美しい圧倒

Language is one of the most fascinating human elements - sometime between trying to apologize to the woman I bumped on the train and pointing at a McDonald's picture menu to order breakfast I realized how precious verbal communication is, but that other universal forms of communication can compensate when required (no no... McGriddles with Sausage - #3 - this many (holding up 3 fingers), yes meal... Orange Juice, to-go... take away). There's something so elemental about communicating on a 2 year old's level - it's 1 part humbling and 1 part invigorating.

Simply put, Japan is beautifully overwhelming.

During my layover in Osaka, I tried 3 ATM machines, 3 debit/credit cards, successfully combining an HSBC debit card with a brithly colored anime interface to withdrawal 25,000 YEN (think $250 - just divide by 100 and you're close enough for personal financial decisions). I used the Yen with a pixelated map of Shinigawa to convince my taxi to take me to the Le Meridien Pacific and NOT the Le Meridien Grand Pacific (somewhere some marketing genius is having a good laugh). It was 8:00pm when I stopped unpacking and headed downstairs for dinner at TGIFridays, far too exhausted from my trip to get adventurous. Never has a bacon burger with a draft beer tasted so delicious... bacon + beer helped compensate for the annoying "high roller" expat next to me who wouldn't stop reminding me that I was sitting in a seat reserved for a "hot Japanese girl"... did he mention that he played rugby with South Africa's captain and is friends with an owner of the New Jersey Devils?

I met my friend at the Shinagawa train station at 7:30am on Monday morning, bought a train pass, and rattled our way 5 stops to Tsurumi station. We walked through tight alleyways until making a sharp right into the engineering office. 4 hours of work passed and we were on our way back up the road to a local noodle house. My buddy opened the sliding door and we snuck into the back corner stools as we were showered with plenty of Japanese "welcome, thanks for coming, what can we get you" - or so I surmised. We ordered by numbers and pictures, picking up on the theme yet?, and a large bowl of chanpon-men (soup with Ramen noodles and meat) was rushed out to our corner of the bar table. I had been studying the other customers in preparation for the meal, so I knew better than to ask for a spoon; I cracked my chopsticks tilted the bowl and began slurping down lunch. Highly recommend the #1. Only one setback, when I went to open the small door to leave, I apparently missed the "push the small green button" sign, and subsequently ran face first into the automatic door, which conveniently enough opened upon my impact... note to self.

This morning I set out on my own to master the train system, and managed 30 pages in Prince Caspian (3rd book in the Chronicles of Narnia series - light hearted read for the 15 minute ride). I have fallen in love with the trains... an affordable system that gets me to and from work or the nightlife and allows me to use my commute to read/sleep/chat/people watch. Not that I and my 4 minutes commute in Doha have much room to talk, but I will certainly enjoy that aspect of Tokyo.

Other improvements in Tokyo:

1. Faucets turn on by pushing the lever down (not up), a nice option when you're hands are soapy and you have to use your elbow

2. Snack machines every block, so you're never more than a few steps away from a Kiwi Kit-Kat or refreshing Pocari Sweat. If that wasn't convenient enough, you can stop by any of the AMPMs or 7/11s to pick up some snacks

3. Combination toilet and bidet - although I choose to only use the first option, it does remove the complicated "transition" out of the dual commode bathroom - perhaps encouraging the bidet fearful of a trial run. Heated seat is also a nice option

4. Clouds & Rain (in moderation) - a welcome respite from 60 days of sunshine

5. Smiles - everyone here smiles, even if they aren't happy (you know who are), definitely contagious

6. Environmental consciousness: Al Gore would be proud of the countless recycle bins, bicycles, sensor lights in the office, and mass transit systems... I have yet to see a single piece of trash on the street or train station

No place is perfect:

1. Smoking is EVERYWHERE - makes me wish I'd brought my pipe. While enjoying my McGriddle sandwhiched between two chainsmokers I had a flashback to busy Friday lunches at Cracker Barrel where we would sit in the smoking section to avoid the wait and enjoy some second smoke with our omlets

2. Remember those environmental bicyclists - well they use the sidewalks as private lanes and a single chime on the bell is your only warning to dive out of the way... replacing the flash of headlights in Doha

3. A few days in town and you'll realize why my shower hits me chest high, won't be hard for Sheri to pick me out in the crowd... and the bathroom sinks at work seem about 3rd grade level (for the teachers who have to stoop down during recess)
4. I don't plan on driving in Tokyo anytime soon, walking is hard enough. Forget what mom told you about looking left right then left again - a hard habit to break until the first time you nearly step in front of a bus
5. The temperature is quite misleading - 82 degrees sounded like jacket weather, until you consider the humidity, which after a 10 minute walk from the train station can create a mess out of business casual... and the environmentalists keep the air turned off in the office until we arrive - so it takes a good 20 minutes to cool down and towel off.

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I ventured further into Tokyo tonight - reaching the famous Shibuya station and the busiest intersection in the world (picture above). I toured the largest Tower Records, 7 stories separated by genre of music and a rather extensive English bookstore to boot. Dinner at Torigin (small chain restaurant with ENGLISH menus - deciding factor) consisted of Yakitori (skewers of flavorful chicken), and Kamameshi (rice casserole) with a side of Edomome still on the stalk. An authentic and delicious end to an eventful first two days in Tokyo. I'm excited for Sheri's arrival and the weekend to really dig in and explore this amazing city.