Greetings from Tokyo! Believe it or not, after a year and a
half of planning, I’m finally here!
First impression: Jet lag. So much jet lag. Thirteen hour time differences are brutal. I consider it a major coup that I lasted the entire day at
the office yesterday and didn’t wake up until 6 am today (Saturday). Even the cat is jet-lagged, which is
kind of hilarious to watch (except when she’s driving me nuts).
Everything went smoothly on the flight over. I successfully checked both suitcases
right at the 50lb weight limit and got myself and the cat through security
without mishap. During boarding, I
got called up to the counter and handed a new plane ticket – for business
class. Woohoo! I LOVE business class – especially for
a 13 ½ hour flight! So that was a
great blessing. About two hours
before the end of the flight, the kitty decided that she was sick of the whole
thing and started meowing, but thankfully, she was not loud and didn’t continue
for too long. Heck, by that point,
I was also done with the whole thing. My colleague, Ben, met us at the gate (Yay for diplomats!) and, thanks
to my extreme type A tendencies that had me following every single rule down to
the letter, the kitty flew through animal inspection, and customs was a breeze.
On the drive into Tokyo, I saw Mt. Fuji at sunset. It was lovely, and by all reports, a
rare sight during the hot/humid summer months. I also saw the Tokyo Sky Tree, which is quite impressive.
Remember when I said that I am very type A? Remember how I had all of the cat’s
paperwork meticulously prepared and organized? Remember this when I tell you that, upon arriving at my
temporary apartment on the Embassy housing compound, I discovered that I had
lost the case with my passports, government id, a credit card, and the key to
the suitcase with important stuff like shampoo. ARGH. I blame
relief from extreme worry about getting the cat into Japan. Or jet lag. That works too. But here is where we get Cultural Experience #1: Japanese people
actually turn in highly valuable lost items! Thanks to my sponsor’s awesome Japanese skills, we learned
that Narita Airport’s lost & found had my case. My wonderful colleague Jennifer used her mad hammering
skills to break into my suitcase, and Ben kindly got up early the next morning
to go out to the airport and pick up my case. Situation resolved!
So, I’ve seen Mt. Fuji, had my property restored to me, and
survived an entire jet-lagged day at the embassy (complete with getting
internet set up). We’re off to a
great start!
