First Stop: Japan

So far so good! Things are going smoothly now that I'm here in Japan and I don't seem to be suffering from any jet-lag... huge relief. I was able to take power naps on my flights over here and then went to bed at 9 p.m. last night, sleeping for 10 hours and waking when the sun came up this morning. So by all appearances it seems I'm already adjusted to my new schedule.

I wish the trip over here was as simple. Turns out my scheduled noon flight from Toronto to Minneapolis was canceled so Northwest booked me on a midnight flight from Toronto to Hong Kong, stopping in Anchorage Alaska for a couple hours, with another flight from Hong Kong to Tokyo. All in all, I spent about 16 hours in flight and another 16 waiting for flights. Hope the next time I fly I'll be able to get more of a direct route and spend more time in the airplanes than in the airports.

I must admit it seems a little surreal to be sitting here in Japan writing this. Even though I've been gearing up for this visit to Japan and move to Korea for four months now, it's still a bit of a mind-bender now that I'm actually on Asian soil. While I'm in Japan I'm staying with friends I knew from Denver (Paul and Stacy Cassidy) who now run a hospitality home for those stationed over here in the US Armed Forces; a wonderful meeting place for Christians and interested non-Christians who want to enjoy a touch of home while overseas. Sure is great to meet up with these friends again after 10 years!

Paul met me at the Tokyo airport when I arrived yesterday and I must say it was really nice to see a friendly face and not have to use sign-language while talking. We ended up taking the bus, train AND cab from the airport to their place near Yokohama... what a picture it must have been with the two of us rolling 4 bags of luggage on and off public transit and through the narrow streets of Japan =) Apparently, with all the tolls and price of gas, it is way more economical to travel public transit than drive a car to/from the airport. Even though it made for a longer journey it was a good way to introduce me to public transit over here.

Interesting what a person notices when visiting a country for the first time. For instance, I found it so interesting that people waiting for a bus at a bus-stop would bow when the bus approaches... and when it leaves! Bowing shows a sign of respect to the driver as it does to most everyone you meet one-on-one. Amazingly even the Japanese customs agent smiled and bowed when I approached her at the airport! Never had that happen when entering Canada or the US =)

Exploring Yokosuka

This morning I woke up to what sounded like the Dickie-Dee ice cream vendor driving by my bedroom window. Good thing I didn't head out there with my quarter cause I found out later it was the dump truck reminding people to get their trash out!

This afternoon I had the opportunity to explore downtown Yokosuka. The energy of city life here is fascinating and the people are so friendly! I'm not at the airport anymore so English is sporadic at best and I am so thankful for pictures in store windows. I have to admit that I couldn't resist trying the local McDonalds -- partly because it is a familiar site and I wanted to experience fine dining =) After my first (and most likely last) McShrimp burger, I stopped at the local Starbucks where I had (of course) my first Asian chai latte. Again, thanks to pictures, I was able to point and grunt my order quite effectively.

One major faux-pas during my first purchase was not placing the money in the tray by the till but handing the money to the cashier direct. She was a little startled but kind of smirked and proceeded to give me my change. I'll know better the next time.

Yokohama is Japan's second largest city with a population of approximately 3 million people; it's located 30 minutes south of Tokyo by train. The Lighthouse (hospitality house where I am staying) is in a suburb of Yokohama called Yokosuka. Since this region is mountainous, most homes and businesses are nestled together along narrow streets and close to panoramic views of the harbor.

Visiting the Shrines Near Kamakura

Today, the Cassidy’s and I traveled by van to some of the old parts of Yokohama and saw numerous shrines. One of the shrines was The Great Buddha in Kamakura which stands about 15 meters (50 feet) high. This monumental statue probably dates from 1252, in the Kamakura period, when temple records report the construction of a bronze statue.

I was able to take some photos of a funeral ceremony and of the sandals that Buddha is reported to wear when he walks the grounds at night.



It was an interesting and sad experience all at the same time. Interesting because this sort of ceremony and appeal to the gods is new to me; sad because many people were praying, clapping and throwing money toward these fabricated images hoping the gods will hear them and bring them fortune. How different from the daily personal interaction we can have with Christ, a friend and loving God who knows and cares about every detail of our lives!

Bird's-Eye View of Yokohama

Before I headed to the airport for South Korea, Paul and I took a short trip by train to Yokohama, the second largest city in Japan. Yokohama boasts of having the largest building in Japan called the Landmark Tower from which you can view a 360 degree panoramic view of the city.

In less than a minute we got to the top traveling at approximately 1 floor per second... it's one of the fastest elevators in the world!

OK, this is so touristy, but I had to take a picture of a bottle of maple syrup from Elmira Ontario! There it was sitting close to Werther's candies in one of the huge import markets located at the bottom of the Landmark Tower. I recognize the label but definitely not the writing or price (1100 YEN is approx $10 CAD). Apparently a hot item here in Japan.


For those who crave statistics: Japan's annual imports of maple syrup have doubled since 1999. In 2003, Canada exported 1531 tons of maple syrup to Japan, valued at $13 million!