First 24 hours at Soka University

PLEASE NOTE: I have not had the chance to watermark all of my photos, and it will take me a great deal of time, as I published this and my other blogs between 2010-2017. I ask you to respect my property. Feel free to use them as long as you credit me as follows: Photo by Jody McBrien, learningtheworld.org. Thank you.

April 3 – From Seoul to Narita to Hachioji

After falling asleep at 8:30 last night, it was no problem to awaken at 4:30, so we were on the first shuttle bus to Incheon at 5:30 for a flight leaving at 9am. I was glad I invested in a Chase travel card that includes entrance to all the exec airport lounges around the world. We tucked ourselves into the Asiana lounge for a comfortable and quiet couple hours with free breakfast.

Asiana really  knows how to set up the interior of a plane! Lots of space and leg room for another smooth flight to Narita. We traveled over some beautiful snow-capped mountains.

Looks like the Misty Mountains from LOTR!

Flying over the Japanese Alps

The Coast coming into Tokyo

Arrival into Japan went smoothly, and it was easy to find our way to purchase the bus tickets to our suburb, Hachioji, where Soka is located. It took about two hours to get there. We then caught a cab to Soka, where we met Mizuku and Dean Suzuki at about 5pm. They brought us to our guesthouse, home for the next four months.

I am grateful for the Japanese I learned, as it has helped me ask if the person I’m speaking to speaks any English, how much something costs, etc. We were fortunate to find an English-speaking cab driver to bring us to Soka.

I expected it to be about the size of our hotel room in Seoul, so I was pleasantly surprised at the size, about the same amount of space we had in New Zealand – a spacious living room that includes our dining table, large kitchen with a good sized frig, bedroom with a single bed and desk, and tatami room. There is so much storage as well! So we both have plenty of room for our stuff. In the outer part of the apartment is the bathroom and more storage.

Tatami room and futon

Part of the Living Room

Kitchen

Kitchen

As is the case for every immigrant, there are adjustment pains. Case #1: We cannot turn on the heat, in spite of many tries. We also did not get contact numbers for help, nor did we remember to ask for Internet access.  After trying for about an hour, we decided to knock on other doors in the guesthouse. That’s when we met Mok and Lis.

Mok is a visiting professor of economics from Malaysia, here for the same amount of time. They are so kind, and they came and tried to help. Apparently their set-up is different from ours, so they were also unsuccessful. But they showed us how to use the hot water appliance and brought us to meals of dried noodles that become dinner when mixed with hot water. We were both too tired to eat, but those will be welcome tomorrow.

By 9pm, we were just too cold to stay up longer, so Dick used the single bed, and I climbed under a wonderfully heavy puff on the futon (we will get a second one tomorrow so we can sleep together!) Dick brought me his puff, and I gave him my blanket. I felt like I was in a heated cocoon and slept like a rock on the tatami floor.

Tuesday, 4 April 2017

Day to sort things out!

I woke up at 5am. Dick was already up and had re-arranged the spare room so he could plug in his computer (there were no usable plugs where it was).

I am grateful I brought tea and Dick brought coffee! Those warmed us for a while, and I wrote a list of essentials for the grocery store. That will be another adventure today as we find ourselves around – and pursue the mystery of our heaters!

4:30pm – We’re weary, but we accomplished a few major things. One, and most important – we have heat! My mentor Kanoko helped us with it this afternoon, as well as explaining the washer and dryer (still have to figure out how to heat the fancy toilet seat J ). I was shown the faculty workroom, copier, library and databases, my classroom and how to run the projector and computer. Kanoko gave me tips about my students and their abilities. So not to make it too hard, I am going to rework my syllabus tonight.

Students painted strips of  paper and

put them on on the library steps to

look like flowers and a rainbow

She also took us by the Global Building, a cafeteria, a place to buy food, etc. We know our way around better. We bought some food we can cook tonight.

It was a sunny day, and this campus is spectacular! Cherry trees, dogwood, forsythia, and other flowers are everywhere. Next week will be even better as the sakura (cherry blossoms) go into full bloom.

Spring is springing!

The auditorium and small sakura buds

The Guesthouse where we're staying

Tomorrow Mitsuka will take me to the town hall to register, then I can open a bank account. I also have to find my office. And I have to email one of the professors to schedule my two lectures here – one for the students and one for the faculty.

Much to do! And we went over so many things today my head is spinning and I hope I can remember some of it. Again, the immigrant adventure. I think of how much refugees are told in their first days, and in a language they can’t understand often. Locals may think they are explaining all that is needed, but we don’t realize how much is second nature that would need to be explained to someone from another place. I am glad I have this opportunity to experience being the “other.” I wish everyone did. Maybe then they would not be so impatient and judge immigrants so harshly.

NOTE: July 2018 date on post is republish date, not date of the event.

To republish the blog in chronological order, the URL might change. The original URL was http://jodyjapanblog.blogspot.com/2017/04/first-24-hours-at-soka-university.html