April 9, 2003 - page 2

Finally, two in-flight movies, two meals, and two snacks later we touched down on Japanese soil. I was now in Tokyo, Japan’s largest city with a total local population of 14 million and a greater Tokyo area total population of 33 million. Needless to say I was a bit overwhelmed; Danville looked like a village compared to this place. I had to take a bus from the main airport in Tokyo to a smaller one where I would catch my final connection. I was worried about taking the correct bus, but I found that the attendants spoke great English and the entire process was a breeze. I registered my initial impressions of Tokyo…

Electronics reign supreme here; I saw some of the neatest cell phones–built-in-digital camera and video camera, making both audio and visual communication from miles apart a reality. I look forward to exploring the high-tech side of Japan in the weeks that come.

Baseball is very popular here–noticed at least 4 different baseball magazines and several different sports-only newspapers in an airport and heard several people talking about Matsui and Ichiro, household names around these parts.

The automobiles here are small, and when I say small, I mean small. Compact cars are very popular for a variety of reasons: they are more nimble than larger vehicles, and thus better suited to Japan’s narrow roadways; they require less gas and they are more environmentally friendly.

With that said, back to my journey: once I boarded my final connection I began to look around. I was the only pseudo-Caucasian looking-person on the flight, and indeed I was intimidated.

After claiming my baggage I met my advisor from the university at which I would be studying, and we embarked on