October 9, 2009
The "culture shock" of arriving in Japan
The first thing I noticed since I arrived was the vending machines. They are all over the place at Narita airport. Later when I came to my host family’s house I saw vending machines all over the city. The drinks are really cheap compared to Finland.
I spent my first day in Japan at a camp somewhere near a town called Nasu. The bus ride was really long and bumpy. After arriving at the camp, we got into our groups and got into our tents. In the morning we ate a Japanese breakfast and then headed off to Tokyo.
In Tokyo I got to ride the subway and it was really interesting to see all the lights and activity. Meeting my host family was great. My host family is really friendly and understands me quite well, even though my Japanese is at a beginner level. My new school seems nice and its not a long way from my home. I ride a bus every day to school and walk a bit. It is interesting to see lots of Japanese people walking to their jobs, and I mean LOTS of people.
Aki