Everything in Japan is Small

The Japanese really do not eat a lot. At least their portions in restaurants make me think as much, as it has become all too common that I end my days in my room sitting around being hungry. And seeing how my wallet will limit my eating habits to two or three meals a day, I am in for one hell of an adjustment.

Most Japanese meals are a fair size, but their portions are generally smaller in favor of giving you a number of different dishes. Most meals come with your main course, salad or soup, noodles or rice, and one place even gave me a piece of tofu. It is a wholesome variety and I have not had a bad meal since I landed here. In fact, most of been absolutely amazing but I rarely end my day feeling satisfied. It could be I am not used to the portion or the diet itself, as it is possible I am still used to eating a certain brand of nutrients. I rather not binge eat here (or simply eat a ton of food regularly) since likely I will not be eating as healthy as I was at home (seeing how I have to cook for myself and I am a disaster in the kitchen) or be as active as I was back home (there is no gym or recreation center on campus) so gaining weight is very likely. Also, my wallet (and parents) will hate me if I buy too much food.

Enough complaining about food!

Wednesday and Thursday were all about orientation, getting registered to live in Japan, getting around and completing the transition to live abroad. It helped me out a lot to spend those two days outside of my dorm since the fact I am living in Tokyo is settling in. Wednesday, my group took the bus to campus which if I recall correctly is in central Tokyo. The bus ride was about 40 minutes, which is apparently not too bad for a regular commute to university or work but I could see it being closer to an hour on most days given how crowded the streets in Tokyo can be. You see, the streets are very narrow and cars here are designed to fit on these small roads. Most cars here are about half the size of most American cars and it is very rare to find large 18 wheelers or anything of that nature on the freeways. Personally, I kind of like the smaller cars but the narrow roads are almost frightening since most streets don't have sidewalks.

Anyway, Wednesday's orientation was mostly about rules and regulations of TUJ's campus and basic guidelines to follow and some tips on getting around in Japan. One interesting note was the police in Japan get very bored seeing how the crime rate is pretty low here and they can apprehend you merely on suspicion. Basically, you are guilty until proven innocent.

We took the train back Wednesday, got our resident cards, health insurance and bunch of other papers.

Those are all the things I have to carry on me at all times. Otherwise a police officer won't be too happy. The train was fun at least as I got to experience the crowded trains of Tokyo and they live up to the hype. It is not uncommon to be nearly crushed by other commuters and train eidetic is fairly strict. Men are supposed to have their hands above their waist for all too obvious reasons and they are some train cars that are women only to prevent illegal touching. Personally, I prefer the train over the bus at is was more fun, but I will likely end up taking the bus because it is closer to my dorm and a bit easier to navigate. Getting lost in Tokyo is something I rather not do.

Thursday was more of the same, though the orientation that day was more focused on "academic" things such as adding and dropping classes and getting to know the school faculty. We got a tour of our campus which is pretty small and ill equipped but luckily enough, the student body is pretty small. I did get a foreboding warning that Japanese classes here are painfully difficult, but hopefully "Japanese Elements I" is not too bad. I rather not fail a class if I can help it.

I went out Thursday and Friday after some getting some shopping done, which was pretty fun. I experienced a sneak peek of the nightlife in Tokyo (Shibuya to be more precise) and it was interesting to say the least. Shibuya reminds me a lot of Times Square, just a lot busier. They are plenty of bars, restaurants, "maid cafes" and "love hotels" scattered about. I definitely plan to come back here a few times to check out a few more things, as the first time we were just really looking around and seeing what Shibuya had to offer.

Now this is Tokyo.