Arrival

I landed at Narita International Airport in Japan, which is a two hour ride from the city. You are not alone in thinking it is weird to keep the international airport that far from the social and economic center of one's country. Apparently there is an airport within the city limits, but it doesn't have an international terminal. Weird.

But at least I could understand why our producer had decided not to meet me there.

I rented a cell phone at the local stand and hopped a bus to Tokyo.

The Japanese countryside is very lush, complete covered in green, poofy foliage, like being on the back of a giant, green sheep - like that wild sheep from New Zealand all those years ago. Man, watching that sheep get shorn was funny as hell. Did anyone see that video? Sheep couldn't even walk afterward it was so light. Ha ha, sheep.

Anyhow... I've lived in New York and Los Angeles now, but nothing prepares you for Tokyo. It's got New York's density and LA's sprawl. Endless buildings, winding, twisty highways, one on top of the other, much like LA's famed interchanges, except that these are winding around highrises. It's kind of like LA, NYC, San Francisco and Boston mashed together.

Riding on the overpass, twisting between office buildings, I got a good view of the end of the Japanese work day. You see, you can look into the offices from the road, like it's part of the tour.

All Japanese office workers shop at the same clothing store. My ride was a slide show of navy blue blazers. I can only imagine the conversations that occur at 9am.

Hiro: (sarcastic) Hey Nobu, I like the tie, where'd you get it?
Nobu: Oh yeah, wife bought it for me.
Hiro: Yeah? Well, it a lovely ensemble. (under breath) For a copycat.
Nobu: What?
Hiro: You knew I was going to wear this outfit today!
Nobu: But...
Hiro: Die!
(Crazy tie-fu ninja battle ensues)

Eventually we left the strange maze of office buildings and landed on the ground near Hibiya-dori (Hibiya Avenue). This was very exciting because Hibiya-dori was the first street I learned on my Japanese language CDs (yay! Hibiya-dori wa doko des-ka?).


More later...