Our Second Day

Our second day began late as we tried to catch up on numerous hours of lost sleep.  We traveled with Chris to the train station close to his school and were treated to our first Japanese convenience store (called conbini in Japan).  We withdrew money at the international ATM and were charged a measly 1% of the withdrawal, a welcome realization.  In America, you are often charged four dollars or more to withdraw money from an ATM that is not owned by your bank, regardless of the amount being withdrawn.  We were charged five dollars to withdraw ¥50,000 (about $500) from the other side of the world.  Crazy.

Kathleen and I explored the neighborhood around Chris’ school while he taught his first class.  An hour later, we all went to a small sushi place close to Chris’ work.

It doesn’t get much fresher than this.

Kathleen and I returned home and took a much needed nap (I think I’ve finally adjusted to the time difference).  We then walked to the grocery store and searched for familiar products that did not require any preparation.  While I have studied Japanese and am comfortable with two of the three Japanese alphabets, the third and most complex of the alphabets is equally mixed in with the others.  We had no chance of understanding any instructions that did not include pictures.

We returned home and continued to send out resumes to potential employers.  Kathleen and I are both looking for jobs teaching English.  We have made progress and will hopefully be attending our first interviews in the next week.

We then traveled to Chris’ school to eat dinner with three of his students, Yuuta, Noriuki, and Kazue.  We went to a traditional restaurant and were treated to first-rate hospitality.  First we removed our shoes at a designated place so as not to track dirt into the dining area.  Chris’ students ordered us food and beer and we sat for hours discussing everything from simple hobbies to the complex ways we view each other’s country.  Chris’ students were able to practice their English in a very natural way and I was provided some much-needed help with my Japanese. 

Left to right: Noriuki, Yuuta, Chris, Kazue, Kathleen, and Brad

Kathleen and I were not allowed to pay for our meal, as the host-guest relationship is taken very seriously in Japan.  Chris and his students divided the check into four equal parts.  This is the norm in Japan when friends go out to eat and drink; food is ordered in large quantities and shared, and the check is split evenly.  This is a welcome custom as I cannot count the number of times I’ve been left to ensure our entire bill is paid in America only to see we are short a number of dollars because someone failed to add their bill correctly.

We parted ways at our respective stations, and Chris, Kathleen, and I headed home.  At the restaurant we made tentative plans to all go skiing at the end of February.  It is great to know I will see all of these wonderful people again soon.

My jetlag had me hoping for a low-key night at Chris’ apartment, but instead I was treated to one of the best nights of my life.  I’m happy I didn’t sleep through it.