Tokyo Orientation

Slowly, but surely, I'm beginning to update. Hope you enjoy the tales of my travels.

Tokyo Orientation!
At long long last, after months upon months of preparation and anticipation, I'm in Japan.

We, that is to say, the other 14 Ottawa JETs and me, left for Tokyo early Saturday morning and arrived in Tokyo on Sunday afternoon (13 hour time difference). We were staying in a fancy hotel right in Shinjuku, a very cool part of Tokyo, for a two-day orientation. There were panels galore, most of them repeat for us because we were so well-prepared thanks to Ottawa's many helfpul orientations. We were required to stay in the hotel for the day but after 8pm we were allowed out.

The first night we were there, Taryn, Julie and I wandered out nearby to see if we could find exotic Japanese food. Instead we found exotic Italian food, very different than the Italian food you'd find in Ottawa. In Japan, there is no tipping your waiter, and prices on the menu are tax-included, so when something says "580 yen" (about 7$), you only shell out 580 yen. It's quite awesome!

We also marvelled at the Konbini's (convenience store) selection of Japanese food. Konbinis not only carry the usual selection familiar to most Canadian convenience stores, but also has a wide selection of hot food that you can get heated up for you there. They also have what is one of my most favorite things to eat here: onigiri. Onigiris are triangular riceballs wrapped in seaweed, with some sort of meat (or fruit) inside. They're delicious.

Monday night everyone was going out with their prefectures for drinking or karaoke, but mine was scheduled for Tuesday night so I explored Shinjuku on my own. It was very much the Japan you've probably seen in movies. :)

Tuesday night was Embassy night for everyone, so we were expected to travel to our country's embassy and watch whatever they presented to us. The Ottawa JETs, despite still exhausted from jet lag and 12-hour orientation days, went out at 7:30 to the Canadian embassy, came back to the hotel to change, and then we all went out for karaoke. Jordan's Japanese was clearly the best in the group so he became our official and invaluable translator for the night as we ordered food and belted out to classics such as "Total Eclipse of the Heart", two Backstreet Boys songs, Spice Girls, "Rock n Roll all night", "Bohemian Rhapsody", Madonna, and a selection of others that managed to fill 2 hours. It was awesome!

Wednesday morning we got up at the crack of dawn to go to our new homes... and that will be in another entry. ;)

Pictures added soon when I figure that out! ;)