So 5 more days until China/Japan time :O! So close now, it's really exciting ^^. Kind of sad in a way because we'll have to say goodbye to everyone. Two of my roommates are going to be leaving on Saturday (tomorrow) and we'll be leaving on the Wednesdays at 7am, so probably have to wake up at 4am on that day x.x; Others I know are going to be leaving on the 1st of April so it's all pretty random.
Forget if I wrote this, but a few people are leaving to go back home (or already left). One of the guys in our outreach team actually went home because the leaders said he wasn't ready for outreach and he agreed that he had some stuff to take care of back at home. Same thing happened with a girl from the Call2All DTS, so we're having a goodbye lunch thing on Saturday before she leaves. I also found out that another girl from that DTS left yesterday and I didn't even know she was leaving o.O; She said she wasn't ready for her India/China outreach, but it's really sad to hear cuz I bet she would have done awesome there. She just had to believe more in herself in my opinion.
So on Wednesday we're leaving at 7am and arriving there at Tokyo airport at 1pm (not sure who's time), but we'll be staying there for 8 hours I heard until our next flight to China is ready. Because we'd have to sleep there overnight and the airport closes, the airport has given us a free stay at a hotel nearby which is totally awesome cuz we thought we'd be sleeping on benches haha. I think the airplane ride should be around 8 hours to Japan and then another 2 hours to China. Once I'm in China though, I probably won't be able to use the internet, or if I do, I probably won't write or post anything about Christianity because I don't want to make any trouble for the long term missionaries that live here. If you're going to write to me DONT write anything christian or religious or anything!! Unless you want to see my face after couple of years after I come out of a Chinese prison.
My leaders made an email address for the team that's more secure and harder for the government to read, so I put down my mom's email address for them to write to her in case anything happens. So if you don't see me online after 2 months and a half months, ask her what happened (if you can) haha.
Well I gotta go to class now, see ya all later ^^
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Man, don't go joking about those kind of things, keep yourself safe at least until you get to Japan.
ReplyDeleteI've left Tokyo for a while, and will only come back on the 13th so I won't be able to come greet you at the airport, sadly. Just, try to say 'summimasen' and 'arigato' as much as possible, it makes you look less of an annoying gaijin other than that people are really used with tourists in Tokyo so I doubt you can do anything much to offend them, just remember not to eat while walking on the street, if people see you doing that they'll be reluctant to talk to you afterwards.
Seriously now, take care and enjoy the journey.
PS: if someone is talking to you remember to always gesture, nod and make sounds that show you understand and are interested, otherwise, the person will get shy pretty fast and probably shut up.
That is called aizuchi here, and it's a very important part of communication so try to keep that in mind
Hmm sooo That means if i send you a mail with christian terms~ you go to jail~Oh my ~ Jay jay ~ Your fate now remains in my hands! Bwhahahaah
ReplyDeletejust kidding~
I can't eat and walk at the same time? I always eat and walk at the same time :O! Like...how about ice cream? Isn't that made to eat and walk with? Or how about drinking a soda/pop while walking? or something small like a snack or something?
ReplyDeleteAnd I'll try to remember that, but I usually nod and smile anyways, so I hope that's good enough. Is there more gestures I should do?
Also don't worry about not seeing me at the airport, I didn't expect you to cuz it's only 8 hours, seems like a waste of your time to come see me for only a few hours (cuz getting out of the airport will take a few hours apparently).
Hahah no, you can eat ice cream, that's ok, though make sure not to do it on busy streets/ area. The main concern/reason behind this is that you will end up messing someone's clothes.
ReplyDeleteSmiling is good but don't have prolonged eye contact with people you don't know, it's considered impolite. Since you'll be speaking in English just say 'yes?' once in a while or uun ( that's the sound you make in the back of your throat in agreement, like mhm). By the way, in this cases saying yes or making that sound doesn't necessarily mean you agree, so don't worry, it just means you're listening.
I know it's all quite a hassle, but the average person will stop talking and become increasingly embarrassed if they think you're not listening, especially if they make the "effort" to use English.
Also, no is a word most people don't really use, so they'll say chigaimasu - "that's not it" instead.
I hope you don't get too confused while I'm not around to help. Just enjoy your stay in Japan, and get charged for the rest of your trip. I'm curious if you'll feel it too since it might be a Japanese thing, but every time I get back home from a trip, I feel re-charged when I step out of the airport. Some of our foreigner friends had felt it too though, so I'm curious.
Which airport are you going to be at by the way?
Usually Narita handles international flights, but I've arrived at Haneda too, when flying with British Airlines, and I remember I've seen flights from Hawaii going there too, but it's been well over an year, so I might not remember right.
Or do you at least know what company you're flying with?
I'm flying with Japan Air and I think we're stopping in Tokyo somewhere, but not too sure with the details.
ReplyDeleteDang, I actually look people in the eyes a lot when talking to them x.x; I do it cuz it's really easy to read what they're thinking and then I decide to act a certain way depending on my mood haha. Yay for manipulation tactics? Well guess it doesn't work when I'm most of the time too lazy to use it to any advantage >.>;
I'm going to have to learn how to not look in people's eyes and talk then @.@; Where do you look then? Their forehead? Might make them feel like there's something on their face though haha.
How's Japan Air's planes? Are they crazy hi-tech inside? or just standard? Have at least movies? Or japanese movies with subtitles? :O!! Wouldn't mind watching 8 hours of Japanese movies hehe.
Then you'll end up at Narita. All JAL flights go there as far as I know.
ReplyDeleteWell, as for the planes, depends what class tickets you have but you'll definitely have monitors on the back of the next seat, there's a ton of music and movie channels you can watch. You'll also have onplane cameras so it's pretty exciting when you get to watch that during take off or landing ( provided you're not afraid of flying?)
Also their food is surprisingly good ( I usually hate airplane food)
Dang you sure get around huh? haha jk jk *wonders if Shin got the pun* Anyways that's awesome info ^^. Know anything to do in Narita? After we get into the hotel, we're thinking about going out and eating. Know any affordable restaurants? xD.
ReplyDeleteOh awesome, I love those monitors, makes flying so much more less boring. Wonder if they'd have Miyavi on TV haha. I'm not that freaked out about flying, but it's not the most stress relieving thing either. Flying here was one of the first times I was on a plane for around 10 years, so still not used to it, but it's all good. I don't get sick that easily, so I won't have any troubles at all. Only bad thing about flying is that I can almost never fall asleep on a plane x.x;
Awesome, yummy airplane food xD. That's a first o.o;
Shin doesn't think he wants to get that pun.
ReplyDeleteWell, I don't know what you want to eat, but there's a McDonalds in the center of Narita-shi ( that's the small city/ward next to Narita airport) - I'm guessing your hotel will be around there? There's also some donut place if I recall correctly.
Depending on what you do, there's a nice temple you can visit at Narita called Shinsho and I think the street leading to it at least used to have a lot of restaurants.
I've really only been to Narita once or twice ( I don't mean the airport)and usually I was too tired to do anything but sit at a cafe on the main street. I think there's a tourist info office so look for that as soon as possible.
I doubt there'll be any Miyavi on those, he's not really as popular in Japan,as he is in Europe and America, actually. But if you really want to see his face w, you should find his new DVD in mostly any music store since it just came out on the 24th.
Ah, well dunno if we'd want to eat Mcdonalds seeing that we're in Japan. Probably go out to eat some real Ramen xD.
ReplyDeleteOh shoot, I'll have to PAY for his DVD?! *illegally downloads* haha jk jk. I guess I should buy something Miyavi related, so if I can't find any clothing, might as well buy a DVD. I really love the Samurai Session, so I'd probably try to buy it before his newest one (unless that's his newest).
Im probaby going to look so chinese when you first see me it'll be ridiculous haha. My hair is extremely ugly and is crying out for conditioner and some scissors to even it out. I'm thinking of putting it back with a bandanna, but might just give in and get it cut. We'll see how it goes.
Figures, it's like...eating McDonalds in France ( though I'd have McDonlads over escargot) Kage knows the place better than me and he says there's a street called Ometesando and down that street there's a lot of resturants and a ramen shop.
ReplyDeleteI meant go LOOK at his DVD not buy his DVD, since I couldn't send it to you, I'll give you a copy when we meet ( I meant the Samurai Sessions). But no, 7 Samurai Sessions is already almost 3 years old, latest one is of this world tour, but nothing you would be interested in, it's more of a behind the scenes documentary, not a live recording.
Which reminds me, why don't you participate? w
-> http://www.myspace.com/contest_miyavi