I’m currently in an internet cafe in Shinjuku. I’m just about out of time- I got the 3 hour pack, and yet it’s still not enough time to catch up on everything. *sigh*

Work is going well- it’s interesting, and it keeps me busy. But it involves a lot of walking around to various companies to check on staff, so it’s pretty exhausting, too. I’m glad to have a weekend to relax.

Work is also not bad. The first day, I spent most of the morning introducing myself: doing a self-introduction at morning greetings, going around to each department and introducing myself, and sending a self-introductory e-mail to the whole company- I think everyone knows who I am now. Then they gave me a contract in English and told me to translate it into Japanese. It’s way beyond my level to make a contract in Japanese, but I figure if I can make the meaning understandable, someone else can write it in proper Japanese. I hope to finish within the next week or two, depending on how much other work they give me.

Tuesday-Thursday was orientation with the new employees. The explanations were really fast and complicated, so I only understood about half- I was uncomprehending, spacing out, or falling asleep for the other half. Then on Friday, I got to go to some of the places that Pasona Tech does business with- Nihon University and Cisco. So it was a busy week, though I was mostly getting explanations and  not actually accomplishing anything.

Yesterday, I went to Shinjuku with some of the other interns to see the Hana Yori Dango movie. We explored Shinjuku, took some purikura at the arcade, and went to dinner beforehand. We kept hearing anime songs in the arcade and the restaurant, and every time, two or three of us would recognize the song. Going to karaoke with this group is going to be fun. The movie was great. It was hilarious and over the top, like pretty much all Asian dramas, although for some reason the Asians don’t seem to see it that way. In any case,  I was laughing almost all the way through.

Today, I’m back at Mariko’s house, using the internet. I brought a souvenier this time so I don’t feel so bad about coming over and using the computer almost the whole time. My suit is getting dry cleaned, so I have to go pick it up soon before the store closes. Then tomorrow, it’s back to work!

So that’s my time in Japan so far. I don’t know when I’ll have internet again, but in the meantime, I’ve set up Twitter so that I can update from my cell phone, so check there for updates once in a while. The link is on the right side of this page.

I met up with Mariko and her family last weekend. They lent me lots of good stuff. I rented a refrigerator and a tv, too. So I’m doing pretty well, and work is going pretty well.

Time up!

I’m in Japan.

I have no internet in the company dorm. It doesn’t look like that fact can be changed.

I’m getting a cell phone tomorrow. I get e-mail on it. The address is rent7693@softbank.ne.jp.

I have 30 minutes of internet left and plenty of things to do. I will post a real update later.

This may not happen until next weekend. Please don’t worry about me. I’m fine.

Today is my eighth day in Japan (already?) and my fifth in Osaka. You know what’s great about being in the same city for 5 days? Being able to explore the city without carrying all my luggage around. Everything is more enjoyable when you’re not carrying 30 pounds of stuff and a bicycle around. I’ve had a ton of fun this weekend, but I think I need to backtrack a little bit.

My time in Fukuoka and my lack of sleep while traveling caught up with me Friday, and my nose was running all day. That was the day I arrived in Osaka, and I was visiting my friend Yoshiko at her university. I thought it was allergies, so I tried to ignore it as much as possible. It wasn’t too bad, since I spent most of the time going to her classes, talking with her friends, and watching her aikido practice, so I wasn’t moving around all that much.

I stayed at the Okagakis house that night, and woke up sick. Coughing, sneezing, runny nose, the works. So we stayed around the house that day. I read a bit. Some more of the family (including 4-year-old Nana-chan and 1-year-old Tomo-kun) came down for a takoyaki party, which was fun and delicious. I played Wii Fitness with Ayumi’s dad and didn’t get to sleep as early as I should have.

Next day, I was feeling better, though. I went to Kawachinagano and met my Seikyo friend Naoki, and we took the train up the mountain to Koyasan. There was a festival going on there, so we saw a parade and went to this event where they throw out mochi (rice cakes) and you try to catch them. I got beaned in the head, and those mochi are hard.

In the evening, I visited my host family. It was just like old times. We went the the restaurant that my host mom’s family runs, then we went home and had dinner. We watched TV, and my host dad came home late. Took a bath, and went to bed. It wasn’t very exciting, but it was definitely nostalgic. Nothing really changed there in four years.

In the morning, my host family went to work, and I went to the ferry terminal to pick up my bike where I had left it. I didn’t think it would be there, since I forgot to take the key out after I locked it, but it was in the exact place I left it. Japan is so safe… at least in my experience. But then there was the stabbing incident in Akihabara recently, so I can’t say it’s totally the case. Still one of the safest countries around, though.

Anyway, I rode it to Tennoji Station without getting too lost, then spent the afternoon reading manga at Book Off, eating lunch at a gyouza (dumpling) restaurant, and checking e-mail at an internet cafe, all in the area right behind the station. Had some amazing okonomiyaki for dinner, courtesy of Ayumi’s mom.

Today, I was going to take the train to Tokyo, but plans changed and I spent another day in Osaka. With Ayumi’s mom, I bought tickets for tomorrow, had lunch with Ayumi during her break, went shopping for shirts for my internship, and came back to the Okagaki house and relaxed. Ayumi’s mom paid for my shinkansen tickets and the shirts (about $200 total) so I feel really indebted to her- just like every time I come here, now that I think about it.

Tomorrow I take the train to Tokyo, fly to Seoul, and take the train down to Daejeon. It’ll probably be over 12 hours of travel, so I’m going to bed early tonight. It’s going to be a long day…

Names and places that probably need explanation:
AFS: The high school exchange program I went to Japan with in 2004.
Yoshiko: Met through AFS (kind of funny story, but another time)
Ayumi Okagaki: Stayed at our house in America for a year via AFS.
Seikyo: The high school I attended in Japan.

Unfortunately, 24 hours later that’s the most recent real meal I’ve had. A lot of problems cropped up today, most of them involving my search for a bicycle bag. Since I:m exhausted and don’t really want to explain right now, I’ll just say that I was looking for a bicycle carrying case from 11 am until 4 pm, carrying my bike and my luggage around the whole time. I eventually got a bicycle cover, which functions as a crude bag, and got on the train. I was unconscious within minutes- I’ve gotten less than 6 hours of sleep the past 3 nights.

You know what? This will make a great story later when I’m not bitter about it. I’ll just let it go for now- especially since I need to look up Angela’s phone number and call her so I can actually sleep tonight.

On Friday, I rode down to Busan. I got a flat tire, but some nice Korean boys helped me patch it up. I took the KTX up to Seoul and met Laura and Yongmin at the station. We visited Namsan Tower, and I spent the night at Yongmin’s aunt’s house.

On Saturday, Laura, Yongmin, and I went to Yongsan and went electronics shopping. I got a fairly cheap MP3 player. We ate lunch, went to an arcade, and watched Kung Fu Panda. But before the movie started, I realized I left my bag that had my camera and my new MP3 player in the arcade. I went back and looked, but it was gone. The worst part is that I hadn’t uploaded photos for months since I was waiting for my hard drive (still hasn’t come) so I’ve lost the last two months of photos, including all the bike trip photos. Still a bit frustrated about that.

On Sunday, I met up with Laura and Yongmin again and we hung out. I got another cheap MP3 player and some Japanese books, then took the train to Daejeon. Korean teachers picked me up at the station and we went to dinner. When we got back, I started my laundry, put some music on my MP3 player, and went to bed.

After 5.5 hours of sleep, I finished my laundry, took a shower, repacked my luggage, and came to ICU to fill out my clearance form. Now I’m in the computer lab, but I’m going back to the dorms soon to meet Herbert and eat lunch, then go down to Daejeon station. I’m taking the KTX down to Busan, grabbing my bike, and getting tickets for tonight’s ferry to Fukuoka. I should be in Japan by tomorrow morning.

My plan after that is to convert some money to yen, get a carrying bag for my bike, take the train to Beppu and meet Angela. On Thursday, I’ll take the ferry to Osaka and meet up with Ayumi and her family. On Tuesday, I’ll take a train to Tokyo and hopefully meet up with Mariko and her family. Then Wednesday I take a plane to Seoul and go down to Daejeon. Over the next week, I’ll get the rest of my stuff from the dorm, go back to Seoul and get my visa, and take a plane back to Tokyo to start my internship. Travel much? I’m tired just talking about it.

This one is for Julie: lolcats style!

I wnet to posco.. iz not so gret actully
Got a little bit lost in Pohang and went by POSCO, the steel mill. The bike lake was super bumpy, and there were large trucks going by all the time. It wasn’t the best start to the day.

I has a salty flavor
I took the coastal road because of the scenery, even though it was longer. A lot of the way, I was tasting salt. I don’t know if it was because of the sea, or if the rain was mixing with my sweat. If it was the former, great, but the latter is pretty gross.

NOOOO!! They be takin my flatlands!!
I went on the coastal road partially because I thought it would be mostly flat. Turned out to be the most mountainous day so far. And even the downhills are no fun when it’s raining because the water flies off the tire and gets me all wet.

I can has foodz?
I didn’t eat enough yesterday. I finished the snacks Alison gave me in the morning, and I ran out of peanut butter by early afternoon. I got some rice balls at a convenience store, but they didn’t last long either. But when I arrived in Ulsan, I stopped at a gas station to use their restroom and change my wet socks. I must have looked pretty miserable, because the man at the gas station invited me in to warm up and have a nice, hot drink (I didn’t catch the name, but it was kind of like oatmeal). So I was able to start my city riding (my least favorite kind of riding) feeling warm and somewhat dry.

In Ulsan: went to pork kalbi (rib of pig) with Dave and some other foreigners, then went to a foreigner bar and played some pool. Went back to the apartment and got some sleep. Also, I have replenished my peanut butter supplies. Today’s biking destination is Busan, but I’ll be spending the night in Seoul (which is about as far from Busan as you can get).

Decided to go to Pohang today to see Alison and Herbert. It was kind of a last-minute decision, but I think it worked out for the best. This way, I don’t have to search for a jjimjilbang in Gyeongju, and I don’t have to pay $50 for KTX tickets. Plus, I get to stay with Alison’s host family, which is pretty cool.

The road to Pohang went throught the mountains. Mountain roads have beautiful scenery. There were mountain lakes, pristine mountain forests, and spectacular views. Unfortunately, most of the good views come during the downhill sections where I don’t want to stop and give up my momentum. But it was beautiful. Also, you get to go down the mountain at the end. Whee!

The wind was pushing against me again today. It’s always frustrating, because you know you could be going faster, but the wind pushes you back. Then the cars seem to be going even faster as they zoom past you, and it feels like you’ve slowed to a crawl. Tomorrow’s ride is away from the coast, so hopefully the wind will be at my back.

Speaking of tomorrow, it’s supposed to rain here. I rode in the rain a little today, from the restaurant where we all ate to Alison’s apartment complex. It wasn’t fun. My seat got wet, my legs got wet, and the worst part about it all is that it’s cold. So if tomorrow brings rain, I’m not riding. Not sure yet what I’ll do instead…

Pohang is by the coast, so maybe the cold comes from the ocean. I rode along next to the beach today. It was really windy, but the view was nice. I rode right past Alison, Herbert, and Herbert’s friend, even though they were apparently yelling at me to stop. But about 200 meters later, I stopped to check my map and saw that they were calling my phone. I turned around and found them pretty quickly.

What else? Rib of chicken tastes really good with rice. It’s really called dalk-kalbi, not rib of chicken. Inside joke. And putting inside jokes on my blog is a sure sign that it’s time for bed. Like I said, I’m more tired than usual today.