Japan Journals: Parts 6 through 9 of 35.

6/2/2008
no idea - the sky somewhere?

I honestly don't think this flight will ever end. I do realize that we have passed the international date line, and are currently near Siberia, but I feel as though Japan is still half a world away--although it is more or less five hours away. Perhaps an extended version of Lord of the Rings away?

We were given chocolate recently, so that took the edge off of the nerves and boredom for a while.

Emy's letter--and those from Seirith, Nihon, and Mauri--were so lovely. The thought and emotion put into them was absolutely touching.



-Then a page of doodles. One is of a border collie. One is of wings. One is of Sylvyrr. At the bottom of the page it says, "I like my guava melon pirate-flavored!" which was a terrible inside joke from the trip.-



6/2/2008
does anybody really know what time it is? - let love linger over Tokyo

Tokyo is out the window! No more big blue wet thing full of evil Final Fantasy monsters! My feet are swollen and I nearly puked--my valium wore off near Sapporo--but we've got less than an hour to go till we land in Osaka! I can't believe I actually FLEW to JAPAN. Me! Seriously!

I guess we'll go get our luggage and head through customs, change our money, use the last western toilets for weeks, and take a two hour bus ride to Tenri. I'll welcome a bus after this!

I listened to one Piece music a lot... "We Are" was a great way to celebrate being over Japan. And somewhere about halfway through, about seven of us stood in a nook on the plane for like... forty-five minutes.

Time to go!



6/2/2008
6:25 p.m. Japan time - Joy Full

Well, this place looks like a Denny's with menus in kanji. I think I managed to order tempura and rice with water! Everything is so JAPANESE here. We're going to Tenri after this... well, we're in Tenri city, but we're heading to the dorm soon. Oh, one plus five equals strawberries!



6/3/2008
5:24 a.m. Japan time - the floor

Jet lag is a weird thing. I'm still really tired after seven hours of sleep, but I can't sleep anymore. I had totally planned to get up at nine, and I woke up at five instead. I guess I'll go get breakfast down in the kitchen and then try to get a couple more hours.

Sleeping on a futon on the tatami floor isn't so bad, but I think tomorrow night, I'll put down two mats. Also, I need to buy a western pillow in town today, because I'm apparently allergic to these buckwheat ones.

Last night I bathed in public for the first time. Well, a bunch of the girls on the trip--myself included--went and stood fully-clothed awkwardly in the undressing room while naked Japanese women laughed at us. I was the second gaijin (foreigner) to get the nerve to do it! I took my glasses off, so it was easier to pretend no one else could see well either.

Guess I'll go see about some rice and pickles for breakfast.