed be quite the adventure. I hope that this blog will serve a few purposes. For one, I obviously would like a medium to document this life-changing experience, and a weblog should allow me to easily corral all the randomness that is about to present itself. Two, I would like to share my stories with family and friends. Three, I hope that the content provided by this site will be inspiring and/or useful to others who are thinking about doing something similar. That being said, I don’t expect this blog to be anything special when compared to the countless other domains out there in cyberspace. I only hope that it becomes something I can be proud of years down the line, as I look back on a unique point in my life.