Tokyo at last! I’ve finally reached Japan, as my 30th country a week before my 30th birthday! Getting here was no easy feat though. It was my first experience flying with JetStar and my first time on the Boeing 787, better known as the DreamLiner. Last night I found out my CouchSurfing host has a job commitment in Fukuoka and won’t return to Tokyo until Wednesday so that immediately threw me into a very difficult position: no host in one of the world’s most expensive cities. To make matters worse, I had one opportunity to see my friend Bailey last night and she was too far away. She offered to pay for a taxi fare but it would have been well over $100 each way; morally I couldn’t allow her to do that. She could pay for my train fare, but not my taxi fare. We spoke this morning and she was understanding and I explained I’ll be back in Brisbane in only about two months. JetStar is Australia’s version of Spirit Airlines or Ryanair: they nickel and dime you for everything! Only 10 kg of carry-on luggage is allowed and they charge substantial amounts for a meal, entertainment, and even tea and coffee! Seriously, how is tea and coffee not included? What concerned me most is that I had too much luggage. On Norfolk they were nice enough to waive my excess baggage charges but I wasn’t banking on being so lucky with JetStar. As a crafty and savvy traveller, I packed as much heavy stuff into my pockets as possible and wore my jumper, four t-shirts, and two pairs of pants. For awhile at the airport I had in my pockets my large camera lens, all of my various chargers, my camping stove, and the whole lot. That wasn’t the worst of my issues though. They wanted to see a copy of my AirAsia ticket out of Osaka and, as Murphy’s Law would have it, the free wifi at the airport wasn’t working. In a desperate situation I actually gave an officer my email password so he could print out my AirAsia itinerary. Whew, I was lucky! The Gold Coast is also the only airport I’ve ever been to where I have to go through security twice, so I had to take off my boots and empty my pockets not once, but twice. Leaving Australia, there was only one immigration officer for a huge queue. All drama aside, the DreamLiner is, in appearance at least, a space-age jet. The windows don’t actually get covered but instead darken to a blue tint, and the toilet lid closes automatically when you hit the flush button. Being with no books, music, or whatever I was bored shitless! Under my seat is a power point so I could, hallelujah, plug in my laptop and listen to music, upload photos, and do some writing! Flying here I flew over Papua New Guinea, Guam, and the vastness of the Pacific before I finally touched down in Tokyo. Damn, it felt great to be off the plane. The plane touched down 20 minutes late due to stronger-than-expected headwinds, and knowing how long it takes to get into Tokyo I wasn’t even sure if Mark Johnson, my former teacher could or would host me tonight. I’ll tell you a bit about Mark. He was my history teacher (U.S. history) in Year 11 and he always made his class very entertaining, with the likes of how Playboy was founded by Hugh Hefner in 1954. His favourite story to share was about his mistaken arrest for a murder. There was a wanted murderer named Mark Johnson and their birthdays were only five days apart! Speaking of birthdays, Mark and I share the same birthday. In a few days I’ll be 30 and he’ll be 55. In school we always discussed the Lakers, though nowadays there’s really nothing to talk about with them. They’ve stunk up the house like a pair of smelly shoes. Well, I had to get to Mark’s house from the airport. Borrowing a phone from a young Japanese man who speaks English, I was instructed to take the Narita Express to the Mitaka Station past Shinjuku and he would pick me up from there. With a foreign passport the ticket is only ¥1,500 and they serve food on the train! A pork cutlet sandwich would be my first meal in Japan but I’m looking forward to a steaming bowl of ramen. Even though my ticket was to Shinjuku I went past and exited at Mitaka, and there would be no fare adjustment. Becky is Mark’s wife, and she was a substitute teacher at my high school. She recognized me and gave me a big hug! At last, I’m here! Tourists don’t visit Fuchu, the suburb where the two of them live so it’d be a full-on Japanese experience whilst staying with American friends. If I arrived earlier in the day I would have attempted to hitchhike into Tokyo, but I’m guessing the vast majority of people take the Narita Express even if they’re flying in to visit family or friends. With tolls, driving to and from Narita costs over ¥10,000 and plus, getting into Tokyo is a piece of cake (and I thought it was going to be rocket science). I was starving, so we called in at 7-11 and I got a pork cutlet meal with rice and curry sauce. My ignorant self assumed 7-11 here is exactly the same as those in Australia and the US but Carmel said they’re very different in Japan, and she’s right! They have seemingly everything for sale and are always open. Vending machines are ubiquitous in Japan as well, so combined with 7-11 there’s no need to worry about missing out if you get a craving for Red Bull or your favourite meal whilst you’re studying for an exam at 3 AM. There are said to be more than 600,000 vending machine in Tokyo! This is my first time in Asia! Well, I have been to the Asian side of Istanbul, though some of my friends call that the half-ass way of doing it. Mark said he'd never climb Mt. Fuji because it's hard but then I reminded him of how he taught us that Kennedy said "we're sending someone to the Moon not because it's easy but because it's hard." That shows how I paid attention well in his class.
This morning, after a Western breakfast of coffee and English muffins smeared with peanut butter, Mark invited me on a short tour of the American School in Japan. He and his wife have been teaching here for the past ten years. Up I was very early this morning, perhaps due to the excitement of being in Japan. When I said I was going for a walk, Mark sternly warned me “don’t get lost! Teachers have gone on walks and haven’t been seen for hours due to getting lost.” I know that feeling all too well. Years ago I was in Belgium absolutely lost in the pissing rain whilst it was only about 5 degrees. Tokyo is one city where a compass is extremely useful. When I asked for a house key Mark said “it’s Japan, don’t worry.” They never lock their doors when they’re out. Being in Fuchu it’s hard to believe I’m still in Tokyo. The Tokyo-Yokohama metropolitan area is home to about 32 million people: more than all of Australia and New Zealand put together. For lunch we met at Mark’s favourite ramen restaurant. Once you’ve had real ramen, you’ll never eat the packaged stuff again. A steaming bowl of ramen is great topped with spinach, pork, seaweed, and fresh garlic.
Ramen and vegetarian sushi are my favourite Japanese foods. Mark and Becky had to go back to school after lunch. For simplicity’s sake I’m calling them by their first names, Mark and Becky. It’s funny that all other adults I usually address by their first name yet I (subconsciously) still call my former teachers Mr. and Mrs. On their recommendation I walked up to Tama Cemetery, along the way noticing the various tiny Shinto shrines. Many famous people are buried here and some of the tombs are very elaborate. A groundskeeper, speaking perfect English as a result of living in New York for two years, showed me the tomb of General Yamamoto.
He led the assault on Pearl Harbour and was shot down over Papua New Guinea. He’s one of the most important figures in the Japanese history of WWII and Imperial Japan. Although we had some good chats, mozzies were eating away at my legs (another thing Mark warned me about, aside from getting lost). Before heading back, I lit some incense and bowed to the deceased as a sign of respect. Speaking of, the Japanese rarely hug or shake hands; more often they bow to each other. Tonight, Mark and I would take a series of trains from Fuchu to Ikebukuro. Fuchu is somewhat on the outer fringes of Tokyo whereas Ikebukuro, whilst not quite Shibuya or Shinjuku, has the manic pace and bright lights of the preconceived Tokyo. Mark had to remind me a few times to keep my voice down on the train; the Japanese are very quiet on trains. I booked a night at a capsule hotel with a sign saying “no gangsters.” The yakuzas are notorious mafia gangsters; it’s hard to imagine there being any gangs in Japan. I reckon I feel incredibly safe here: I can comfortably walk around with my bags and my camera slung over my shoulder. For dinner we got katsu curry. It is rice, pork, and curry, like a taste of India in Japan. Outside of most restaurants there are pictures or plastic models of the food on offer, which helps exponentially. Even if you don’t speak a word of Japanese, I find Japan to be incredibly user-friendly. Tokyoites are also incredibly helpful. When Mark and I were lost, a local walked us to the capsule hotel. For only ¥3,500 it’s very clean and a great experience!
The only drawback is that the lockers are far too small to fit my bag but they were nice enough to let me store it in the office. Downstairs is a communal bath with showers and all amenities (toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, soap, etc.) are all included!
The capsule is 2m by 1m by 1m and has a radio, TV, and alarm clock, but no wifi! In my first couple of days in Japan I’ve noticed it’s surprisingly difficult to get access to wifi. Tonight I hoped to catch up on writing, photo uploading, and phone calls, but I’ll have to wait until tomorrow. In a generous gesture earlier, Mark gave me ¥10,000 as an early birthday gift! Mark has become another person in that substantial list of people who have treated me like royalty on my travels. Someday the favour will come back tenfold. I was the only foreigner around and I sat in the communal bath with several other naked men; something I was far too uncomfortable with in high school. The only other problem with Tokyo aside from the easiness of getting lost is the humidity! In Mark’s words “it gets so hot and humid in summer in Tokyo that it makes a summer day in Miami feel great in comparison.” That’s why I was quick to ask if there was air conditioning in the capsule. Tonight I was ready to sleep like a baby so I picked up a bottle of cabernet. Wine is cheaper here than in the USA, Australia, and New Zealand, even though Japan isn’t a wine-producing country! After a few glasses I lowered the curtain to my capsule and in dreamland I was. Ahhh Tokyo, I feel like I’m in a giant comic with a surprise around every corner; I reckon "serendipity" is the best word to desribe you!
