26 March 2009

I landed at the Kansai International Airport in Osaka, Japan today around 11:40am. The time difference is somewhat surreal, since I theoretically skipped March 25th completely. I flew out of LAX at 12:30am on March 24th and had one 3 hour layover in Seoul, Korea at Incheon International Airport. The food provided by Asiana Airlines was surprisingly tolerable. From LAX to Incheon, I had a [small] steak dinner with potatoes, carrots, a salad, pesto penne pasta, a roll, and cake. I slept for 12 of the 13.5 hours of the flight, so that was very satisfying; ear plugs are amazing! Upon arrival in Seoul, it was still day break, so the glass airport façade was brilliantly lit from the interior, and the glow of the immense structure was quite a welcoming site. During the layover, I slept and accessed the free wireless internet for a short while. From Incheon to Kansai, I ate a bento box assorted Japanese foods. This was even better than the steak dinner I had previously. The Kansai Airport was absolutely beautiful. It was designed by Renzo Piano, and my favorite interior spot was the upper-most level for departures. The suspended ceiling was so elegant.
My professor, Don Choi, met us after customs, and we proceeded to take a train and two subway lines to get to our hotel. The trip from Kansai to Kyoto took over two hours! The view from the train was practically overwhelming since we were travelling for such a long time, but it never felt surreal that I was in Japan. The hotel I am staying at is called The Higashiyama Sanjo Hotel, and it is located on Sanjo Street. It is very nice, and the rooms are quite small. There is a lounge with wired internet and a massage chair room, all free of charge.
My first evening in Kyoto, I ventured out to explore the Central Kyoto downtown strip with my classmate Karen and Professor Choi. Don introduced us to a large department store called The Loft, and it seemingly had anything you could possibly need from bikes to cosmetics to furniture to clothes. We also visited a Japanese bookstore to check out the small section of English books that they had to offer. Finally, we sat down at a rice bowl venue to enjoy some delicious rice bowls for dinner. I ordered a beef rice bowl, and I was surprised that it was only 295 yen.
I think the most surprisingly thing so far is that I have not experienced any culture shock. It is a bit uncomfortable that I cannot communicate to my maximum potential, but I do not feel any less a minority than at any other time in my life. I am curious to see if this continues as time goes on, but for now, I am enjoying the new experience. My first impressions of Kyoto are positive, and I look forward to more adventures in the future.