Blogs from Tokyo, Japan, Asia - page 264

I turned in my letter of resignation a couple of weeks ago. My boss asked me to take off and rethink my decision. It so happened there was this week-long training seminar in Tokyo, Japan and the boss thought it would do me a lot of good to spend a week in Tokyo. And so here I am at the Narita Airport, trying to figure out how to take the subway in Tokyo to reach my hotel in Kitasenju. Well, it wasn't really a hotel, but this association has put up learning centers in Tokyo and Hirohisma, where members can rent rooms at rates half what the hotels charge. Not bad, and it's clean clean, Japanese clean. I remember my foster brother, Kazuhiro Araki, an exchange student back in the 70's, who stayed with us for ... read more

Due to a fortunate happenstance I gained another chance to visit Japan through my job in Sydney. This was an unexpected but pleasant surprise as I settled back into Sydney life after spending two years overseas. I was lucky to get a job in an oil exploration company thanks to a friend, and it was a great feeling to get back on my feet financially after my travels. Life certainly takes many interesting twists and turns as the years roll by. My job in the company, dear reader, started in the print room but the manager asked if I would consider a job as a Technical Assistant, despite the fact I didn't possess a science background unlike the rest of my colleagues. I was offered the position which involved assisting the geologists and geophysicists in their ... read more

Shinjuku station is in the heart of downtown Tokyo, and the busiest train station in the world. Up until my arrival there I thought I was doing OK, having farewelled my friends in San Francisco and boarded a flight to Japan before arriving at Tokyo's Narita airport. From there I caught the airport train to Shinjuku and was nervous alright, but arriving at the station really freaked me out. There are several floors, train lines in every direction and more people rushing around than I'd ever seen in my life. For a time I just stood at the station paralysed with inaction and feeling completely overwhelmed. But things tend to work out and with some assistance I eventually found the correct line to get to my gaijin (foreigner) house. I arrived safely, and this journal tells ... read more