Sorry for not updating you all in awhile. Usually before a
big trip I at least post my itinerary and my predictions and opinions about the
trip to come. The days before my trip were hectic. I had to move out of my
apartment, wanted to spend time with family and friends, and needed to plan for
all aspects of this trip. Not to make anyone nervous, but my itinerary is not
too solid:
June 5: Leave for Japan
June 6: Arrive in Japan, Spend the night in Narita hostel
June 7: Leave for the Philippines
June 7-16: Stay in the Philippines
June 17: Return to Japan
June 17-20: Stay in the city of Kyoto
June 20-July 1: Travel Japan (Osaka, Hiroshima?, Nagasaki?)
July 2-August 9: Teach English at USA Summer Camp in Tokyo
My flight to Japan was easy. I had a short layover in
Toronto, Canada and then from there the flight to Tokyo was quick. I had a
great seat in the back of the first section by a window. The bathrooms were
behind me and I only had one person next to me. This made it so I had room to
spread out and get comfy. I was absolutely exhausted from the night before so I
slept a lot on the plane. Next to me was an older Japanese man who was really
nice. He wanted to chat but because of the language barrier we did a lot of
pointing and charades instead.
I made it through
customs and immigration easily then found a phone to call my hostel and in
about 20 minutes the owner was there to pick me up. The hostel was a street off
of the main street. Surrounding it was farm fields. It was still too early to
tell what they were growing. The owner offered me tea and pointed out where
restaurants were.
I found the
hostel to be very different from a European hostel. When you walked in the
building you took your shoes off and then stepped up onto the raised floor of
the actual building. In the living room/kitchen there were short tables and
mats to sit on. I was able to use the Internet and print boarding passes for my
flight to the Philippines. The main floor of the hostel had the living room,
kitchen, bathroom and shower then you went outside of the building to stairs on
the side to get to the second floor. Inside the upstairs floor were three
mattresses on a tatami mat. They had separators between them.
I showered
and went to bed early. I was the only person at the hostel so this scared me a
bit. I was also scared of the bugs. Since we were in the country you could hear
a lot of chirping. It sounded more like cicadas than crickets. I also saw a
huge dead spider on the steps. It had a big body that was grey and furry. It’s
not so much that I’m afraid of bugs, but more so the fact that I’m not familiar
with the kinds of bugs that are normal here and I’m not sure if I need to be
wary of them or not.
A few hours
later two more people arrived at the hostel. This put me more at ease. The next
morning the owner drove me to the airport. I had my huge travel backpack on me
and I was sweating. This pack was a mistake. It’s just too big and too heavy.
As I was waiting in line the Japanese man in front of me joked about my
backpack. Due to the language barrier there were lots of charades, which only
made the situation funnier. We took the shuttle together to our gate and he
bought me a soda out of a vending machine. I think when people see how young I am
and see me alone they want to help me. This is nice but at the same time it
forces me to always be on my toes.
In conclusion, the beginning of this trip has gone so
smoothly. Next stop, the Philippines. I am excited to see an old friend and to
relax on the nice beaches.
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