My dreams abruptly end as I snap awake, inhaling sharply. I blink several times as my blurry vision takes its sweet time to come into focus. I sit up, realizing I am not sitting in a hostel bed, as per usual, but a fluffy, comfy Japanese floor futon. I look up and see that I am lying on tatami floor mats and there is a sliding door made out of paper before me.

Oh right, I moved to Japan. 

I’M FINALLY HERE.

COMMENCE FREAK OUT SESSION.

FREAK OUT SESSION COMPLETE.

Hi there! The last couple weeks have been an insane amount of travel, to the point that I cannot believe that I am still alive. It took a little while to get set up, but it’s all finally done, and I can sit and blog in peace without glaring at any unpacked backpacks or clothes strewn across the floor.

SO! Last time, I updated from South Carolina, where I was heading to Myrtle Beach for a wedding, since my friend decided to get married five days before I was supposed to be in Tokyo. It was beautiful though! All done on the beach at sunrise, food was all a giant breakfast buffet, and guess who caught the bouquet?

This gal! Everything was blue, as is evident from the picture, and it was all ocean-themed. It was a really great time and I was happy I could make it!

I spent an extra day in South Carolina, then I took a flight from Myrtle Beach to New York City. I took a shuttle between airports, then killed a few hours there until 1:30am, which is when I boarded my China Airlines flight, which would go from JFK to Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan.

I spent fifteen hours in that airplane. And to China Airlines’ credit, they have amazing planes. The seats were insanely comfy and the little monitors with in-flight entertainment were incredibly new, compared to flights I’ve taken in the past where you are basically smacking the screen (and the back of someone else’s seat) trying to make a selection. There was also the bonus that since this flight left at such an odd time, there was barely anyone on the flight! So I had a whole row to myself, in which I set up a nest of blankets and pillows and slept throughout most of the ride. The meals were also pretty good! Funny side note: all of the juices that they served on the flight were Greek. What.

So I land in Taiwan at five o clock in the morning, wander around the airport for a bit, awkwardly wash up and brush my teeth in the tiny washroom by security, then head out to face the day. I opened the door and Typhoon Meranti came out to say hello.

It was a terrible time in southern Taiwan, although I was lucky because I mostly hung out in the Taipei area, so all I put up with was some rain and wind, but nothing like what you’ve seen on the news. I met up with my awesome friend who lives there and had some breakfast and lunch, as well as was treated to a wonderful massage and having my hair washed, Taiwanese style.

This is apparently a thing. It was amazing to have my shoulders attended to after backpacking for so long.

End of the day, I took my flight to Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture. This is the main international airport by Tokyo, although it’s kinda far. Another friend of mine was sweet enough to come out and meet me, which ended up being a long wait for her, since I was not the only long-term resident to show up; about eight of us were told to wait in a corner while all tourists were processed and put through immigration. I presume that they were short-staffed, it was almost nine o’ clock at night and people had probably gone home! To make matters worse, most of the others were confused when asked to amend their paperwork, and the gentleman who was helping us only addressed us in Japanese. I was one of the only three or four people who had everything completed and were allowed to proceed right to the photograph and fingerprinting station! When I finally got through, I made a dash for the exit to meet my friend, so that I wouldn’t inconvenience her further! I was excited to see her again, though. She is a student at Sophia as well, and she had come to UBC last year on exchange, so it was exciting to see a real exchange in action!

The immigration process, for those who are curious, is all outlined on the Immigration Bureau of Japan’s website, but long story short, it goes like this: Get certificate of eligibility, go to embassy in your country, get visa, land in airport, bring certificate and visa, fill out form, give to attendant, get fingerprinted and photographed, get resident card, leave. If you want to be allowed to work a part time job, print out another form from the website that’s called “permission to engage in other activity”, sign it, and hand that in with your other stuff.

So I was able to leave, enter Japan, and go sleep over at my friend’s house, since my dorm’s office hours were closed for the day. I stayed over, got up the next morning, dragged my backpack over to Nerima, and moved into my dorm room. The room itself is perfect, just enough space for a bed with built-in drawers, a desk, a chair, a bookshelf, a small closet and a small fridge. The showers and kitchen are shared spaces on the first floor, and they’re well-maintained. I can definitely survive here for a year. Dorms are definitely the way to go if you’re only here for a year, since most apartments require a two-year commitment, not to mention six months’ worth of rent up front. The only things I had to add on were a bright pink kettle and a bright purple laundry hamper. Not only are they useful, but they add some colour to the place!

I also have a balcony with a clothesline, and just a block away, I can see the trains go by, which really makes me feel like I’m in Tokyo! The station is up the street, and I have already been riding the metro and JR lines everywhere! Orientation is tomorrow, so I’ll blog again soon on starting school in another country! ‘Til then, have a great day, wherever you are, and hope your day remains typhoon-free!