Daniel: March 31, 2008

Yesterday we woke up extremely early because of jet lag, and went on a tour of Tokyo. We met a group of other (American) people at a hotel and set off to a temple. We arrived at a large, imposing gate, through which was a long street lined with market stalls. We continued on until we reached an even larger gate. Through that gate was a short avenue leading to the temple. We stayed on the curb and watched the shrine ceremony, when Shinto monks carried large shrines in a short parade. After that we went to lunch, first walking through a very different, noisier, dirtier market. We lunched at a traditional Japanese restaurant that served okonomiyaki, a type of pancake made from meat, vegetables, egg, and batter that you fry at your table with lard. After lunch, we visited Ueno Park, an enormous park in the center of Tokyo, akin to Central Park in New York City, and watched the cherry blossoms fall until 3:00 p.m. At 3:00 p.m. we went to a museum on the history of Tokyo, then at 5:00 p.m. we returned home, stopping on the way to have traditional soup for dinner.

First post from Tokyo

We’re here! And we’re jet-lagged but happy. Why is it that so much of what we first notice in a new place has to do with plumbing? Daniel was immediately fascinated by the space-age bathroom pods in the airport, which he described as being like the bathrooms on Star Trek’s Starship Enterprise. And we still haven’t figured out all the buttons on the toilet in our apartment (although we do know how to flush the thing). It’s quite a contrast from our apartment in London a few years ago, where the toilet was a big, noisy thing with a pull chain, and we had no hot water at all. Anyway, we’re quite pleased with the apartment, which has three bedrooms, a full kitchen, and is very centrally located. It’s also quiet, since it’s in the middle of the Sophia University campus. We’ll be very comfortable here for a few months.

On Sunday, our first full day here, we opted to join a day-long Tokyo tour for Fulbright fellows, led by a Harvard grad student and his Japanese wife who have been here for a while. We began the day at a Shinto temple, where we watched a ceremony to move gigantic golden shrines from one part of the temple to another, amidst much groaning and cheering and pomp and ceremony. We inhaled the incense which is said to cure whatever part of your body you direct it towards. If you’re healthy, directing it towards your face is supposed to make you smarter. So we all fanned some smoke towards our heads and hoped for the best.

The cherry blossoms are in full bloom now, which seems to be why so many people are wearing white surgical masks over their faces. The pollen is apparently a potent allergen. As for us, we’re just sniffling and sneezing a lot. We went to Ueno Park to view the trees, which really are spectacular. Apparently “the thing” to do is to picnic under the branches, where you’re sprinkled with an ethereal mist of light pink petals. Historically, viewing the cherry blossoms was a very contemplative thing, and people would go and walk among the trees, composing poems. But since about a million other people seemed to have the same idea about going to Ueno Park yesterday, no poems came to mind for any of us. A throng of people shuffled through the main path, looking upwards at the branches, while every square inch of concrete on the sides was taken up by people picnicking (although they barely had room to unwrap their chopsticks).

I’d post a photo, but one of the things I apparently forgot to pack is the cord that allows me to upload photos. Daniel has his, so until I get a replacement we’ll just be posting Daniel’s photos.

We also visited a historical museum that happens to be located right next to a famous sumo wrestling school and stadium. It was odd to get off the subway and see sumo wrestlers–with their very distinctive clothing and hairstyles–walking on the street.  

My Japanese is beyond primitive, but I’m tentatively trying out some phrases. My big challenge today was dealing with the luggage delivery service. David had to go to a Fulbright orientation all day today (Monday), but I had to stay in the apartment and wait for our suitcases to be delivered. Speaking a foreign language is difficult, but speaking one on the telephone is toughest of all. I still find that difficult in French. But I had to take a call from the luggage service and direct them to our apartment–in Japanese. Somehow we managed, and our luggage arrived. It’s cold and rainy here, which we weren’t prepared for. Right now we’re layering a lot of clothes under the light jackets we brought.

More to come soon–including photos–from Daniel. . .

Departure day is March 28. . .

Hello family and friends. We’ve set up this blog so that anyone who wants to can see what we’re up to while we’re living in Tokyo and traveling around Asia. We’ll miss you all, so please leave comments as often as you like. And stay tuned: we’ll start posting entries as soon as we move into our apartment and catch up on some sleep.

Love, Beth, David, and Daniel