Noticing the Small Things.

So I’m in Tokyo!

Getting here was a trial in itself, and despite being considerably longer, the flight to Narita was much better. The flight to Atlanta was actually quite ridiculous… I had a two and three year old with their mother seated behind me. The two year old sat on her lap and kicked at my seat the whole one and a half hours. The three year old cried and shouted about wanting to get off the plane for about just as long. Never had such an uncomfortable flight. I just remember another flight with a crabby flight atendant who opened the flight by saying “Hope you have a safe OR comfortable flight.” I suppose I had the latter.

I sat next to a retired schoolteacher and a conspiracy theorist… who was also a retired schoolteacher. That was interesting. He got old really fast.

Getting to Atlanta was delayed, and instead of having lunch there I just had to run to my plane, which I barely made it on. For a while I thought it was just me and one other kid, Zane, which was terrifying. We were positive the rest of our group was going to be late to getting to Tokyo. The thought of being along in a foreign country was… well you can imagine.

The rest of the SCAD group got on the plane about 2 minutes before the plane took off. Thank you Lord.

I’ll admit the flight to Narita was taxing, and not exactly fun in comparison, but at least that kid wasn’t beating on me for the whole fourteen hours. A woman who drank far too much on that flight was next to me, but we had an empty seat between us, at the very least.

I can’t sleep on planes… it was painful. But I watched a million movies on that little console screen. I didn’t read or do any of my own things I brought to entertain me because they took far too much energy. I’d had four hours of sleep before so oy. But I beat Fire Emblem. Wow finally.
The Narita airport I barely remember. I was so tired. I just remember customs making me really nervous for no particular reason. And forgetting my jacket on the plane and a flight attendant running in to get it for me. A blur.

Our hotel is amazing. I don’t think we deserve it, really. I mean, the glass in the bathroom has a section that is heat that doesn’t fog over when you shower so you can see yourself afterwards. Really. More on that later when I actually take pictures.

OH, despite having bought an international plan for my phone for the two weeks, my phone is a paperweight here. American phones just don’t agree with the Japanese airwaves, I suppose. I carry it out of habit and because of my lack of watch (which I’m planning to buy at the Ghibli Museum anyway. :P)

That night was the welcome dinner, but he plans didn’t work out so they told us to just go and find something to eat. Yeah it took a while… and no one spoke English. The three people and myself that went made complete fools of ourselves. Pride isn’t really a factor here when you have no idea how to speak the language. We went to a tea/café something-or-other and had breakfast, which was oddly appropriate since it was around 10 AM at home and we were still screwed up.

Funny because I seemed to only notice the small things, when it came to how different Tokyo is. Everything is just so CLEAN.

Even the manhole covers are decorated, like this one outside the hotel. (there’s the group standing in front of the hotel rather rudely. We later figured out a way to be more polite.) I havn’t seen even a cigarette button the ground. And the streets that are in the US usually paved with flattened gum are non-existent.

Crime is so low, people park their bikes without locking them to anything! It was really comforting.

So I was set to live here from the first few hours I spent here. Everything is so organized and beautiful in an industrial way.

Second day showed a little of the more peaceful, non-urban side of Japan (sort of). We went to the Meiji shrine, covered in trees and just green everywhere. The sound of crows (very large ones) set an incredible ambience for it, especially after Professor Mauer telling us they were the guardians of the temple. They were EVERYWHERE, and dare I say not nearly as mangy or small as the ones I’ve seen back home.

I felt like all they were doing was shouting “American! American!” as we walked through.

The whole place was so beautiful and inspiring... and I was dying to draw through my whole walk around the place, but, interestingly, we weren’t allowed to draw. The police officers that patrolled the area would rush up to us and hurriedly tell us to stop drawing and put our sketchbooks away, despite photography being encouraged. I was told later that it’s a spiritual reason- apparently the act of drawing is seen as taking some of the spirit of the place away. It was interesting to see a culture in which the act of drawing is considered to have so much power.

At the end of a long forest path, we saw the dojo, but before we entered there was a small place to cleanse yourself.

The water was very cool and clear. You’re supposed to take the ladle in the right hand, and wash your left. Then switch, and do the same to your right. Lastly, taking it back in your right hand, you cup our left and ladle water into your hand to cleanse your mouth. I was a beautifully organized ritual.

I watched an old woman, bent over reverentially, run over to the cleansing area and vigorously and devoutly wash herself. He looked so passionate for being so small. When I made my way to the prayer area, I watched her as she bowed over the prayer tables. It was so beautiful…

That’s all for this post, I have to go out for my workshop on the third day. I’ll finish up the account for day two and three tonight, that is if my 24 hours of internet hasn’t run out. It’s 500 yen per day, so I’m trying to log in every other day or something affordable like that.