So So So So So!

First update!

Konbanwa.
Hey everybody!
We made it to Japan just fine and have had quite an amazing time so far. I would have updated sooner but we did not have Internet access until Friday night. Here is a quick update:
Because of Swine Flu, we are not going to be allowed to enter the kindergarten until next Monday. The people here are much more worried and cautious about the flu than Americans. In fact, the picture shows some of the Japanese health workers who came onboard the plane before we were allowed to leave the plane! It was a very serious operation and took almost an hour! After we were finally cleared and deemed “clean” by the officials, we grabbed our luggage and got through customs with little problem. We were met by Mr. Kei Nishimura at the airport. He informed us that we were going to stay at a hotel for 5 nights because of the Swine Flu. The parents at the kindergarten are understandably nervous that we might infect their children. So, they came up with new plan for us for the week. It sounds like so much fun!
Goodnight.


Ohio Gozaimas.
I am writing this on a bus headed to Tokyo Train Station.
Okay so the first few days in Japan have been…wow. We have been absolutely taken care of. Mr. Kei Nishimura, uncle to Keiko and Minako (the sisters who run the kindergarten) has been our liaison thus far. He is a retired music executive of EMI. He has seen and met almost any famous musician. We stayed four nights in the beautiful Fountain Terrace Hotel. There are many hotels in this area that get 95% of their business from people who travel to Tokyo Disney Land and Disney Sea. We were part of that 95%...
The first day in Japan, we woke up @ about 5 because of jet lag. I took a shower and took a walk outside of our hotel. It is only about 200 meters from Tokyo Bay. It was awesome. The Bay is used for so much industry and is full of barges, ships, and fishing boats.
We grabbed some breakfast in the hotel and then got on the shuttle for Tokyo Disney Land. I have never been to Disney, even in the states. You can imagine how PUMPED I was to go! The four of us got our 2-day passes and were with the first (10,000) in line. Tokyo Disney Land was fantastic. There were so many people there and we were apart of the vast minority. We visited so many attractions during our first day at Disney. Here are some of the pictures!


Disney Sea was our Tuesday. Mr. Kei decided to stay back at his condo to get some work done. He helped the three of us get onto the shuttle and then we were off! We all felt fairly comfortable maneuvering around the park. Although most of the staff doesn’t speak English, they are amazing at directing people. They use so many hand gestures and communicate in so many alternate ways. We spent the entire day at Disney Sea (9-9). We started with a Dream Cruise Show, then hit various attractions like Indiana Jones, Ariel’s Underwater Castle, Aladdin’s Theatre, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, etc…I really can’t even explain how amazing that place was. They really know how to take care of the guest. Everyone is smiling there. Literally. It was really interesting. At night we caught an amazing fire/water display that blew my mind.

On Thursday, we grabbed some doughnuts, yogurt, and orange juice from the convenience store in our hotel and ate it in the park on Tokyo Bay. Then, we boarded the subway for Midtown Tokyo. Kei wanted to show us around the “biggest city in the world.” With over 30,000 million people, this city didn’t really seem to stop. We visited the very famous are of Ginza. It was similar to 5th avenue in New York or the Magnificent Mile in Chicago. However, Ginza is one of 5 “downtown” areas that Tokyo has. We went up the Roppongi Tower and saw an amazing view of the city. After much walking, food, and coffee, we got back on the train. Mr. Kei was getting some work done on his BMW in the garage and it was ready to be picked up. That meant that we all had to cruise in his Beemer, top down, through the streets of Tokyo…I was a bit reluctant but decided to take one for the team…(sarcasm)

Here are some things that I can now check off my list.

1. Picture with the real Jasmine from Aladdin.
2. Japanese woman sleeping on my shoulder on bus. (Currently happening and making it difficult to type with my left hand!)
3. Cruised in BMW convertible, in Tokyo, while listening to Southern Gospel music. (Music wasn’t my choice.)
4. Four espressos from the hotel buffet in one breakfast. (They are tiny and delicious.)
5. Re: #2. She woke up and gave me a glazed over look of confusion.
6. One word: Mask.
7. Feeling not “trendy or hip” enough.
8. Another word: Minority.

Awesome.
Bye.