First day in Japan

Sigh. I made it. Let's go backwards. I’m sitting in a beautiful sunlit living room with a view of the Tamagawa River.



It’s so peaceful. I slept like a rock on the Japanese Futon. It’s not like our American futon though. It is a series of layers of pads that stack on the floor. Super comfortable! I’m staying in Brad and Rachael’s Tatami room. It's typically used for dining while sitting on the floor. The room is floored with rice straw mats.



Before going to bed (at 2 am Japan time), we had a late dinner of sushi and white wine. Brad said this is only grocery store sushi like it was something to apologize for. But it was so good! I assured him it was miles better than MY grocery store sushi. (Thank you White Bear Cub Foods but you have nothing on Japan!) In fact, it was miles better than ANY sushi I’ve had (and although I can’t claim to be a connoisseur, I’d say I’ve eaten at some pretty nice sushi restaurants around the cities). We ate and drank and talked. (Do I sense a trip theme? I think I do!) It was so good to see these two great friends. They really are wonderful people.

OK let’s rewind a few more hours to the airport bathroom. I’m serious. I know I’m in Japan but I didn’t expect to need a users manual to operate a restroom. This warrants a photo. Once I chose which fixture I was meant to pee in, it took several minutes to figure out how to flush. No kidding. (BTW Brad will be blogging on Japanese toilets soon so be sure to check his blog. You won’t want to miss that entry!)



Here's a close up of all the controls.

One more story: Swine Flu. The flight attendants informed us that the plane would be boarded by a Quarantine Crew. (They had a more official term but I forgot it.) We had to sit on the plane waiting to get off while men in Hazmat suits complete with goggles and fancy face masks cleared our plane for Swine Flu. We all took a survey, got a visual check, and, apparently, a body temperature scan as walked through what I assumed was another metal detector. No Swine Flu for me!