June 8th: Arrive Narita, Introduction to Friends’ Center

We arrived at the Friends Center yesterday, after a long day of travel -including an hour on the express train! I arrived earlier than the rest of the group: I was meeting one other person who was also coming in early, and then we journeyed together to the Friends Center. While we were on the Narita Express, the other group member and I were talking about how tired we were from the flight -and suddenly got the idea to take a taxi from the station, rather than pulling our luggage up the hill. I am so glad we did -it isn’t a long walk, but it was so nice after such a long journey to not have to work at the end of it. The Friends Center is far lovelier than I expected, and everyone who worked there was so kind; they took a good amount of time to give us a tour and ensure that we understood how to work the showers and where everything in the building was. After we were settled in, we went out for ramen and gyoza, both of which were delicious!

-Ruth

Konnichi wa guys! Today we arrived in Tokyo, Japan at the Tokyo-Narita airport. The flight was… well, it took 12 hours so you can imagine how fun that was in Economy class. Flying over Alaska was amazing- the ice was breathtaking and I have never seen anything like it in my entire life. When we flew over Japan, I was awestruck; I don’t know what I expected Japan to look like, but the miles of rice paddies and seemingly endless ocean was beautiful. Once we landed, the Tokyo-Narita airport was so much different than I expected- so clean and organized. We made it through customs and security without any issues, which was nice. We then took the train from the airport to Shinegawa station. This is where the trouble began! We hit Shinegawa station at rush hour, which was a nightmare with 9 people hauling ungodly heavy luggage. As we were rushing to meet the train to Tamachi station, we lost 2 people! Kami and Ethan were nowhere to be seen, so Bryce and I linked arms to avoid being separated. We only looked around for a few minutes before Kami and Ethan made their way back to the group. Then when we were getting on the train to Tamachi, Ethan didn’t make it onto the train before the doors closed! Luckily we all knew we were only taking the train to the next stop, so we met up with him quickly. We then made the exhausting, sweaty journey hauling our luggage to the Tokyo Friends Center. I’m surprised we all had the energy to go to the corner market down the street, but we grabbed some dinner and breakfast for tomorrow before going home and almost immediately falling asleep after eating. I slept like a rock despite sleeping in a traditional bedroll in a room with no air conditioning. All in all, pretty successful first day!

-Paige

A great start to the Japan trip today. The 12-hour flight was the best airline experience that I have ever had! My flight included free movies, song albums, a personal television screen, and good food while sitting next to my friend Jena. We also walked around the plane with Bryce, Kami, Kristen, and Ethan. The train system was terrifying-it packed people into small spaces and sent them forth at terrific speeds. Ethan and Kami got lost amidst a crowd of organized chaos and Ethan got locked out of the train! Then we went on a grueling hike to the Friends Center with our heavy luggage. The Friends Center was like a paradise after out toils and troubles-it had air conditioning in the room, no bugs, my own bed, a closet, and a non-communal bathroom.

Also, the food at the grocery store is cheap and delicious-looking. I love Peacock! A picture of the store is shown above. Tomorrow we explore the neighborhood in more detail.

じゃあまた (See you later),

Amanda Rice

Hi, this is Kristen! Today we left for Japan and arrived after a pretty long flight. We were able to exchange our US dollars to Japanese Yen in the airport. The exchange rate was in our favor. We didn’t make it that far before losing a couple students. Thankfully we were able to find them. To get to the Tokyo Friend’s Center from the airport we took a train. There were so many people in the station and on the trains it was amazing.

-Kristen Milbrath

Today we arrived in Tokyo after a very long day of travel! From the when we stepped off the plane to when we laid down for bed – a time frame of about 6 hours – everyone was going at full energy. We had a bit of time to get oriented to the Friends Center and grab dinner and breakfast from the Peacock Supermarket, but not until after two of our group (me being one of them) got separated and lost in the subway station, and we hauled all of our heavy luggage across Minato-ku. Although we’re in the middle of the city, the area is very peaceful. My two room mates and I will be sleeping on traditional Japanese tatami mats tonight, and I can hear the tsuyu season rain falling outside. At this point I feel like I could sleep just about anywhere, except for a plane. Tomorrow we will be visiting a temple and getting situated in our neighborhood, but not until we get some sleep. Konbonwa!

-Kami

Making it to Japan in one piece was definitely an accomplishment.  I had flown in prior years, but had never been on a plane for longer than two hours.  The in-flight meals were fairly good for airplane food, and the other snacks were delicious!  I wasn’t able to sleep on the plane, flight jitters I guess.  But I was able to watch several movies that the plane was showing.  Each of us had our own little TV screen, which made movie viewing excellent.

We took the Narita Express from the Airport, and I proceeded to fall asleep against the window.  But I needed the energy, because afterwards, we pulled our luggage around Tokyo, up and down stairs and on different trains and through different stations.  We lost Kami and Ethan in one of the stations, found them, and then proceeded to lose Ethan when the train doors shut in his face.  It was hilarious because we all saw it happen and shouted “ETHAN!,” to the amusement of the Japanese people on the train.

I’m excited about this trip.  I hope to learn a lot and really experience the culture!

-Bryce

The flight was certainly interesting but not as bad as expected! There were plenty of good movies to watch and there was a lot of space to stand and walk around. I didn’t get any sleep so I was a zombie for the entire trip in the airport and to the friends center. Kami and I got temporarily lost in the train station but it was all good because we found Kuriyama-sensei pretty quickly after searching the station. Just have to keep calm! Then I immediately got shut out of the train going to our next station but that was okay because it was just one stop away. Again, keep calm and don’t be afraid to ask for help, the station workers are very helpful and most know enough English to show you where to go. The Friends center is great and my room is really nice and Minato is a cool area of Tokyo. It is crowded and bustling and urban but the friends center is very quiet and peaceful. I was too tired to comprehend the grocery store and I passed out pretty quickly when we got back to the center.

-Ethan

I didn’t quite know what to expect from the flight. I have never been out of America before, so my twelve hour flight seemed a little daunting to me. But because I sat next to my friend Amanda, everything became much easier. As I watched the fields of Indiana become smaller and smaller, it seemed surreal to leave everything I knew behind. I didn’t know what I was expecting Japan to look like, but it seemed much greener than the city-filled Japan that I had initially thought of. I don’t think that the reality of it really hit me until we left Narita airport.

After Narita, we had to take the Narita Express to our stop at Shinagawa. While looking out the window of the Narita Express, I was able to see different parts of Tokyo and the surrounding areas. It seemed weird that it could go from really lush green fields and trees to compacted residential areas. I considered that it could have been similar to Indiana. The rice fields could be synonymous to the corn fields. Amidst it all, little compacted towns were scattered (not quite like Indiana, but close enough).  I thought that perhaps Japan wasn’t that much different than Indiana. This helped alleviate my concerns about adjusting to a new country. However, as soon as we stepped off the train, all of my previous conceptions flew out the window.

When we arrived, people were effortlessly flowing around us like a stream. People in suits were flying past us. They all knew where they were going and I felt in the way and very clueless. But thankfully, Kuriyama-sensei and Bell-sensei knew where they were going. Thus, I initiated my “baby duckling state” and followed them as quickly as I could despite the fact that my suitcase was heavy and cumbersome.  We were a line of foreigners amidst the overflowing stream. However, just like baby ducklings, Kami and Ethan got separated and lost. Thankfully, we found them after a couple minutes, even though my nervousness made it seem almost like forever. But then we had to face the train situation.

We had to transfer trains to go to the Tamachi stop. It was our first experience with a Japanese train and I didn’t realize how quickly the doors close. Many of us learned today how quickly the doors closed when Ethan was locked out and we were locked in the train. But thankfully, Bell-sensei told us to only get on for one stop and then get off. Therefore, even though we were separated briefly, he still knew what to do.

After regrouping at the Tamachi stop, we started our seemingly long trek to the Friend’s Center. During this trek, my suitcase seemed to gain weight and I instantly regretted all the clothes I packed. But once we got to the Friend’s Center, everything seemed to be worth the pain. It is a very nice and quaint living space. I even had the experience of sleeping on a futon on a tatami mat for the first time. We even went to the Peacock down the street and were able to pick up things to eat for dinner and breakfast.

This first day, with all the events, was a very good start to the trip. My fear has turned into excitement and I am ready to face what the rest of the time holds for me and the other students. Challenge accepted!

– Jena