I’ve decided to revisit my first day in Japan and try to capture what I felt and saw in my first 24 hours.

Getting off the Plane

The air experience was different from a domestic flight. The plane was about 8 times bigger than the Delta Airlines flight I’d had that same day. I had also never experienced a meal on a plane before, so the little packaged meal added some excitement to the trip.

When we stepped off the plane, I knew for sure I was in another country. I had never seen such a dense population of Japanese people all in one place. And I knew I would be in trouble if anyone came up to me to strike up a conversation. Thankfully, no one did. Though, with my enthusiasm about Japan, I thought about starting up a random conversation anyway (I stopped myself).

The signs all spoke announcements of “welcome” and other normal airport details. At least, I assume they were regular airport things, because everything was in Japanese.

Everything was so neat and tidy. People stood in completely straight lines, taking care that their luggage stay out of the way of others passing by. I watched people on escalators file either to the left side if they were standing or the right side if they were in a hurry and wanted to walk up the escalator.

Everything was a blur from that point. I remember needing my passport, and a few other things as I went from customs line to customs line. I remember standing in line to exchange my US Dollar currency for Yen. I also remember goggling over the different coins and bills that were handed to me.

When I picked up my luggage, and walked to the front of the airport, my heart sank. The people that were supposed to meet me weren’t there yet, and I had no way to contact them. I hadn’t bothered bringing my cell phone from home because I knew my service wouldn’t work in Japan. I searched around and found a pay phone. A kind Japanese girl my age traveling with me made the call to see if they were close, and that was that.

They arrived, I loaded my luggage onto the bus, and we departed.

Seeing the Sights

What I wouldn’t pay (if I had the funds) to go on that first bus ride again and feel the wonder and amazement that filled my little enthusiastic heart as I took in my first moments of Japan.

I sat in the front of the bus and had a full view of the road ahead of us. We were driving on the left side of the road, and of course I had already known about that. It still surprised me, though, and it felt a little weird to see oncoming traffic on my right instead of on my left.

I remember seeing the cutest package delivery company truck with a cute cat logo on the back. We traveled behind this truck for a long time on the highway. What struck me most about the truck (besides the absolutely adorable logo) was how small it was.

In fact, I found my self speechless at how small ALL the cars and trucks I had seen were. I hardly recognized any of the makes or models. They were also all brand new looking. It made me wonder, did no one in Japan drive a car that was more than 10 years old? Or did they just take that good care of their cars so they looked so new?

We drove past malls, gas stations, convenience stores. The buildings seemed to crowd around each other in a way that looked as if they had all melded into one while still maintaining their individuality. Every now and again, there would be a break in the buildings, and I would see a gas station.

At gas stations, things were really different. The gas nozzles hung way down from the overhang, and they were operated by employees who worked there. People filling up on gas need not get out of their cars. It was all done by the workers who manned the pumps. The biggest difference, however, was the lack of convenience stores.

In America, gas stations, like Phillips 66 or 7-Eleven, are known for their convenience stores. You can pop in for a quick snack or a drink, amongst other things. But the only building in sight at the first gas station I saw in Japan was the little office that oversaw the pumps, and I don’t even think it was big enough for 3 people to fit inside.

Speaking of 7-Eleven, did you know that it DOES still operate convenience stores in Japan? From the outside, they look just like the 7-Eleven convenience stores you would see at an American gas station (though maybe a bit smaller). OK, maybe you did know that.

But did you know the 7-Eleven is SO BIG in Japan that it owns and operates some of the country’s largest malls? On my first drive from the airport, the bus passed right by one of these malls, and on top of it was the 7 from the 7-Eleven logo, incorporated with the name ItoYokado. What a surprise!

I also rode over Rainbow Bridge, and saw the beautiful midday view of the Tokyo bay. Some more well known attractions I caught a glimpse of on that first bus ride were the Tokyo Tower, Disneyland Tokyo, and Roppongi Hills (I don’t know… do you know about Roppongi? Hmm…)

But that about sums up my adventures on the first bus ride. The rest of the day, I spent inside. The people I was staying with that night had prepared a lovely dinner, and then I went to bed.

Waking Up at the Crack of Dawn

I had set my alarm to 5:30 AM. I knew I was going to want to wake up early to adjust to the new time zone.

Beep Beep Beep! I turned off my alarm without opening my eyes. But when I did open my eyes, I was in full shock. The sun was already high in the sky!

Had someone messed with my clock as a prank?

I wandered around the house to realize I was the only one up. I checked other clocks, and they confirmed what mine had said. It was now in reality 5:35 AM, but the sky told me it had to have been 8 or 9.

The family I was with took me running just before 6. We ran down to the local park, and around the pond. At 6 AM, we joined the group of early risers who bring their radio to the park every morning to do morning aerobics (known as Radio Taiso). Then, we continued our run.

Wrapping it Up

I honestly don’t remember much more about the day. I do remember going to a restaurant and reading a menu I didn’t understand. I also remember picking a food item that had a picture, pointing to it and in broken Japanese asking for “This please.”

But the first day was so much to take in. It was insane how similar and yet how different everything really was, comparing my USA homeland experience to Japan.

If you’ve ever left your home country before, tell me about it in the comments!

• What did you see?
• How did it feel?
• Was there a different language?

As always, thanks for reading! I plan on writing more often now, especially during this summer! Stay tuned!