First Day In Japan: Part One

After a wild trip through Korea, Biking down the coast and meeting amazing people and seeing amazing things, I was now on a plane to Japan.

While I was wicked sick in Korea I had plenty of time to do research on Japan. My budget at the time was slimmer than shoestring travel. My plan for accommodation in Japan was to stay in Internet cafes also known as MangaKissa (まんが喫茶). For about $20 a night one can stay for about nine hours in a cubicle that has a padded mat to lay on.

The immigration  officer that let me into Japan got a kick out of the fact I wrote down mangakissa on my accommodation form. As it would turn out he would not be the only one that found it amusing that I’d consider internet cafe as an acceptable form of accommodation. Most people underestimated how determined I was to make my funds go as far as possible.

My grandfather had managed to have a good friend whom he became acquainted with many years ago meet me at the airport. This was my first trip to Japan and I made the mistake of flying into Narita. I did not have a photo of the gentleman whom I’d be meeting at the international arrivals. Luckily, upon stepping into the terminal I immediately saw the man that I knew was my grandfather’s friend. I’m not sure how I knew, but I knew. We met and I can only describe the moment as remarkable. Somehow we knew each other without ever meeting before. I suppose some relationships are so strong they are inter-generational as well.

We took the local train into Tokyo. It was a very long train ride. I was given the low down on Tokyo. I tried to pay as much attention as possible, yet I did fall asleep on the train. It was my first time on a train that had a heater beneath the seats. Looking back, this was one of my first experiences with the pure convenience factor of Japan.

My Grandfather’s friend took me into Shibuya and helped me find an internet cafe to stay at. Then we went to get some coffee and to chit chat a little more. He taught me a few key phrases in Japanese. I didn’t know it at the time but these would be the start of my Japanese learning experience.

By now I had some Japanese Yen. We ordered two cups of coffee and it came out to 1,000 Yen. I had two 500 Yen coins to pay with. It was then I realized how quick money can go in Japan. In my hand I was holding one goldish coin that was worth five U.S. Dollars. It blew my mind.

After our coffee, he bought me an umbrella and we parted ways. I was on my own now.