The airport and the trains were very efficient and convenient. I managed to change some US currency for Japanese Yen at the airport but the rates now are really bad. It was US$1= 75.4 Yen. I heard from Asuka the exchange rate a few months ago were US$1= 95 Yen.
I took the photo below while we were riding the Skyline from Narita Airport to Takadanobaba Station (where I'm staying). The Shinkansen was really fast and comfortable. It is no wonder that Japan has one of the best transportation in the world.
I thought I will have quite a bit of cultural shock but so far I feel strangely at home. This is partly because parts of Tokyo seem like Hong Kong and parts of it feels like Singapore. There is still a language barrier but most Japanese are really friendly and helpful. I use broken Japanese- bits of Japanese words that are not coherently put in a sentence. I have a few favorite phrases- ありがとうございます、大丈夫、またね！、どういたしまして、どうぞ。
Some of the people here try to speak to me in Japanese because I can pass off as a Japanese even though I personally don't think I look like one (it might be my small eyes). I hope that I don't come across rude because I can sometimes say the wrong things with my limited Japanese.
日本料理はとてもおいしい！(Japanese food is super delicious) I ate some delicious ramen with Asuka before I checked in to my apartment and just now I ate some super fresh sushi with Laurel, another EAP student on the ILP program. It only cost me US$6. After eating the sushi here, I wonder if I'll ever want to eat sushi in the US.
As I'm blogging this, I am watching CSI Miami in Japanese- it is really entertaining and the high-pitch voice actress has a normal voice in this Japanese dub of the series. Yeah!
My jet lag is actually a good thing. I am now sleeping at 11pm and waking up at 7am. Finally, I have the schedule of a normal person.
I'll also try to remember taking pictures of the food before I start eating. I just can't help it sometimes.
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