June 9th and 10th
This morning was a bit hectic as I tried for over 30 minutes to access the internet through a variety of codes that the front desk kept giving me. Although I eventually broke through and was able to post a blog, all of the pictures I attempted to upload loaded extremely slowly, and then failed to arrive successfully due to an error. So, of course I tried to email some photos, but again, failure, which left me all of 5 minutes to inhale the nice breakfast spread that had been created for us before dashing to catch our 8 o’clock bus to the airport. Once there, however, we found out that our flight had been delayed an hour. So, I did what any wise person would do given such an allowance of extra time before a 10 hour flight: I went to the massage room.
For $25 I lay in a reclined massage chair for 45 minutes—the kind with the shiatsu option that kneeds your back intensively—and then had a 10 minute foot massage. Although in hindsight I should have done the neck and back because both are very stiff, thinking forward to all of the walking I would be doing during the next three weeks, it was no doubt a wise choice. Then we boarded our 747-400 dutifully, according to our seating sections, and then once on, we had to wait: there was some maintenance issue that still had to be rectified; then the staff at the airport was shorthanded and so we couldn’t get the gateway removed; and then we had to wait some more for who knows what. Luckily, the head flight attendant had a wonderfully charming British accent, and so as he informed us of our plight with the not-yet-moving flight, we almost didn’t mind. Almost…
Once up in the air, the flight was terrific, though long. I was able to talk to a Japanese woman who has lived in the states for 10 years, and was quite fluent in English, about all sorts of stuff. As a teenager she had come over on a one year exchange to Pennsylvania Dutch Amish country. Imagine the surprise of her friends and family when she reported what America was like: rolling hills, cows everywhere, horses and buggies, no electricity. What an adventure that must have been. And she relayed that she was going home to take care of her mother who is in the last stages of cancer. This, ironically, is exactly the main theme of one of the novels I plan to teach next year. So, we spoke in depth about the cultural responsibility of taking care of the elderly, and in particular a child’s duty to care for his/her mother. That said, the brunt of such care tends to fall upon women.
Speaking of adventure, as I write this I am sitting in my room on the 16th floor of the Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka looking out over a wonderfully dense city landscape reminiscent of New York City.
to the left is the view from my room on the 16th floor. Nice, huh?
This morning was a bit hectic as I tried for over 30 minutes to access the internet through a variety of codes that the front desk kept giving me. Although I eventually broke through and was able to post a blog, all of the pictures I attempted to upload loaded extremely slowly, and then failed to arrive successfully due to an error. So, of course I tried to email some photos, but again, failure, which left me all of 5 minutes to inhale the nice breakfast spread that had been created for us before dashing to catch our 8 o’clock bus to the airport. Once there, however, we found out that our flight had been delayed an hour. So, I did what any wise person would do given such an allowance of extra time before a 10 hour flight: I went to the massage room.
For $25 I lay in a reclined massage chair for 45 minutes—the kind with the shiatsu option that kneeds your back intensively—and then had a 10 minute foot massage. Although in hindsight I should have done the neck and back because both are very stiff, thinking forward to all of the walking I would be doing during the next three weeks, it was no doubt a wise choice. Then we boarded our 747-400 dutifully, according to our seating sections, and then once on, we had to wait: there was some maintenance issue that still had to be rectified; then the staff at the airport was shorthanded and so we couldn’t get the gateway removed; and then we had to wait some more for who knows what. Luckily, the head flight attendant had a wonderfully charming British accent, and so as he informed us of our plight with the not-yet-moving flight, we almost didn’t mind. Almost…
Once up in the air, the flight was terrific, though long. I was able to talk to a Japanese woman who has lived in the states for 10 years, and was quite fluent in English, about all sorts of stuff. As a teenager she had come over on a one year exchange to Pennsylvania Dutch Amish country. Imagine the surprise of her friends and family when she reported what America was like: rolling hills, cows everywhere, horses and buggies, no electricity. What an adventure that must have been. And she relayed that she was going home to take care of her mother who is in the last stages of cancer. This, ironically, is exactly the main theme of one of the novels I plan to teach next year. So, we spoke in depth about the cultural responsibility of taking care of the elderly, and in particular a child’s duty to care for his/her mother. That said, the brunt of such care tends to fall upon women.
Speaking of adventure, as I write this I am sitting in my room on the 16th floor of the Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka looking out over a wonderfully dense city landscape reminiscent of New York City.
to the left is the view from my room on the 16th floor. Nice, huh? The drive in front Narita airport offered some interesting initial sight-seeing, including driving past the world’s second largest Ferris wheel, which used to be the 1st largest, until the folks in London decided to claim the record. Somewhere in Japan they are working at a secret facility erecting the Ferris wheel that will take back the title…shhhh….
Well, I’m about to go out on the town with a Fulbright alumni to get my first taste of the city. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Well, I’m about to go out on the town with a Fulbright alumni to get my first taste of the city. I’ll let you know how it goes.
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