A WEEK IN TRANSLATION

So it's been about a week. I now have a great apartment in Odaiba Tokyo, an office at Keio University, a bank account, a post office savings account, and some great books from Keio's library. Getting all that hooked up has probably been the hardest of my international experiences yet, but looking back, it only took me a week to get set-up. So that isn't so long. I even made a few Japanese friends yesterday at a party in the neighboring apartment building! Honestly, the hardest thing is that I don't have my I-POD because it was hiding when I left and I haven't gotten paid yet; another couple of weeks. These are pretty serious issues when you think about how much time you have to spend going from place to place by train, by foot, etc. and how lonely it can get; and Tokyo is mad expensive. Luckily I have small kitchen, so as soon as I remember how to cook, I'll be alright (well, I just made my first meal last night and I haven't shot into convulsions from food poisoning yet).

I've seen some amazing stuff since I've been here: I discovered an amazing ramen restaurant; not just any ramen, but delicious Hakata ramen (Fukuoka-style) near one of my most frequented train stations. It's not some kind of fancy restaurant where you have a waiter come and serve you. It's like a little hole in the wall but that's the way I like it. You sit at the counter which is the only barrier between you and the cook. He keeps the noodles (sitting in l-serving size strainers) going pretty regularly in the HUGE vat of hot water; he has to wear rubber boots because when they're ready, he pulls out the strainer and shakes all the remaining water out of the noodles onto the floor. Next he dips a big ladel into another HUGE vat, but this one is filled with almost boiling broth. The broth (not the kind you get when you put the powder from the packet in hot water) is brewed over a couple of days (but that's probably some kind of secret) and along with the noodles in a bowl, voila you have ramen.

Next cool thing. Near the same station (Shimbashi) there are tons of skyscrapers towering above the small section with the hole in the wall restaurants and sketchy "Kiss" and "Snack" bars where businessmen can feel loved by cute, young Japanese girls who serve the like modern geisha in a way. Anyway, nestled between the skyscrapers and high rises is a little alley and behind one large building there is a little wooden shrine that totally breaks the rhythm of fast-paced Tokyo. I go there to think about my ancestors; I don't really buy the whole praying to your ancestors thing, but I can at least just reflect on them and their role in giving me a life that has brought me to such an interesting place.

That's all for now. As soon as I get paid, I'll buy a camera and start putting up photos on this site. More in a few