First Days in a New City

I love Japan.

So after stumbling off a plane after sitting in the very middle of a five-seat row for ten hours (dear god, help me), it is an understatement to say I was overwhelmed by the city. It was big (to point out the obvious), bright, and beautiful. Everything looked so unique and mismatched that it all went together so well. Of course, I was so exhausted I couldn`t really appreciate that my first night.

After surviving the plane ride from Texas, the incredibly long wait in San Fransisco, and the ten-hour plane ride together, my new friend Katie and I stuck by each other`s sides as we sleepily walked into the National Olympic Memorial Youth Center (try saying that five times fast). The NYC was a sprawling compound of brightly painted buildings and eye-catching architecture that causes even the most sleep-deprived to stare in wide-eyed wonder.

I was thrilled — no, ecstatic — to find that I was in a single room, as tiny as it was, so I could experience an alomst-completely independent lifestyle.

I was finally able to appreciate the eclectic beauty of Tokyo the next morning when our on-sight coordinator, Andy, and one of the senseis took us around the nearby shopping area. The buildings were jam-packed, the roadsnarrow, the shops tiny and bustling with brightly painted signs on every inch of solid surface. The scent of curry and ramen wafted through the air hastily and everywhere we went the constant chatter of Japanese and broken English followed.

That is when I fell in love with Japan. It only took a day — less than 24 hours — to realize that this city is truly one-of-a-kind.

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