The journey begins.

Well, I made it!

Eleven hours on a plane, one hour being screened by quarantine officers, one hour on a train to Tokyo, three hours on a train to Misawa, and a five minute taxi ride, and just like that -POOF-  Japan!

Travelling was slightly more eventful than to be expected, especially since on each leg of my journey I happened to have another gaijin nearby to talk to. I am very thankful that I was sitting next  to this guy named Jeff on the plane, because he didn't mind talking, and he even let me use his

cell phone to call my friends so I could tell them I would be late meeting them. Among other things he also told me about working on a submarine, which was not your normal dinner conversation.

During the flight I watched four movies; The Day The Earth Stood Still, Forever Strong, Marley And Me, and Yes Man.

God damn, I can't remember the last time I watched that many movies consecutively. 

Anyway, here's the lowdown:: Kianu should have stayed in the 80s, Owen Wilson is more lovable than a dog, angsty highschool sports/juvenile deliquency never gets old, and Jim Carry the hotty, (even if she does look ten years younger than him) Ooo-hey!

And of course, right after we land, we have to fill out forms and we held up because we need to be examined by the Japanese Quarantine Officers for the Swine Flu; like I wasn't running late as it was.

I'm let off the plane and walk the half mile all the way to immigration and customs. I'm stamped through and then I realize that I left my shamisen case inside the bathroom back near my gate. Shitty...  As you can well imagine, that added another twenty minutes.

After I am escorted back to get my briefcase, I acquire my JR rail pass and head on my way.

Interestingly 

enough, almost all of the sights and trains I am being faced with are very familiar and I am able to make my way quite smoothly about the stations.

While on the train I talk to some other gaijin from Chicago who is in Tokyo for a wedding. He liked my sunglasses.

 Later on I show up at Ueno, but then I have to walk a few blocks because my friends were waiting near the wrong station.. (sigh, one thing after another). 

-- 

There Kevin and Gustavo were, playing Shamisen and talking with some drunk Nihonjin. I had never met Gustavo before (he's from Brazil), and had only seen him on his YouTube videos. He is surprisingly brash and tactless (much like myself), so we get along very well. He also knows three languages, which is impressive.

The drunk guy liked my sideburns.

Afterwards we got a bite to eat at a noodle shop,

said goodbye to Gustavo, and got onto the 

Shinkansen (bullet train) bound for Hachinohe.

One more train and a taxi, and we were home. 

Whew.

ZzZzZz