After a 10.5 hour flight from San Francisco, I’m finally here in Nihon, ‘Land of the Rising Sun,’ Japan (or whatever you want to call it).  Finally got the internet set up so I’ll be able to post rather frequently.

A little info about my trip here: I started the day off by taking a shuttle to the airport, and the person that drove was absolutely awesome.  Not only did he get me to the airport in 30 minutes because he knew all the short cuts through the streets of SF (it usually takes about an hour in traffic), but he apparently lived in Japan at one point.  On the way over to the airport, he told me some funny stories.

The cool shuttle driver

When I got my bags checked in at the airport, I realized that I hadn’t eaten so I headed off to the food court.  Surprisingly, a father of a boy that I had given privates lessons to in gym was a chef at one of the restaurants.  He worked his magic and put breakfast on the house!

The flight I took was ANA (All Nippon Airline) and the service was really nice.  Even though I sat in economy, we each had our own entertainment system.  The console had a bunch of movies, TV shows, music, and games.  During the flight, I ended up watching The Hangover, Little Miss Sunshine, and Big, which means I didn’t sleep at all.  Anyway, the flight was all good but was made even better when served the meals.  It was very good and very balanced.  Hard to believe that all that was served in an economy class.

On my way!

Good airplane food

After landing, I went straight to my residence, ate dinner, and fell asleep.  Luckily, despite the big time difference between here and the States, I was able to sleep through the entire night (I must’ve been really tired from staying up on the flight).  Anyway, I’m using today to get settled in.  I’ll be unpacking, going to the city ward to fill out some paper work, and getting basic items I need for survival.  My first class as a student in Japan starts tomorrow and I’ll also begin training with the team.  Looking forward to it.  Wish me luck!

Thanks for the 'welcome,' shopping cart.

I'm finally here! Throwin' up the peace sign. Of course, I'm in Asia! It'll be my default sign for the next 3 months.