I Have Arrived

Monday, August 7, 2006

I'm here in Tokyo at the Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku. Everyone says strange things about Shinjuku (even Gwen Stephani) but I don't see it. It's a bunch of business buildings to me. Though I haven't done any walking really, outside of going around the block to get "dinner". I wasn't really hungry last nice, so I just picked up a rice ball and ate so I wouldn't wake up at 1am and be hungry and not tired.

So, here's how it went:

I woke up at 4am Florida time on Saturday and was on a plane to Dallas by 8:45. I then got to Dallas at 11:30 (still Florida time) and boarded the next plane a little less than an hour later. So much for a good layover. I was looking forward to it so that I could get some walking in before the long haul. I then boarded the next flight which was a 777 and continued to sit in the same seat for 13 hours. It really sucked. But I could tell that it was better than the last times I had done this because I didn't hate it as much as the people who were doing it for the first time and I also had some good company around me for interesting conversation...most of the time...more on that later.

I'll post pictures later. I'm too lazy right now.

The way the plane was set up was 2,4, 2. What crap is that?!?! So the people on the sides only had two seats and the people in the middle had to deal with 4!!! I was sitting in seat D so I was in a middle middle seat. The guy that was sitting next to the isle looked like a 16 year old Japanese guy with bleached orange hair and he slept the entire time. If he wasn't sleeping, he was eating .That's it. I wish I had brought my Uno cards, but I packed them. It would have been nice to play a game or something. It was so boring!! And this morning, my butt hurts so bad!

So on the plane I had some interesting conversation. I ended up talking to an Otaku (anime fanatic) which there are a few of but not as many as I expected. Anyway, I kept up with the conversation and contributed for my part and when it was over, he said "you know, it's really nice to be able to talk to a fellow otaku" I promptly corrected him. I was an otaku, but I have renounced my ways and I'm really not anymore. But that got me thinking, why do I hate being called otaku? It used to be a social status that I was kinda proud of, but then again, I have been known to think stupidly. I think I don't like it because it has bad connotations with it. First of all, I bathe and keep myself looking good (hot really). Next, I don't spend all my time reading or watching Anime. It's a hobby, but not much more than that. Finally, and most importantly, I think that people will think that I'm here because I'm otaku. Because I'm a total Japanophile and because I just want to be in the center of my anime obesssion. But that's not why I'm here. I'm here because I want to do my job and I want to do it well and I want to learn and immerse myself in the culture. It has nothing to do with anime and manga. I'm better than that!

Anyway, so after we get off the plane, it was about 2am Florida time and 3pm Japan time. yea. There were JETs everywhere and most of them were not coming off a plane. They were all former JETs here for the orientation and they were all really nice and really helpful. I'm looking forward to meeting them.

I also ran into this guy, and because I don't know his name, all I could do was point at him and say "Hey, I read your blog!" and he was totally floored. I was so out of it at the time that I couldn't think of how I knew him or what blog he had that I would actually read it, but he was very impressed that I knew him. I read a lot of blogs but then again, a lot of people have blogs so it's hard to pick one out of the pile and say it's special I guess. His is not a blog that I check regularly, his sisters is, that's how I found his in the first place though. Whatever the deal is, I know that at least one person is here who's blog I read and it is my personal goal to actually meet here...MWUAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA I'll take pictures if I do. (And I'll try to be as not creepy as possible, if that is possible)

Guess in the end I can't really renounce being an Otaku after all.

For now, it's about 6:30am and I need to ghetto rig an iron and take a full shower. I have meetings starting at 10am and those are going to last all day. Let's hope I do too.