Touchdown in Japan
Set off at the crack of dawn from Edgware. The journey to Heathrow very simple but the airport itself a wretched and Dantesque spectacle. Queues hundreds of people long, of stressed out, crying and anxious people desperately trying to get home or away for Christmas. Fortunately, having checked in online, I managed to battle through in only 45 minutes. On the other side of security things much calmer and I did a spot of shopping, and settled into the bar drinking a brace of stiff pre-flight gin and tonics, and having a few last minute chats on my mobile.
Boarding was only delayed by twenty minutes. Curiously the G&Ts had worked a powerful magic, and I felt curiously chilled out. I had booked premium economy this time and the extra leg room suddenly took away the horror of claustrophobia. Curiously I had what was almost an enjoyable flight after being so stressed about it for weeks. Dozing a fair bit. I pulled open the window at one point and as I did so I saw a falling star`s brief streak somewhere over Siberia.
Was fairly relaxed when arriving at Tokyo. Interesting to see the lay of the land when flying over: the flat populated plains, mountains and the sea. The airport itself fine, and I got through customs and so on quickly and smoothly.
Naturally felt somewhat braindead, and as promised Hitomi was waiting for me. We shook hands and then we were off. She was a highly-organised angel, shepherded me through the train journeys and stations and finally onto the shinkansen bullet train. She was extremely patient when I fed all my tickets in wrongly and so on. Updating Hiroko at every stage by mobile phone. We got on very well and had a good laugh on route, especially when I was telling her about my guide book which contained everything I needed to know about Japan. She was one of Hiroko's first English students and is now 33.
She literally saw me to my seat, and then waved me from the shinkansen station in Tokyo. Then phoned Hiroko with my exact seat number. She also gave me a printed out map of Shizuoka station with the right way to go through it and the wrong way clearly marked. It rather made me laugh, but she was so thorough it would have seemed rude.
The shinkansen sped south along the densely populated eastern coastal strip of Japan. Lots of housing, factories, and fascinating buildings mainly on the seaward side with big mountains inland. Paddy fields recently harvested, and tea bushes braided neatly over scraps of hills and land between houses.
Was particularly impressed with the ticket inspector. A young woman dressed impeccably, giving a short formal speech and bowing before collecting the tickets. Then bowing and thanking everyone before going to the next coach. Amazingly considerate and civilised.
Arrived at Shizuoka station stepped onto the platform and Hiroko (Romy's mum) was waiting for me at exactly the right spot. We'd not seen each other for years and it was a fond hello. Then for the last leg of the journey, Hiroko driving me to her home in Makinohara-shi. She gave me some sandwiches to munch, and some hot green tea in a plastic bottle from a coin machine. Things out here were a bit more rural, with fields of cabbage and lettuce between houses and shops and right next to the road.
Finally arrived home at the Bowers English School, on a pleasant street. Kicked off my shoes in the doma or entrance, and went in. Met Jennifer who is a friend of Romy who is staying here too. Soon I was having a shower and then was went to sleep on a futon mattress in a lovely traditional room with tatimi mats and sliding doors, and a tokenama, a wooden-floored alcove with a picture of Ranie's (Romy's sister) yoga guru in it.
Woke up a few hours later and sat companionably with Hiroko and Jennifer and some cats and a shitzu dog and a cocker spaniel around a kotatsu - a low table with heating underneath. We then left to go to Kishkoken, a local restaurant bar. Went by taxi and passed a bunch of firemen dressed as Santa and his elves waving enthusiastically at us. Lovely food at the restaurant, sat there drinking saki and eating. The only other customer in the small side room was a very refreshed former karata champion who was very cheery. He did a magic trick on me involving a smudge of soot in the palm of my hand, which didn`t quite work. He apologised and said he was drunk.
Mrs Yoshimura kept a constant stream of lovely grub coming. Sashimi, tempura, noodles, crab-filled parcels and lots more. And I drank Isigima sake, which is is excellent enough to be drank cold apparently. I tested the theory and agreed. Mr Yoshimura drove us home personally.
Soon Toby and Romy arrived, and we drank beer and all chatted happily for some time before everyone felt various species of jetlag and exhaustion and retired to bed.
At the end of the day, had a strong and inexplicable feeling of familiarity for Japan. It doesn't feel very foreign to me at all. And so to bed.
Set off at the crack of dawn from Edgware. The journey to Heathrow very simple but the airport itself a wretched and Dantesque spectacle. Queues hundreds of people long, of stressed out, crying and anxious people desperately trying to get home or away for Christmas. Fortunately, having checked in online, I managed to battle through in only 45 minutes. On the other side of security things much calmer and I did a spot of shopping, and settled into the bar drinking a brace of stiff pre-flight gin and tonics, and having a few last minute chats on my mobile.
Boarding was only delayed by twenty minutes. Curiously the G&Ts had worked a powerful magic, and I felt curiously chilled out. I had booked premium economy this time and the extra leg room suddenly took away the horror of claustrophobia. Curiously I had what was almost an enjoyable flight after being so stressed about it for weeks. Dozing a fair bit. I pulled open the window at one point and as I did so I saw a falling star`s brief streak somewhere over Siberia.
Was fairly relaxed when arriving at Tokyo. Interesting to see the lay of the land when flying over: the flat populated plains, mountains and the sea. The airport itself fine, and I got through customs and so on quickly and smoothly.
Naturally felt somewhat braindead, and as promised Hitomi was waiting for me. We shook hands and then we were off. She was a highly-organised angel, shepherded me through the train journeys and stations and finally onto the shinkansen bullet train. She was extremely patient when I fed all my tickets in wrongly and so on. Updating Hiroko at every stage by mobile phone. We got on very well and had a good laugh on route, especially when I was telling her about my guide book which contained everything I needed to know about Japan. She was one of Hiroko's first English students and is now 33.
She literally saw me to my seat, and then waved me from the shinkansen station in Tokyo. Then phoned Hiroko with my exact seat number. She also gave me a printed out map of Shizuoka station with the right way to go through it and the wrong way clearly marked. It rather made me laugh, but she was so thorough it would have seemed rude.
The shinkansen sped south along the densely populated eastern coastal strip of Japan. Lots of housing, factories, and fascinating buildings mainly on the seaward side with big mountains inland. Paddy fields recently harvested, and tea bushes braided neatly over scraps of hills and land between houses.
Was particularly impressed with the ticket inspector. A young woman dressed impeccably, giving a short formal speech and bowing before collecting the tickets. Then bowing and thanking everyone before going to the next coach. Amazingly considerate and civilised.
Arrived at Shizuoka station stepped onto the platform and Hiroko (Romy's mum) was waiting for me at exactly the right spot. We'd not seen each other for years and it was a fond hello. Then for the last leg of the journey, Hiroko driving me to her home in Makinohara-shi. She gave me some sandwiches to munch, and some hot green tea in a plastic bottle from a coin machine. Things out here were a bit more rural, with fields of cabbage and lettuce between houses and shops and right next to the road.
Finally arrived home at the Bowers English School, on a pleasant street. Kicked off my shoes in the doma or entrance, and went in. Met Jennifer who is a friend of Romy who is staying here too. Soon I was having a shower and then was went to sleep on a futon mattress in a lovely traditional room with tatimi mats and sliding doors, and a tokenama, a wooden-floored alcove with a picture of Ranie's (Romy's sister) yoga guru in it.
Woke up a few hours later and sat companionably with Hiroko and Jennifer and some cats and a shitzu dog and a cocker spaniel around a kotatsu - a low table with heating underneath. We then left to go to Kishkoken, a local restaurant bar. Went by taxi and passed a bunch of firemen dressed as Santa and his elves waving enthusiastically at us. Lovely food at the restaurant, sat there drinking saki and eating. The only other customer in the small side room was a very refreshed former karata champion who was very cheery. He did a magic trick on me involving a smudge of soot in the palm of my hand, which didn`t quite work. He apologised and said he was drunk.
Mrs Yoshimura kept a constant stream of lovely grub coming. Sashimi, tempura, noodles, crab-filled parcels and lots more. And I drank Isigima sake, which is is excellent enough to be drank cold apparently. I tested the theory and agreed. Mr Yoshimura drove us home personally.
Soon Toby and Romy arrived, and we drank beer and all chatted happily for some time before everyone felt various species of jetlag and exhaustion and retired to bed.
At the end of the day, had a strong and inexplicable feeling of familiarity for Japan. It doesn't feel very foreign to me at all. And so to bed.
Below my room at Hiroko's house, and Mrs Yoshimura holding the bottle of sake I'd been drinking.
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