Tuesday and Wednesday
After a
long day of travel, I arrived in Japan at about 1:30 PM. However, my travel
experience was not over yet, as it took me three long, exhausting hours to get
through immigration. After finally finishing with immigration, I found my way
to the hotel and was able to take a hot shower and eat and drink my first meal
in Japan. After relaxing and winding down from my long trip, I walked back to
the airport to meet my friend, Jena. We returned to the hotel together.
The
next day, we ate a nice buffet breakfast in the hotel and then checked out. We then
waited at the airport to meet Hakuoh students and ride a bus to Oyama. The bus
ride to Oyama took about 2 hours but we got there and arrived at the
apartments. Jena and I were both assigned to the Hakuoh Women’s Flat.
My Apartment
My apartment is
generously sized. There is an entry-way where one takes of their shoes. Then a
short hallway and a doorway to the kitchen and bathroom. The kitchen has a very
small fridge and a one-pot hot plate. Just off the kitchen is the bathroom,
which is equipped with a toilet, a sink, and a deep bathtub/shower. The hallway
leads to the bedroom/living area, which for a Japanese apartment seems very large.
The bed even folds up so one can increase their floor space if necessary.
Overall, it’s a decent apartment, a bit worn, but with a bit of TLC, I’m making
it livable.
Thursday
The sun sets at 6 PM
and rises at 5 AM, so on my first morning in Japan, due to jet lag and sunrise
times, I was awake very early. However, Jena came over and we ate breakfast
together and then got ready to meet the other students at Hakuoh University for
Orientation.
Orientation was very
fun! The leaders explained the International Student support as well as the
courses which we could take (I’ll make another post about the classes later).
After lunch, we then walked to the Oyama City Hall and filed the moving in
paperwork.
Later that afternoon,
we went shopping and bought the essentials (plus some). Then we ate at a Japanese
Indian Restaurant.
Friday and Saturday
We went shopping and finished
cleaning rooms, unpacking, etc.
