Hello, I'm in Japan now.
Hello everyone~
I got into Japan about 2 O'clock yesterday afternoon and it's 9 in the evening now.
It's been a bit strange, having been feeling a bit weird finishing school and leaving my friends for a month, the impact upon landing in Japan was surprisingly mild. In fact, arriving in Osaka for my third time, there's been very little culture shock at all. I know the city well, I've made the journey from the airport to the town centre before and the differences between Japan and Britain now strike me like a meeting with an old friend more than a strange, exciting and scary new experience. But this is rather nice really.
Yesterday was nice, if not a bit sleepy. I found my hostel easily and it's comfy and friendly and whatnot. Settled in, I decide I need sustenance and seek out the nearest seller of takoyaki - fried balls of batter and octopus - and head to 'America Village' as it's about 5 O'clock and I need a manbag and to stay awake for a few more hours. A second outside the station I find a manbag shop (I find myself correcting myself not to say store, oh Americanisms) and manage to describe what I would like with only "Sorry, because I have not practiced Japanese in a while I have forgotten my grammar and vocabulary" coming out with perfect grammar and vocabulary. Nearby was a shop that was selling THE GREATEST SHOES EVER MADE EVER:
I return home, go to sleep at 9 and wake up at what I assume is a reasonable hour but is in fact 5 in the morning. I semi-quasi-I-can't-believe-it's-not-sleep for a few hours more until I wake up at a real time and start the day with coffee in a carton and a rice ball with pork.
Mooching about post-morning-shave I meet a friendly Australian - as one always does while travelling - who shares my passion for morning noodles and we go in search of them.
Travelling to the Electronics district we pretend to look for batteries and a tripod while we in fact take arty -
and bad album cover -
and candid -
photos. We think that guy was a yakuza member. We reported him, obviously, but the police seemed less than impressed, they're obviously all in cahoots.
I am sleeping in the hostel tonight. My Australian friend is most likely sleeping outside in an alley nearby – I’m not quite that free spirited.
Anywho, it is now 9:13, and I am one curry and a visit to the trendy jazz bar with no chairs but a friendly manager away from total enlightenment and happiness.
A good start to a long trip, having a bit of trouble adjusting to the idea that 24 hours a day I am free to do and go where I want with no commitments but I'm anticipating much of this time will be filled with fellow travellers, friendly Japanese bar and shopkeepers, Asahi super dry and balls of octopus. (I think I changed tense at some point.)
I hope everyone's doing well and I'd massively appreciate hearing from you.
Your Asian correspondent,
Dom xxx
I got into Japan about 2 O'clock yesterday afternoon and it's 9 in the evening now.
It's been a bit strange, having been feeling a bit weird finishing school and leaving my friends for a month, the impact upon landing in Japan was surprisingly mild. In fact, arriving in Osaka for my third time, there's been very little culture shock at all. I know the city well, I've made the journey from the airport to the town centre before and the differences between Japan and Britain now strike me like a meeting with an old friend more than a strange, exciting and scary new experience. But this is rather nice really.
Yesterday was nice, if not a bit sleepy. I found my hostel easily and it's comfy and friendly and whatnot. Settled in, I decide I need sustenance and seek out the nearest seller of takoyaki - fried balls of batter and octopus - and head to 'America Village' as it's about 5 O'clock and I need a manbag and to stay awake for a few more hours. A second outside the station I find a manbag shop (I find myself correcting myself not to say store, oh Americanisms) and manage to describe what I would like with only "Sorry, because I have not practiced Japanese in a while I have forgotten my grammar and vocabulary" coming out with perfect grammar and vocabulary. Nearby was a shop that was selling THE GREATEST SHOES EVER MADE EVER:
I return home, go to sleep at 9 and wake up at what I assume is a reasonable hour but is in fact 5 in the morning. I semi-quasi-I-can't-believe-it's-not-sleep for a few hours more until I wake up at a real time and start the day with coffee in a carton and a rice ball with pork.
Mooching about post-morning-shave I meet a friendly Australian - as one always does while travelling - who shares my passion for morning noodles and we go in search of them.
Travelling to the Electronics district we pretend to look for batteries and a tripod while we in fact take arty -
and bad album cover -
and candid -
photos. We think that guy was a yakuza member. We reported him, obviously, but the police seemed less than impressed, they're obviously all in cahoots.
I am sleeping in the hostel tonight. My Australian friend is most likely sleeping outside in an alley nearby – I’m not quite that free spirited.
Anywho, it is now 9:13, and I am one curry and a visit to the trendy jazz bar with no chairs but a friendly manager away from total enlightenment and happiness.
A good start to a long trip, having a bit of trouble adjusting to the idea that 24 hours a day I am free to do and go where I want with no commitments but I'm anticipating much of this time will be filled with fellow travellers, friendly Japanese bar and shopkeepers, Asahi super dry and balls of octopus. (I think I changed tense at some point.)
I hope everyone's doing well and I'd massively appreciate hearing from you.
Your Asian correspondent,
Dom xxx
posted by Domuseswords at
20:38
2 Comments
