Japan - Day 1

 Japan – Day 1

Tuesday, 21 May 2024 – Wednesday, 22 May 2024

It’s been a while since I travelled and so the nerves are kicking in. I am unsure about everything. Checked everything 5 times and still unsure. What a wuss I have become.

First time going to Japan, officially to speak at a conference but of course, also to sight see. Japan will be the 45^th country that I visit. There is only excitement to look out for but I am not excited, I know not why. I think the nerves just took over.

And I was not wrong to feel a sense of foreboding. It was a connecting flight I took (cheaper and better hours) which means that I had to stop for a while at Guangzhou airport in China. Here my lighter was confiscated. But I came prepared. I had one more in my checked-in luggage!

Upon arrival at the airport, I bought a Japan Rail Pass only to find out after I bought it that it is not usable for every public transport, only those covered by JR. How to tell the difference between JR lines and non-JR lines? Not sure. Great. I couldn’t help feeling that I made the wrong decision in purchasing the JR pass. The only good thing is that it can be used for the Shinkansen (bullet train) for indefinite amounts of time for the duration that the pass is active and since I was planning to use the Shinkansen for a day out, I guess it was ok. Or maybe I was just saying that to make myself feel better.

Anyway, it was a complicated combination of monorail, metro trains, subways and buses to my hotel and since I was already tired I decided to go against everyone’s advice (don’t use taxis in Japan, they are bloody expensive) and take a taxi to my hotel.

The hotel is very neat and tidy and very, VERY compact. Everything has a place, including full toiletries, a kettle, a fridge, a hairdryer – but that means that I have hardly room to walk. Which is ok, I guess, considering I would be out most of the time.

And then the horror. I found that my checked-in luggage had been broken into (literally the lock on the bag was missing) and a lovely note on a blue piece of paper awaited me – telling me that my back-up lighter had been confiscated by the Chinese.

What is this obsession with lighters?? I never heard of a lighter igniting any bombs or other explosive devices (other than dynamites but really??). I have flown with lighters both in my carry-on (sometimes confiscated) and checked-in luggage (never before confiscated) many, many times before. In contrast, mobile phones are known triggers for bombs but I don’t see anyone confiscating these! Ridiculous.

I guess I was feeling overwhelmed. Alone in a foreign country, with my privacy invaded in such an uncouth manner (so that my one weakness is seen as an act of terror no less) and no one to turn to. I had to take a minute and just sit down and calm myself.

And then I went for a walk around my hotel area, first to look for the hotel where my conference will be held, and second, just to see if there was anything interesting. It is quite a quiet area, with not that many eateries or people around. If this is Tokyo, then it’s really not as bad as I thought it would be. I came across an Indian restaurant named ‘Gajanan’, which I promptly took a photo of and sent to my father  who of course later proudly proclaimed that Lord Ganesha is everywhere in the world.

I also stumbled across my very first shrine in Japan, with copper torii gates, said to be constructed and dedicated by the people of the Kojimachi area in December 1844. There were cows adorning this shrine, as well as sculpted lions, and nightlights dating back to 1852.

Then I went to one of the many Family Marts and bought a teriyaki chicken and egg sandwich, and of course, a lighter! The food is surprisingly tasty here, and everything is very neat and tidy and organized. People are generally helpful but not very friendly in that although they will help you with directions and stuff, they do not readily smile and engage in conversation. I think it’s probably due to the language barrier.

People drive on the right side of the road (just like Malaysia) and so it makes it easier for me when walking. Also, the cars actually stop for pedestrians and cyclists at pedestrian crossings, and I think I’ve made more than one Japanese annoyed because I waited for them to pass but in Japan, I actually had the right of way.

Before heading back I had a pint of beer (Asahi) and called it a day.