Two for the price of one - last two days in Tokyo

So, seeing as my time is very limited and while I'm told we will have wireless internet where we are going, I'm going to go ahead and give you the last two days in Tokyo. Some of this will feel like I'm just glossing over things. The truth is, I'm still processing a lot of it. Trying to wrap your head around all that has been thrown at us in a short amount of time will require a little bit of reflection, which I have yet to have. So I will try to hit the highlights, show you a ton of pictures - all in an an effort to not only take all of you on this journey, but so I can remember it all since it's sort of a blur!

Yesterday, we went to the Japanese Diet. Yes, the Diet. It's Latin. I'd look it up if I wasn't writing this on a program until I get to the wi-fi. Anyhoo...

It was a gorgeous day. But it was hot. Like, whoa. It's been really warm and humid since we got here, but seriously, yesterday was just insane. But it did look nice, at least:



The Diet is the Japanese equivalent of Congress. I can go into details, but again, I'm still kind of sorting through them. There is an upper house (the House of Councillors) and a lower house (the House of Representatives). For the purposes of this story, I will refrain from giving you too many details since it is rather convoluted since some members are elected by single-seat constituencies, some by proportional representation based on how they divide the country into electoral blocs, some are elected by proportional representation from a single nationwide electoral district and the remaining members are elected in prefectural constituencies.

See? It's already confusing and I'm trying to be general. What you should take away from this is that every Japanese citizen is automatically enrolled to vote when they turn 20. When asked, someone responded that voter participation wasn't very high at near 50%. Are you kidding?! That makes us look ridiculous - and our system is somewhat more easier to understand than theirs.

Anyway. We went to the Diet, which is really cool, except you can't take pictures inside. It does have it's own charm and the building itself is really cool and beautiful on the inside - and with the exception of the glass in the ceiling and one other piece of the building that eludes me (it can't be that important), everything inside of it came from Japan. So that was cool. The most interesting piece of the building was the Emperor's resting room, which basically is this really ornate room with a table and chair, with hand-woven silk rugs and wall coverings, a Phoenix-themed motif on the walls - don't even get me started, the phoenix is made up of the mixes of the best part of animals, much like the Emperor himself - these are their words. There was a long and rather hilarious explanation that it was the head of a giraffe, the neck of a snake, the tail of a fish, the beak of a chicken, the feathers of a peacock... and so on and so forth. We mostly were interested in the fact that the only person allowed in that room is the Emperor, or the Crown Prince, the leaders of the Diet members when they go in at the beginning of session, and maybe heads of state. Oh, and the people who clean the room before it is used. Which is about 3 times a year. He has his own staircase, his own room (his family must be in the room next door, which also is rather elaborate), has his own entrance (except for official state visits from other Heads of State), and his own waiting room that we're told he spends a total of 5 minutes in for the 3 times he comes to the building.

Dude is rollin'. But here we are, in front of the building.



So we then went and met with members of the Diet, heard more about the way they are elected (which deserves its own post), the issues facing the country, the political divide in the country (again, needs its own post, but I need to unpack that first), the territorial issues between China and Japan (see Senkoku Islands, Chinese protests and Japan closing businesses in China at CNN.com), the energy crisis in Japan following the Fukushima Disaster, as well as having a just really better understanding more about all the issues that are facing Japan, foreign and domestic.

Yesterday evening, we decided to venture out a bit and go to Harajuku and Shibuya. You may have heard of the Harajuku girls (Gwen Stefani, Japanese girls aren't accessories), but the neighborhood itself is quite impressive since it is famous for its fashion and has literally hundreds and hundreds of stores in every direction. It is sensory overload for me, and I spend about 85%-90% of my time in NYC at an office in Times Square. We had gone because I really needed to hit a Sanrio (basically a Hello Kitty store), so instead I got a place called Kiddieland, which is a 6 story toy store, specializing in Japanese toys and really random stuff. Case in point:

But I swear, I was in weird Japan toy and Hello Kitty heaven. I've never seen so much random crap in one place that I wanted to touch or explore - I was laughing at a lot of it and scratching my head a more of it. It just made me laugh. I could be there all day and not be bored at all.

So we then went and explored some building that literally had floor upon floor of little boutique stores with some amazing fashion and creative wares. They are truly fashion forward here - and the variety of people and their clothing was just fascinating to watch. As we left, we were walking and found this place. Um.


Huh.

So then we were hungry so we headed to Shibuya, mostly because it's next to Harajuku. This is where my eyes popped out of my head. Harajuku reminded me of SoHo on a Saturday or Sunday morning. This place was like Times Square on crack.

It is the center of the City's teen culture and there's just a ton of people. And it wasn't even as busy as it usually is, we were told. Here's a fun fact: the highest grossing Starbucks in the world is in this area and they only sell tall sizes to discourage lingering. I tried to get a good shot, but it was just that frenetic.


So then we decided that we wanted to go to a photo booth. At this point, there were only five of us together. Imagine our surprise when our gracious host directs us down a busy street and into some really non-descript looking entrance with posters cramming the walls. It was a specialized photo booth store. Of sorts. Basically, it's row upon row of photo booths, each having special effects for the pictures. What was more striking was the lines of girls waiting to use them, ready with outfit changes, wigs, makeup. Eh?

Let's just say that it was something none of us have ever encountered, but we not only had a blast, we just couldn't stop laughing hysterically between pictures. You can also manipulate the photos afterwards on a big touchscreen to add effects, text, etc.



Classic.

So that was the end of the day yesterday.

This morning, I got up at the butt-crack of dawn to join Laurie for a walk in the garden. The last time we tried to do this, we got rained on. I came home soaked (which is really doing an awesome number on my sinuses). This morning, it starts raining. I think the Japanese gods are telling us something.

But before it started to rain, we enjoyed the garden. It really was quite zen. I wish I had more time to enjoy it:




















Check out them koi! And for the record, I would have taken a picture imitating the statue in the last picture there. But since he looked like a Japanese God and looked angry, I decided being hit by lightening while in this gorgeous 400 year old garden was not a way to spend the morning before 7am.

So we had a breakfast meeting where we discussed the education system in Japan and talked to two really fascinating gentlemen who made us understand that while there are some differences, they face the exact same challenges we do in the US. This is becoming a theme.

We then sat down to discuss Japanese immigration policy, which was interesting, since we have learned that Japan has a rapidly growing elderly population and a declining birthrate, which is going to cause quite a strain on the economy. So they are in the process of discussing immigration, since this is a mostly homogeneous society. Again, we have different challenges, but a lot of the problems and hesitation around immigration in Japan are not unlike the issues we have with immigration in the US.

We had an interesting lunch about Japanese foreign policy by the guy who basically works for the Prime Minister on the issue. We then held a seminar where we discussed the US system of government and the upcoming Presidential elections. About 30 people came to hear our panel, which in itself, was pretty surprising.

But since it was the last nigh tin Tokyo, we decided on one last adventure. Four of us headed to Asakusa, at the suggestion of many at the State Department function. Literally because it was, quote, "Japanesey".

Basically, it still has that "old Japan" feel with an old marketplace that leads to a fantastic temple and great little side streets of food. You enter through the Kaminarimon (the Thunder Gate), with the god of wind and thunder on either side of you as you enter the Nakamise-dori, the temple precinct's shopping street where you can pretty much find anything.












Yeah. That happened.

The Nakemesi-Dori really does have everything for sale. For instance, check this out. It's one of those solar things that move and I found it adorable. Their heads and shoulders move side to side.




We aren't sure what this is:



It moved, too, but, well... let's just say it moved. You do the work.

The best-known part of this area is Senso-ji, a temple that enshrines a golden image of Kannon, as old as AD 628, though it was redone in the 50's. It's amazingly impressive. The Five-storeyed Pagoda is in the distance.


















Just to the left of the temple, there are a number of lanterns that had been lit. We are here during an important holiday in Japan, one that honors the elders and the ancestors. It's a four-day holiday and they light lanterns so that the ancestors know how to get back to their families.












I really did love this part of town. The atmosphere was just cool. Off in the distance is the Tokyo Sky Tree, it is one of the world's highest towers. It's that faint thing in the back - it was much better lit in real life, but you get the idea.


So after eating a good noodle meal (Asakusa is also known for the plastic food that greets you when walking in the street so you know what to order), we headed back to the train to go back to the hotel so we could pack for tomorrow's journey to Kumamoto.

We are doing a lot more sightseeing this weekend, so there will be a lot of pictures to share. I know I glossed over some pieces, but like I said, we've been pretty inundated with a lot of information over a short period of time and I'm just beginning to piece it out.

Just know that we are here at a most timely time, given the current territory issue with China and Japan, the political parties are holding their leadership elections (the Democratic Party of Japan or DPJ who is the ruling party just backed the current Prime Minister, Yoshihiko Noda, this evening) and they are expecting an election to happen this year - it's all incredibly timely but the past few days have shown me that regardless of the differences in structures, etc, there are many more similarities and differences between us.

So, here is the picture of the day as I bid you all a good night since I have to get up early in the am. I mean. There's something slightly off about this street sign, right?



Right?! Like a Teletubby met an alien NBA player with a baby that swallowed a giant Dorito and grew horns. And a fat left arm. If you look carefully, you'll see that baby has horns or bear ears. But what is that? Right? Right?!

Until I find another wi-fi connection, enjoy this double post. And I bid a fond Sayonara to Tokyo! Domo arigato gozaimasu! I am already looking forward to a return trip.

Location:Tokyo, Japan

You win, Japan... bonus post!

As promised, I am giving you an extra post for three major reasons:

1. I didn't give a picture of the day two posts ago
2. I was incredibly late in recounting day four
3. I've been meaning to post about this for a while and it really deserves it's own post.

So, here it is. You've been warned.

Can we talk for a minute about... toilets? Yeah. Toilets.

Because while Japan is known for many things, it should really be known for them. For serial. Because Japan is number 1 when it comes to, um. Number 1. And 2.

Stop looking at me like that.

I don't know what you know about Japan or Asia, but know this: they do the bathroom right. And I know that I'm gonna search for one of their toilets when I get home.

I know. You're sitting there, going, "Really, Monkee? A post on toilets?"

Yes. Pay attention.

While squat toilets still exist here in Japan (which, really, their squat toilets are even fairly nice, considering), they've gone above and beyond when it comes to regular toilets. Why?

Nearly every toilet I've used here has a panel either attached to the toilet or on the wall that has a bidet, a spray, or a noise maker (like running water or a toilet flushing continuously). Each one has a water pressure gauge and a stop button. Additional options have included warming seats, air deodorizers, air, the seat to go up when you enter the stall, and/or automatic flush.

This is your basic:


Taken at Narita Airport in Tokyo. You'll notice the rough English translation, which really was the impetus for me to take the pic in the first place. But that's your basic wall panel. It's sometimes on the side of the toilet in a little panel.

This is your fancy wall panel at a nice restaurant:


You can control the actual temperature of the water. Niiice.

This was at the really fantastic offices of the Legislature, by the Diet building:


Notice the button on the right, the air. You have the option of air drying your butt. And the panel above is where you flush, just hold your hand over where that arrow tells you to and it flushes. Pleasantly, if I might add.

No way, you say. There's more: for women that need to take a little boy into the women's room, some bathrooms even include a urinal for them - at their height. I'm not kidding. I felt like a giant.



So there you have it. I should also mention that I have yet to walk into an even slightly dirty bathroom - though there was one at a Lawson's convenience store that smelled lightly, and rather strangely, of kitty litter. But even then, the bathroom was spotless.

I mean, there are bathrooms in the US that I wouldn't walk into with a full-on, head to toe, hazard suit, complete with separate oxygen tank. And don't even get me started on bathroom etiquette - including simple things like... flushing. Come on, ladies. But the Japanese, they believe in sanitation and cleanliness. Everywhere you go, there are hand sanitizers. The Japanese are a very tidy people, so it would make sense that even their bathrooms are tidy. Everything is also mostly automatic, as if the Japanese don't want you to have anything to ever touch while in there. I've noticed many doors here are automatic doors, very few to have to pull open.

And for a crazy-anal-retentive-germaphobic-daughter-of-an-infection-control-nurse-so-i-hate-getting-my-hands-dirty-even-when-eating-chicken-wings kind of person, let's just say it's a welcome respite when traveling in a foreign country. Hell, it would be a welcome respite when traveling domestically as well. From restaurants to bars to gas station bathrooms, I have yet to find anything that could or would be considered dirty, let alone horrible.

But in all honesty, their bathrooms are something to marvel at. And worthy of a post standing completely on their own.

Go on, Japan. You make time in the bathroom enjoyable. Even if you didn't go and all you did was try (I couldn't help it).

And that was your bonus post of the Japan trip. Worth it, I think. Every moment is a learning moment. Don't you worry. I'll be continuing to take pictures of new things in bathrooms as I go along. I'll be sure to update you on any progress. And I can also take a picture of a squat toilet if you'd like.

Well met. See you next post.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Tokyo, Japan

Day Four... Tokyo take two...

They've been keeping us busy.

Today, we went back to American soil again. It was much faster than the trip over to Japan. :)

We headed to the US Embassy for briefings and a meeting with Ambassador John Roos. The actual compound that the embassy sits on is incredibly impressive. We've really only seen the embassy itself and attended the reception the night before at the official Minister-Counselor's residence, but having seen other embassies, this is pretty nice. The grounds are huge, with their own garden and apartment buildings. The Minister-Counselor was telling us the night before that it was a piece of land that the US acquired during WWII and after the war, it made sense to just keep it since they had built infrastructure on top of it. It now was an incredibly smart move since rents in Tokyo are sky-high (much like New York City) and so it saves the tax payers back home money. Good move.

After entering and admiring a really fantastic picture of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (she looks fierce in her official photo) and signing a condolence book for the lives lost at the Embassy in Benghazi, we headed up to a conference room where we were then briefed on issues in Japan by a team of staff.

I have to say, they really know their stuff. We have heard and learned many thing since arriving, but the State Department really takes the time to explain pieces of it we might not have fully understood in other meetings. The operation we have at the Embassies are really impressive and it is kind of making me think about back when I could have made decisions in my life during college when I was very interested in a career in international relations. I think I would have very much liked to have been a Foreign Service Officer. My life would have been very different. Of course, I'm not complaining at all. I love the work I do, and it fulfills me, but the what ifs are unavoidable as I meet and hear the stories from the State Department.

The Ambassador was incredibly gracious. He was scheduled to spend 10 minutes with us but really stuck around to have a good conversation with us well after that. He imparted something that I've heard nearly every day that we've been here and it's pretty simple: "Ties between countries are ultimately ties between people; it's really no different than relationships between people."

This whole time we've been traveling, I am re-discovering my love of international relations, which you'd think I wouldn't have forgotten that I have. But every time that I come to Asia, though it's only been the Philippines, I think of how fortunate I am. And I think of how sad it is that not every American travels to see other parts of the world. The general misunderstanding of how other countries operate and function are lost on the general American public, which then affects their views on foreign policy, which then affects how they vote in an election. I'm not saying we're right or wrong or ignorant, but foreign policy, like politics, like relationships between people, can be delicate things with nuance and a better understanding of what motivates someone who sits across from you can prove to be all you need to really understand to make any relationship function well.

We had another meeting with a business organization, which was interesting as well - and that included representatives from big companies, such as Toyota and Hitatchi. Now I know that labor and business don't always see eye to eye. But what was more concerning to me during that meeting was the jet lag I am still feeling. I can tell you that I honestly took away a few things, chief amongst them was that more women should be involved in corporations, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (free trade agreement) will have massive implications not just for the US and labor but also in my humble opinion, opening up Asia to be the power it's supposed to be in this century, and that we really need to do a lot of union organizing in places like South Carolina and open up those right to work states.

I didn't explode upon meeting the businessmen or being that close to the 1% of Japan. So it was a good day.

After that, we had conversations with a Professor on energy policy following Fukushima. Before the tsunami, Japan had 54 nuclear power plants with plans to be reliant on nuclear energy at 50% by 2030. After the Fukushima incident, the Japanese public was not only angry at the government for saying it was a safe source (which it still mostly is), but there has been a large push to get rid of nuclear power all together. It's a really difficult situation, but given Japanese history with nuclear energy and radiation (um, this is still the only place the nuclear bomb has every been dropped, so their commitment to it before is pretty interesting as it is), it's also become an emotional one. And it was fascinating, but he said something that has struck me since, "Are we making policy based on rational thought or based on emotion?"

Working in government, I think this is possibly one of the most articulate questions I have heard posed since there are times I'll read of a bill or when there's public push or sentiment strongly for or against something that clearly is a knee-jerk reaction, this is really the question that should be asked all the time. Rational thought has long-term implications. Emotional thought has short-term ones. Governing needs to take both into account. This is going to be an unfinished thought as I am still mulling over the significance of this, which, strangely enough, speaks volumes to me.

We did squeeze in one sight-seeing opportunity. Kind of. Because we couldn't really see the palace. But mark this, because I am about to paraphrase Mitt Romney, of all people: the trees really are the perfect height. But here, in Japan (see Michigan remarks and then YouTube "AFSCME" and click on the link of those remarks to see a hilarious comparison piece to Mitt and Anchorman. Brought to you by the letter K):




So we got as close as we could to the Imperial Palace and tried our best not to sweat all that much. Failed that. Me, anyway.










So now we're on to my favorite part of the day, and the part where you'll see the most pictures. Because I had to take pics of the entire thing: dinner.

We had a dinner meeting with a columnist who writes for the equivalent of the Wall Street Journal here in Japan, and while he had fascinating things to say, we had the most amazing and opulent traditional Japanese dinner.

I stopped counting the courses. The atmosphere was somewhat formal, but it was relaxed. So to make you all incredibly jealous, here is the meal in it's entirety:

We started off light:





















And here's the entrance to the restaurant:




We then finished the night with some drinks and to check out the Tokyo nightlife. So here is the picture of the day, er night:




To make up for the late post as well as not having a pic of the day from yesterday, I will add an extra blog post that you won't want to miss. For serial.

Until then, see you next post. Sayonara.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Tokyo, Japan

Day Three... back in Tokyo

Back in Tokyo! Here's the new view from the hotel this morning:




It's been humid here in Japan. Swampy humid. Like the middle of summer. It wouldn't be so bad if we weren't in suits all day, but it is what it is. I brought plenty of handkerchiefs just in case.

So today, we spent our first full day in Tokyo, which is a misnomer since we had a later morning that usual because we got back so late. It was welcome. Though I didn't actually leave the hotel, I was able to relax and get more done.

But today, we focused on briefings by the JCIE President, Mr. Ken Shibusawa. He gave us an overview of the history of JCIE and where the organization needs to move towards in the future. And that our delegation was significant for a number of reasons, but primarily, as the 29th Delegation to Japan, we were the first to come after the death of the JCIE founder, Tadashi Yamomoto, the man who created the organization because he believed that peace was not just geopolitical and between government, but between people. He created JCIE to have people learn first hand about other countries by going to them and being immersed. We also are the first delegation to see Iwate after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. So it was good to have a historical perspective of the organization and our time with it.

Mr. Shibusawa learned more about us and we discussed a few of the issues that are happening in Japan right now. He spent a lot of time in the US so it was actually the first meeting where we really didn't need translation. Which you don't really notice until you go through it.




After our meeting we met with Mr. Hitoshi Tanaka, a Senior Fellow for JCIE and the Chairman of the Institute for International Strategy. He is also known for negotiating a relationship between Japan and North Korea as a Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan.

He was a wealth of knowledge, giving us insight into how to conduct successful negotiations and understanding diplomacy as well as the delicate relationships in the East Asian region. He really got us to understand the current territorial issues between China and Japan with regard to the Senkaku Islands and the issues between Korea and Japan with regard to the Takeshima Islands. If you aren't following this story because you live in the United States and we so rarely hear decent international news, check it out. It's amazing what is happening in China with the protests and Japan shutting down business in parts of the country. We are here at a rather timely time.

Beyond the current issues of territorial disputes, the issue of nuclear energy in Japan (we're learning more on this tomorrow), he had fascinating insight into the future of the region - but mostly in regard to United States foreign policy as well as the view of the US Presidential Election in the region.

I could have talked to him all day. But it brought me back to my natural interest in not only foreign affairs, but this region specifically - for the most obvious of reasons. Asia has constantly been considered the next rising, or emerging power, in the world and yet, that hasn't necessarily come to fruition. While China and India are consistently looked at as the next real emerging nations, they haven't been able to break past the "emerging" label. It's a fascinating subject I used to really try to dig my teeth into because we are really moving into a more globalized economy - and the implications in the region, whether political, economical, religious or other, all have broad implications not just on foreign policy, but on the stability of the region and the United States.




And another english meeting. We may be getting slightly spoiled.

We then ended the day with a reception hosted by Mark Davidson, the Minister-Counselor for Public Affairs for the US Embassy in Tokyo. We traveled 15 minutes from the hotel to... American soil. And we'll be back again tomorrow.

But there were a host of people at the reception, with different backgrounds - a good smattering of State Department folks from the Embassy, JCIE/ACYPL alumni, organizations that work closely with the exchange program and elected officials and their staff. I got to talk with folks who have served in Tunisia and the Philippines (that particular woman also happened to be a Syracuse University alum, so I found my first connection to home here) and discuss the role of the State Department here, really understand more about specific Prefectures and the local government, Japanese love of baseball, and hell, even the Yankee/Red Sox rivalry. It was a fun night, with amazing food and good company.




So that was our time here today in Tokyo. It might not be very visually exciting to you all, but I can assure you I learned a lot today and ended up with more questions about Japan, the region and the policies than anything else. And it re-sparked my interest in the region.

Tomorrow, we have a full day that begins at the Embassy. But I have plans to get up early and walk because we have been eating really fantastic food, which, while mostly healthy, we've been served food everywhere we go as well as finding new snacks to try in between. Since I don't have a bike here and I might as well explore, tomorrow with start early and end late.

So I'm headed to sleep because I am still struggling with the time difference. Which is horrible since I know that I'll be fully on Japanese time when I leave, which will be super awesome when I get back stateside.

Anyway. I apologize for no picture of the day today, the only exception being because the picture I had taken did not come out well at all and I didn't realize it. I've never seen Hanover pretzels have a cheeseburger flavor. Maybe I'm not looking hard enough. For a reason. If I wanted cheeseburger flavor, I don't think I'd waste it on a pretzel. I'd waste it on an actual cheeseburger. I'm just sayin'.

G'nite, to all five of you who read this. See you at the next report.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Tokyo, Japan

Day Two

Day two is in the books. Again, I present to you a pictorial review of my day and thoughts so far. Because they are already impressive on the second day.

We started the day in Kamaichi. It was a gorgeous morning and we started early with a nice, Japanese breakfast of miso, rice, salmon, meatballs, daikon radish, seaweed and pickled plums.




It was the perfect amount of food. We then drove through the mountains - some beautiful country, as you can see below. The trees are just breathtaking. The closest I can think of is the Pacific Northwest, but still, the foliage here is impressive and breathtaking. None of these pictures from the car do it any kind of justice:




So we then arrived at the Ao-Zora Farm gardening project, a project started during the rebuilding, in an effort to bring the community together to grow and harvest a garden; something they had never done before. We met some pretty amazing women who carry the water down the hill every day and check on their plants and vegetables. It started out where people could grow their own crops and choose what to grow. But as they saw their neighbors' crops, they started to share them between each other, creating a real community garden. The simple act of growing a garden gave them joy - and fostered a better sense of community between them. Look at the smiles on their faces, just happy to share the experience with us and the things they learned.




So I had an ulterior motive for showing you my breakfast. It wasn't meant to rub a good breakfast in your face. It was the perfect amount of food, not too full, not hungry afterwards. Imagine our surprise when less than an hour later, we were invited to the house of one of the women at the Ao-zora Farm project who owns the only store in town following the tsunami. She was a housewife before the tsunami, but then became involved in the project and opened the store. Her husband is a fisherman. More importantly, she was a plucky and amazing woman who invited all of us into her home for perhaps one of the best meals I have eaten. Ever.




Not really knowing what we were about to get into, we were instructed to sit. We were told she was going to share food with us, but we were not expecting what we got.

Here we are, waiting:






She brought out a plate of fresh yellowtail, accompanied by soy sauce made right there in town and wasabi. She followed up with cucumbers fresh from the community garden with miso paste and then fresh garden tomatoes and some ginger/garlic thing none of us could place. It was so simple, but easily the most decadent thing we've eaten here because it was just so amazingly fresh and the taste was surprisingly complex as we dug in. Her husband had caught the fish the day before, kept them alive overnight for us and then they were prepared just before we got there. Three decent sized yellowtail. The food, company and hospitality were just unmatched. We all wanted to put her in our pockets and take her home!

We stopped for a picture before making our next stop:




Moving towards our next thing, we made a sudden stop right along the water to watch fishermen separating oysters. It was part of an Oyster Raising Project that we were to visit later in the day.




Never underestimate the hospitality of the Japanese people. We then were allowed to sample the largest and most fresh oysters I have ever seen. These oysters would be incredibly expensive back home and yet, here they were, running to find us oysters to share, proud of the work they were doing.




Some of us adventurous souls decided to partake. Even without some marinara and horseradish, the oyster was delicious. First of all, it was literally just caught, cleaned, shucked and handed to us. The most perfect, natural brine I've ever had. Memorable.

So then we went back to Kamaishi where we continued to tour the damage and meet with the Fuji Welfare Foundation. First we stopped at a school to observe the festivities for Respect for the Elderly Day, specifically targeted at seniors 77, 88 and over 100. The place was packed. Only people in those groups were targeted. The Japanese do live healthy lives, indeed.

Then we had lunch from one of the kitchen cars. Following the tsunami, restaurants had to close and owners who could not receive unemployment, found themselves struggling as well as the community, who was beginning to need better options for food since the aid they were getting wasn't enough. So they came together to create kitchen cars, or what we in the states would call food carts. They would go to the office buildings where people were still working, fed volunteers and provided services at events and holidays. It became so popular, there's plans to keep them going in the future, including reopening restaurants.

We abruptly needed to leave to go to a meeting with the Mayor of Kamaishi City, Mr. Takenori Noda. Despite touring a lot of the disaster area the day before and hearing stories from the volunteers and survivors, we finally got a really good sense of what had happened in Kamaishi.

Kamaishi was known for the seawall that protects the bay in 2008. It was the deepest sea wall in the world and stood at 6 meters tall. Because they had survived several tsunamis in the past, they had decided that the effort and cost was worth it to build the wall. On top of it, they had city walls that protect the coastline that stand at 3 meters tall.

After the earthquake that day, which, let's not forget was one of the largest in recent history (registering a 9 undersea on the Richter scale with subsequent after-shocks), the warnings came that there could be a tsunami with waves up to 3 meters. Immediate evacuations are called when they predict a tsunami with 3 meters. Subsequent reports then moved it to 4 and then 6.

Kamaishi's sea wall stands at 6 meters. The city walls stand at 3 meters. However, the electricity cut out after the announcement of 3 meters. So many in Kamaishi believed they'd be safe with the walls holding back much of the wave. They did not seek higher ground.

The tsunami reached 11 meters, or 33 feet. There were 5 waves, with the second and third the highest.

The sea wall did, however, somewhat protect the bay. The height of the tsunami was halved due to the wall and gave residents an extra six minutes to get to higher ground. And then, there is the Kamaishi miracle. No children were lost from Kamaishi that day because they did not listen to the adults, they followed the teachers, who knew what to do. While the adults took refuge in the evacuation centers, the children moved to higher ground as far and as quickly as they can. As a result, they were all saved. 300 people did not run up the hill. A total of 1,000 lives were lost from Kamaichi. The lesson learned was that the greater the wall, the more residents are ill-prepared because they expect the wall to hold. No one predicted the tsunami. But you can never be too prepared.

We toured more of Kamaichi after the meeting. It hit home. It doesn't matter how prepared you are, just run for higher ground. This is the building that just a week before, residents were told to evacuate to.




The tsunami hit the first and second floors of the building. The few people that were saved here were only saved because they climbed curtains on either side of a stage on the second floor and managed to get their heads above the water, which was merely 30 centimeters from the ceiling.

We then visited the City Hall that was demolished during the tsunami. It had sustained a lot of damage during the earthquake and they were dealing with the aftershocks when the tsunami hit, killing the City Council and Mayor and stopping the clock when the wave hit. The only folks who survived this were ones who could hang onto the ledge of the building.




17 minutes. That's all they had. 17 minutes after one of the largest earthquakes in recent history to run more than a mile over earthquake debris, through buildings and up some serious mountains.




I don't know if I could have done it. Who knows in the face of that kind of adversity what you can do. But 17 minutes is hard for even the hardiest runner. Especially when I'm certain there would be people I'd want to save along the way.

But I say all of this because not once in any of our visits, not once in any of our conversations, did we see any evidence of anyone wanting to give up. There was a steely strength and a quiet pride. They weren't victims, looking for someone to come in and solve their problems, though they have all been incredibly grateful for the amazing response from the rest of the world.

Instead, they were rolling up their sleeves and doing the best they could to move forward. They were coming together as communities, volunteers from all over the country, to find common ground and work by consensus. Consensus! Not my way or yours or let's compromise here and hate each other forever silently. They are genuinely trying to get everyone to have a seat at the table, to take all viewpoints into account and find ways to move forward together.

That's pretty impressive when you compare it to, oh, Katrina or even Ground Zero - the two biggest things that could be remotely comparable. The response after Katrina by government was embarrassing and outrageous, to say the least. As for Ground Zero, see the Ground Zero Museum for starters. Yeah. It took 10 years for them to get cracking on World Trade One. These guys are owning it and the communities are doing what they can to survive.

For instance, the Mayor today said something interesting - that Kamaishi is one of the "fastest to take care of their debris". No kidding. In fact, they take the crazy amount of debris, manage to separate it into reusable and unusable material and recycle what they can and pulverize what they cannot. In fact, in Kamaishi, they even test all of it for radiation. That commitment to the environment in the face of rebuilding is amazing.

It's not even that they're doing it so fast. It's that they are being incredibly thoughtful about it. That struck us. While there's a lot of people still displaced and many of them may not return, they are taking the time to really create and be thoughtful about what they build after this. By making sure everyone works together, or at least agrees on ways forward.

Not to say this is easy. None of them have said that. In fact, there are problems some of it has already created (like the issues in the temporary housing). But they have an immediate 3 year plan, followed by a 3 year intermediate plan and a 4 year long-term plan. That would be a 10 year strategic plan for rebuilding that gets reassessed at each stage. That is impressive. We don't think that far ahead back home. At least that I have seen. 10 years! Too far away! Now! Now! Now!

We were just struck by the resilience. And they are proud of what they have done and while they have a long way to go, they always stop to remember as well. Much like the people of New Orleans and New York. But there's a quiet resilience here that is hard to miss.

We said goodbye to Kamaishi and headed back for the long journey back to Tokyo, enduring some serious heat and humidity. Ugh. As we stood on the train platform, waiting for the train back to Tokyo, we were hopeful that the express train that would go by would generate some wind. Instead, we had the breath knocked out of us when it passed by. Talk about fast! We are certain the people on board would have gotten a laugh at us standing on the platform, mouths agape, and staring. Good Lord, it's amazing what they've done here.

So now it's 3am and I'm still awake. But will force myself to bed soon. Now that I'm fully settled in to the hotel, I've handwashed some laundry and unpacked and wrote this. We spend the next four days in Tokyo and I plan to check out that 400 year old garden tomorrow morning before we have meetings at noon. Oh yeah! It has only been two days, but it feels like we've been here a lifetime. Japan makes it easy with how clean and welcoming it is.

And without further ado, here is your picture of the day. They have planted rows and rows of sunflowers to give the residents of Iwate hope while rebuilding. This was impressive, it's right in downtown Kamaishi, in front of the restaurant we had dinner in the night before and it's nearly as tall as the truck! It's the perfect picture to end this day, where we fell in love with the residents and marveled at their resilience and strength.




Until tomorrow, sayonara!

Location:New Otani Hotel, Tokyo, Japan

Day One...

Was another travel day. That's right. All of these posts, by the way, may be delayed a day or so - it all depends on when I get good and reliable wireless internet. Cheap old me, not wanting to pay a ton in a data plan!

So after a fitful night of two hours on and off, I woke up to Tokyo. Konichiwa!




Shortly after, we grabbed breakfast with this view and then got on a train. This would be the 400 year old garden at the hotel. Yes. 400 years.




Then we hopped on a two hour train ride, accompanied by an hour and a half on a bus to get to the Iwate Prefecture, part of northern Japan - and more specifically, the part that was hardest hit by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

We arrived in Rikuzentakata after a harrowing ride through some curvy mountains. We saw empty fields where houses used to be. Then we hit the area closest to the coast and then saw the abandoned buildings, ripped apart by the tidal waves. It's nearly hard to tell in the bright and hard sun that such devastation occurred - until you see the debris piles.

What really brought it home was looking at the former City Hall. For folks that went up to the top of the building on the right, they were saved because they were about 8 feet higher than the roof of the building to the left. The folks who ran to the top floor on the left were taken by waves.




We stopped for a moment at the shrine at the entrance.




We then stopped by the high school where kids were still studying that day. In fact, in times of emergencies, the school serves as the place where residents gather to wait out the storm. If they hadn't run up the hill behind the building, they lost their lives. A lot of people died in that building. We also learned that the students still in the building that afternoon were mostly seniors, preparing for college entrance exams.




The comparisons for me to September 11th were inevitable, but instead of an act of terrorism, this was an act of nature. So severe that after the earthquake - which alone was off the charts - citizens had 30 minutes before the first wave of the tsunami hit. That's 30 minutes before a gigantic tidal wave appeared out of nowhere. The area we were in earlier today had 3 waves come up, as high as a five story building - and wipe out everything in it's path and taking thousands of people with it. They are still very much recovering from the disaster. While the piles of debris aren't as big as they used to be, they are still there. The fields are still empty. And while communities and governments decide how to move forward, they are moving slowly because they are consensus building.

Reminds me of the deadlock at Ground Zero.

Nearly 3,000 people are still displaced from this. We stopped by the temporary housing, where families will be living for at least 3 years while pieces continue to get sorted out - and there are recent reports of domestic violence and drinking, due to the small, cramped spaces and stress. We toured one of the apartments and the place in whole is no bigger than a NYC studio apartment, with a small kitchen, a small living room, bedroom and bathroom. In fact, my friends who think they have the smaller apartments in NYC have practical lofts compared to these.

Yet, the Japanese remain a gracious people, thanking us for our support and assistance. We met with two tutoring projects in Rikuzentakata, where students can come and find a place for community, to study, to get tutored. The schools were mostly wiped out; students are cramped and crowded and these projects give them a chance to not only find space for their studies, but a chance to also socialize with other kids, to find a mentor and a tutor in the college kids from across the country that come to volunteer to work with them. One student started today and she commuted 3 hours this am and will commute 3 hours back to school afterwards. Another gentleman lives 6 hours away and comes in during the week and goes home during the weekend. They seem committed to volunteering and doing more for this community that has seen so much tragedy.




We also met with a council member who enlightened us on the response and recovery - as well as the city council structure. Let's just say that if anyone wants to be a Mayor and live very comfortably, move to Japan. We were amazed. Shocked might be a more appropriate word.

So we headed for Kamaishi after touring the areas and and checked into our hotel for the night. A HILARIOUS situation then happened as we all got up into our rooms and couldn't figure out how to turn on the lights. I managed to turn on the television to get some light, only to find a flashlight under the bed. It did no good as we still couldn't figure the damn thing out for the life of us. Turns out that you need to put the keychain in a slot when you enter to turn on the electricity in the room. It's an energy saver. Allegedly. We used a hell of a lot of energy trying to figure out how the hell we were gonna see in our rooms tonight!





We capped off the night with a pretty traditional dinner in Kamaishi. Before we went to dinner, one of our hosts today showed us a map of the area. She pointed out where our hotel was. She then explained that if we felt an earthquake, we needed to leave the hotel and turn right and just start running. This was in case we hit a magnitude of 5 or over. Um. Whaaa? She assured us we would be fine, but to turn right and keep running. Apparently there's still a lot of earthquakes happening. Super.

Packing up our weirdness over this conversation, we then moved on to dinner. Complete with tatami mats, sake, sashimi, udon, and some amazing fish. Dinner took a few hours at best, but I've never felt more satisfied and complete after a meal.




Or jetlagged. I have gotten a total of 9 hours of sleep in the past 2 (well, really 3) days - and that's being generous.

So, I promised you pictures. And there's already a lot. But I've decided to leave you all with a picture of the day to end my posts. And here's today's. This was a box meal we saw at the train station and had to snap a picture of it. I mean, it's adorable, but who can eat this thing? It's too cute!




Until tomorrow, oya-sumii (good night). See you next post. Mama's got some sleeping to do!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture

Travel Day

Well, today is travel day. We started at a brisk 4 am, hitting the first leg of our trip from DC to Dallas.

Helpful tip that I wish I had remembered: drinking a medium Dunkin' Donuts coffee before 5 am is only truly useful on Primary/Election Day. It certainly is not for taking a flight. It absolutely is not a good idea to finish it before the plane takes off. Especially when you are sitting in the window seat of the plane and it's an early morning flight when everyone is asleep. I'm amazed my bladder didn't go on strike.

Anyway... we then got on our last and final leg of today's trip - the 12 hour and 54 minute flight to Narita, Tokyo. This isn't my first rodeo. In fact, since there's nothing you can do about it, it's best to just abandon the natural tendency to want to resist and fight it but to just accept and surrender to it. I will spend most of my time on this airplane trying to attain such an enlightened state (see below). At least I don't have another flight on the other side of this, like I do when I go to the Philippines (Detroit to Nagoya to Manila). So that already is a plus in my book.

But this is not a race. It's like an endurance ride. I find that breaking up my flight, much like breaking up a 100 mile bike ride is similar and ideal. So. Let's do just that. Because, let's face it. I've got the luxury of time at the moment. And I'm going to just warn any readers here - this will be long. I have nearly 13 hours to kill, people. Feel free to take coffee or bathroom breaks. Read it in pieces, when you need to stop doing work for a few minutes. I assure you, I'll try to make it worthwhile. Because I care. And if you're actually reading this thing, I should try to impart something useful. Instead of the deterioration of my mind over 12 hours.


11:00 am EST: On the tarmac at DFW.
Getting ready to take off. I'm super glad I paid attention to changing my seat. I'm even more thankful this flight isn't full. I realized that sitting in the middle of the plane, in the five seater row is not ideal. But it is when there is no one on either side of you, in front of you, or behind you. Score! This is the MOST comfortable I've ever been flying from the US to Japan. And for the record, that means my record there is 1 out of 9. Not great odds. But hey, maybe when I'm actually flying to Japan instead of going through it, that could be the difference.


11:10 am EST: headed down the runway.
So we're moving. And there's this adorable little girl who happens to look exactly like the Japanese Dora sitting across the aisle from me with her mother. On her lap. Her mother is stretching the seatbelt across both of their laps. I'm amazed at how really good the little girl is being.

After all, two trips to Asia ago, this little girl in my row was having a temper tantrum. I'm totally serious. A full-on rolling on the ground, beating the floor, screaming tantrum. She couldn't have been more than 3 years old. Which happens to be the tender age that I took my first plane ride. To the Philippines. I guess mom wanted to just get that whole thing over with at once.

What makes that story hilarious (if it can be) is that my mother and I had noticed when we took off that the little girl had no toys, no stuffed animals - nothing - for what was a 14 hour trip. When they handed out the earphones and I noticed the little girl playing, I turned to my mom and said, "See? She's the type of kid that will play with anything."

To which my mother turned to me with a deadpan look. "Because she doesn't have any toys." Point taken.

Twenty minutes later, as the girl is in the beginning stages of the tantrum, my mother mutters, "Because her mother didn't bring her anything to keep her busy." Two hours later, as the little girls is turning blue, rolling around, I turn to my mother. "Was I like that the first time I flew?" My mom turns to the little girl, both of us smiling at her hopefully - we somehow thought this might calm her down if all of us were putting on nice, happy faces every time we'd look at her. My mom turned back around to me. "No. Because I would have killed you. And you knew it." And she turned back to smile at the little girl. Which would have been fine, except as I noticed, all the people smiling at the little girl were just doing so. Their eyes had a totally different meaning otherwise.

Funniest part of the story is that after going through customs in Nagoya, we are starting to take off for Manila and the little girl starts to wail. Before you know it, at least five other passengers along with my mother and I, are leaning forward to give the little girl stuffed animals, toys and games we all picked up at the airport. Because, as my mother knew - the girl had no toys. We weren't the only ones with this amazing epiphany. We all ran as fast as we could away from her once we landed.

Anyway, back to Japanese Dora. See? This is my experience on these long flights. I just sort of expect the kids to go nuts. But she's being incredibly well behaved.

At which point, a male airline attendant (I say this because I can't call him a stewardess, can I? Is he called a steward? I have seriously never had this train of thought before. Thank you, American Airlines and a long flight) comes down the aisle and stops in front of her. I have my headphones on, busy flipping through the movies to see what my options are for the flight.

What I can understand from the conversation (because I wasn't about to take off the headphones) is that the little girl isn't allowed to sit on her mother's lap when we take off. The mother is trying to explain to him. He's insistent. This is when I take off the headphones just in time to catch him saying, "I don't care if she's scared, she needs to sit in that seat for safety. Do you understand?" He then turns, exasperated to the young Japanese man sitting one seat from me in my row. "Can you explain it?"

The man in my row is trying to be helpful, murmuring to the mother in Japanese. She responds. It's clear the little girl doesn't want to move. The airline attendant then says, "Well then I'll just go talk to the Captain and have him turn the airplane around to get you both off the plane."

Um.

He then gets another stewardess, this one Japanese, to try to explain to the woman. The mother continues to explain to her. The stewardess turns to the attendant and he then says angrily to the mother, "Ok, fine. You'll be the reason we have to turn around. You're spending the night in Dallas, you're not going to travel. Do you understand?" The mother looks around helplessly to all of us.

At this point, I'm confused. Aren't children under a certain age allowed to sit on their parents' lap on an airplane? How long will this whole thing take? Why did he get so damn exasperated with her? The mother and folks around us are all trying to be supportive in some way or another. And then he comes back with a different stewardess who then undoes the seatbelt around the both of them. She then places it only around the mother's lap. She then says to the mother, "It's alright. Just hold her like this [she then demonstrates and wraps the mom's arms around her kid like a bear hug] and you'll be alright."

The stewardess walks away, content, if not somewhat annoyed. The attendant walks in the opposite direction shaking his head.

Now, I guess this is just what it is. Except every time the attendant walks by, he shakes his head slightly after he passes the mother in a, "can you believe this?" kind of way to the man next to me and me. Then another attendant (he is male, too), is going up the other aisle with the drink cart and is pointing out the mother and daughter to another stewardess and mouthing and gesticulating wildly while rolling his eyes.

Okay. Now it's just ridiculous. Yes, the mother should have insisted her daughter move to the seat next to her. Someone was scared. Can you blame her? That's what mothers do, for crying out loud. But more than that, what was with the treatment? I get the language barrier. But he handled it like a douche. And then to have other attendants doing the same thing, well, that was just unprofessional.

Keep it classy, American Airlines. I decide to put on "Dark Shadows" and proceed to watch it while drinking my coffee after take off. Apparently, I have not learned my lesson from the first leg.


13:15 pm EST: Flying somewhere over Billings, Montana.
I've finished "Dark Shadows". I've also finished off a bag of a sort of Asian Trail Mix (pretzels, rice crackers, almonds and sesame oat things) as well as a lunch of meatballs and rice, salad, crackers with cheese and sushi. And that was only some of what was on my plate. May I humbly remind anyone still reading that we have been on the plane for less than 3 hours and I've been served coffee, a snack, a full lunch and a soda? Pace yourself, folks. We got a long way to go. And I need to move around because I can feel my chin starting to drop after all that food in a small amount of time.

And the last time I was in Billings was June of 2008. I really like Montana. Even if I am the only person of color for miles. It's like Manifest Destiny. Backwards. I wouldn't have fallen for the beauty of the Big Sky if it wasn't for AFSCME. And Hillary Clinton. I'll have to come back.


13:24 pm EST: Flying over Idaho
Waving to Tippy. This is the closest I may get to Boise in a while, so, hi!

I am now flipping back through the movies. I decide on "Brave". I quickly realize that I'm burning through this media a little too quick. Only one other movie is a definite watch for me and then after that, we'll see. I turn it off to blog.

So I turn to the other nice Japanese man a seat away from me in the other aisle. (the rows from window to window are 2 seats, aisle, 5 seats, aisle, 2 seats. I am literally in the middle.) This man seems very nice. He also is an older gentleman who has spent the first leg of this flight just sitting and looking around. He will be bored unless he falls asleep soon. He turns on the TV and is watching it, silent. I realize he doesn't have headphones on. So I had him the extra ones on the seat between us. He is so thankful.


13:56 pm EST: I presume somewhere over Washington State.
The lights have been turned off and everyone in my row is passed out.

So on these long flights, they show the plane and a map and where we are on it. The minute any sort of wind or turbulence hits, I immediately turn to the map. Because I can see if we'll crash into mountains or water. It's a dark thought. But since the plane moves a total of 2 centimeters every forty minutes on this ridiculous map, what other train of thought can I possibly have other than wondering how fast we really are going? I suppose I could sit here naming my unborn children, but I used that trick up on the last flight from DC to Dallas in an effort not to pee my pants.

What I know is that right now, I'm still in the early stages of this flight. I will pay attention to the map until we get west of the continental US and we'll just be watching a plane on top of a background of blue for the next 8 hours. If I fall asleep now, I'll be asleep until we're an hour away. Or until they feed us again 30 mins from now. About three hours from now, I'll start getting a little anxious before realizing I've got another 7 hours. Four hours from now, I'll have that hopeful, yet sinking feeling that we're just a little over halfway there. Six hours from now I will lose hope, stop caring what time it is or how long we have until we land and truly surrender to the fact that we're just gonna be here until we land, so hang onto sanity with another Sudoku puzzle and start actually reading the book I've been trying to read for months on my Nook. Not long after that feeling (about 15 minutes), which I have been trying to attain for the entire 12 and a half hours I've been on the plane, we'll land and I'll scramble to fill out disembarkation and customs forms.

Alright. "Brave" it is.


17:05 pm EST: Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean.
I lied. I fell asleep since the last check-in. They haven't tried to feed us in the last three hours, so that's good. We have 7 hours and change to go.

And everyone's little window shade is down, making the cabin still dark. Except for little Japanese Dora's, who is alternating between looking out the window and playing under a blanket. Mostly quietly. I"m still impressed at how good she is.

I slept through the anxiety I predicted above and went straight to the realization since the map was in front of my face with the 7 hour mark. Maybe I should just give into sleep entirely. But I can't now. I'm really turning on "Brave".


19:02 pm EST: Somewhere over the blue blob - close to the Int'l Date Line.
"Brave" was pretty good. We are 2628 km to Narita. And it looks like about a half inch to the Int'l Date Line, according to the digital map.

We've been fed again, but a sandwich this time. I figure they'll probably try to feed us one more time before we land.

I have to say, having my own personal console and a mix of movies is really making a difference in this travel. I'm almost counting the hours so I can space out the movies I want to watch. That's a much different situation than usual where by this point, I'm a long way through a book, alternating between reading, sleeping and crossword puzzles. As much as I liked that, the time just eeked by. But this almost feels a little faster.

Having a ton of space and comfort with no one right next to me, in front of me, or behind me is also making this much more enjoyable.

Japanese Dora is now asleep, with the shade drawn down. I only mention her again because her mom was trying to turn on the video monitor, but not realizing it's a touch screen, so she was literally poking the bottom of the screen with no luck. I would have said something, but I'm too far away to be much help. I know. This is getting fairly boring. Apologies.

Now that my blood sugar is up, it looks like another movie for me. "Snow White and the Huntsman" this time. I did want to see that.


21:31 pm EST: an inch or so away from Narita. By map. Still over the blue blob.
Well that was a hardcore, trippy Snow White. Good thing the trampire had that Thor fella to save her from a cray-cray Charlize Theron. Nice appearance by Bob Hoskins as a dwarf, too.

Clearly, I've been on this plane too long. But y'all already knew that.

We are 1330 miles from Narita. And 2 hours and 39 minutes away.

I had the realization that I may actually not be getting other options for movies on the way home. It's time to stop watching them and do some reading or something more productive so I have something to watch for the ride home. Maybe some more sleep. There's games on this thing, that could come in handy. What I do know is that the closer we get, the more excited I'm getting. And ignoring the fact that the music choices they are offering are just repeating the same playlist over and over. Might be time for some iPod.

See? I've attained that surrender. This time, more than 2 hours before landing. Evolution. Or, technology. Either way.

23:04 pm EST: very slowly getting closer to Narita on the map.
As the map gets closer to Asia than Alaska and Hawaii, I suddenly am seeing Manila and the Philippine Islands on the map. And suddenly I'm a little home struck. This is the closest I've been to the homeland in two years and I'm not going to it. Not going to see it. Not going to see my grandmother, my uncle and his family, my grand uncles and aunts, my countless cousins. And that makes me sad I don't have the time - or the resources - to make it really happen. Sadface.

We have about an hour and a half to go. Time to tidy up. I considered taking a nap, but maybe I should just force myself to stay awake at this point. We will be 13 hours ahead and landing in the middle of the day over there.


23:44 pm EST: beginning descent into Tokyo
Yee! Konichiwa!

September 15th, 11:00 am EST: New Otani Hotel, Tokyo
So we have arrived. It is nice in this hotel, I particularly like the fact that you can play music in the bedroom, have it piped through in the bathroom where the's a great toilet that has one of those bidet things attached to it. Japanese toilets are awesome. I will post a pic of the one in the airport that has the sound of running water that you can run as well. Hip.

We went to a little French style restaurant not far from the hotel and I had my first taste of fish here with a Kirin beer and it was fantastic. And while the company and hosts were engaging and amazing, it's all we could do to not face plant on the table. We have been up and traveling for entirely too long.

I just finished packing my bags for tomorrow's trip to Iwate, the northern part of Japan that got hit by the earthquake and tsunami last year. That's right. We're traveling again.

I'm hoping to post this before we leave since the wi-fi is in the next building over, where I'm hoping to get up early enough to have breakfast in the am.

But for now, excuse me while I do the best I can to get a decent night's sleep. Trying to force us into this time difference is going to be brutal. I thought traveling back from the West Coast was bad...


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:On the plane

Briefing Day

Today, I met the delegation that I'd be spending the next two weeks with in Japan and we had a series of meetings to help us begin to wrap our heads around the issues we'd be hearing more about when there.

I suddenly feel like a Coro Fellow all over again. Some of you who actually read this blog are or were Fellows, so you will know what I mean. Those who aren't, don't worry, you'll understand soon enough.

So eleven years ago, I walked into a room with ten other strangers as we introduced each other, were given an icebreaker that involved moving a ball from one point to another using the contents of a basket before being given what is known as the Logic Study. Essentially, we were handed a sheet a paper an hour after walking in the room where the assignment was to discover the "logic" of Long Island City, Queens. We had a handful of pre-set interviews and then had a presentation to give at the end of the day.

Now, ACYPL isn't making us learn the logic of Japan, nor is there a presentation. But these exchanges are, in essence, like being dunked in another country where you try to make heads or tails of it and you come out more enriched because of it.

So today, we had meetings at ACYPL, met with folks from the Japan desk at the State Department and then met with two Japanese Ministers from the Japanese Embassy.

It wasn't an overwhelming feeling. Instead, it reminded me of that moment I was handed my logic study where I felt like I was just beginning to scratch the surface. I stayed mostly quiet today because I feel like I'm just seeing the tip of the iceberg.

Let's just say: this is going to be exciting. I'm so excited.

Alright, I'm keeping this short because I need to pack. You bet I had one more trip to CVS. I not only feel better after talking to the other delegates about our packing woes, but I am content that I have what I need.

Time to do a final pack and then bed so I can get up at 4am. Yes. 4am.

Until then, same bat time, same bat channel. See you all from the airport.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Washington, DC