A Soft Landing - June 28/29

After a nine and a half hour flight, the plane touched down gently at Narita Airport.  We left on Thursday at 2:30 PM and after a very loooooong afternoon with stunning views of Alaskan mountains and crossing the International Date Line, landed at 4:30 PM on Friday.  We sailed smoothly through immigration and customs before being released to our adventure.

The first stop was a family bathroom to freshen up and change into cooler clothing as we were already perspiring in our Seattle garb.  We found ourselves face-to-face with an electronic toilet, as are now found all over Japan.  We wondered what the cleaning staff thought of the peals of laughter coming from our compartment as I experimented with various spraying and heat-blowing functions.  Julia preferred a vicarious experience.  Then to an ATM that gave us yen and on to the mobile phone counter to pick up our pre-ordered rental cell phone.  Finally, we stopped at the Japan Rail office to get our Japan Rail vouchers swapped out for actual passes and make a reservation for the shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto the next day.  It was early dusk when we boarded the commuter train that would takes from the airport into Tokyo, and it was dark by the time we arrived.

By the time we reached central Tokyo about three and a half hours after landing, all my trepidation about being able to function and find my way around again had dissolved.  In every transaction, people were extraordinarily helpful and clear, not minding imperfect Japanese and often going above and beyond to ensure we were well taken care of.   The guy who gave us our reservations for the bullet train to Kyoto made a point of getting us seats by the widow on the side of the train from which we would be able to see Mt. Fuji, if it were a clear day.  At one point, I failed to get a transfer ticket in Tokyo before changing train lines and a gate machine took my ticket without letting me through.  I sought help from an official.  When he asked for my ticket, I didn't know how to explain what happened intelligently, so I pointed at the gate machine and said, "Kippu o tabechatta."  ("It ate my ticket."  But said like child would, more like, "It chowed my ticket.")  He stood dumb-struck for a moment, then cracked up, gave me replacement ticket and personally escorted us to the appropriate window, explaining exactly what to do.  Signs are mostly in Japanese and English, and I'm recognizing many of the characters for place-names that I used to know.  I think we'll be just fine!

My dear high-school friend Joy met us at Nishi Nippori, enveloping us with a warm welcome.  She and her family live in a cute, cozy home about five minutes by foot from the station.  After a bit of catching up over soba (buckwheat) tea, she provided us with an ofuro (Japanese bath) and *lovely* futon beds on tatami (woven straw) mats next to the open balcony door, inviting in a cool, gentle breeze.  Aaaaaahhhhh, sweet slumber!

Hurry Home - June 27

11:15 PM.  The bags are packed and Julia is tucked into bed.  Tomorrow there are just a few last-minute loose ends to tie up before our adventure begins.  I'm beginning to exhale!  It's taken a long, hard push to pull this trip together and get everything set up.  But the doggy has been boarded, kitty and plant care have been arranged, tickets have been purchased, hotels have been booked, subs have been found for work, house renovations completed (well, paused), etc., etc.

As the activity ebbs and my mind quiets down, my thoughts turn to a conversation I had a couple of days ago with Sachiko-san.  She was a woman who worked for my parents when I was a child and basically ensconced herself into our hearts and our family.  She called and we talked to each other for the first time in many years.  We firmed up our plans to see each other, she asked me what she should cook for us (inari-zushi, of course), and just before we got off the phone she said something that touched me so deeply.  "Hayaku kaittekite, ne?"  Hurry home, okay?

One Week Out

Tonight I finished making arrangements for the trip.  It's been a long time coming!  Next week I'll finally be taking my daughter to Japan to show her where I grew up.  It's something I've been hoping to do for many years now.

I lived on the Island of Hokkaido, mostly in the city of Sapporo, from the time I was a baby until I was fourteen.  I spent 10th through 12th grades at a high school in Tokyo on the main island of Honshu.

I haven't been back to Japan in 23 years, and haven't been back to Hokkaido in 33 years.  I never dreamed I'd stay away so long.  And having been so estranged, as it were, I've had some trepidation about this trip with regard to my language abilities, how I would find my way around with so much having changed, whether it would be enjoyable or just painful to try to revisit...  But as I've done the planning, I've noticed myself having little conversations in my head in Japanese, suddenly accessing vocabulary I hadn't thought of in decades.  And in my dreams I see, hear and smell Hokkaido.  So I'm relaxing, feeling invited into the adventure.
My daughter, Julia, is 12 and we'll be celebrating her 13th birthday while we're in Japan.  She's been taking Japanese for a year at her middle school.  She can read hiragana and can carry on a simple conversation.  She can't wait for school to be out and to get on that plane!