Monday, 28 Jan

My First Impression

I was just finishing my Subuh prayer on JL724 when something white caught the corner of my eye. Can you guess what it was?

SNOW!! OH MY GOD!!

My whole body trembled with excitement. I kept staring at the window the whole time until we had landed on the grounds of Japan. I practically ran out of the airplane to greet the snow! And there it was, the fluffy, twinkling white, beautiful snow that were falling down from the sky. I could not touch it though, as I was still in Narita airport building. My childhood dream finally came true! I was so grateful to God for giving me this precious experience that not everyone could get. Thank You, God!

You must be wondering why I was being crazy over the snow. It was the first time for me and I was really looking forward to see and touch the snow since, well, since I was born(only to be hyperbolic)!

My first snow and me ^_^

Snow at the airport's window

Okay, enough rambling about the snow.

Did you know that there are two lanes on escalators in Japan? The left lane is for the people who are not walking on the escalator and the right one is for the rushing people. Well, I did not know that. And I was very embarrassed!

When I was riding the escalator, I was a little bit anxious why all of the people including my friends were standing on the left side of the escalator. I asked some of my friends, but they were too busy to answer me as they were snapping photos. So, being the idiot I am, I stood at the right lane and felt no guilt at all. That is, until someone told me that I was blocking a Japanese to pass through. The Japanese just smiled at me and went away, but still, I was really embarrassed with the stupidity of myself.

I did not snap a picture of the escalator, so I scooped a photo from the Internet to show you the situation on the escalator.

This is how you supposed to line up on the escalator in Japan

I was informed that Japanese are really disciplined. But to be honest, I did not think that they would be so disciplined, even on the escalator! I was really amazed, and I think Malaysia should have this kind of system as well. I think that this system can increase the safety of people during riding on escalator. It can prevent injuries, too.

And one more thing that really surprised me on my first day here. There were seatbelts in the bus we were riding to Metropolitan Edmont Hotel. Seatbelts! I did not even remember if buses in Malaysia have seatbelts, truthfully, because I never bother to wear them. But here, everyone was reminded to fasten those seatbelts. Buses in Japan are really unique. I do not know how to explain this but, usually, there are four seats in a row, right? But if the seats are all occupied, then what you should do?

Crumple yourself on the seats with your friends?

Or stand in the bus the whole journey?

Neither!

Instead, you fondle with one of the seats in the middle, and voila! There is an additional seat, magically appeared before your eyes, just for you! And you can have a happy journey, the end.

It is amazing, right? These seats ensure that every passenger can have a comfortable place to be seated during the whole journey. Besides, these additional seats are space-saving because they are foldable. Japanese people are really brilliant, indeed. And really prioritize safety. I wonder how they can think such an amazing idea like that. I wish I can have those intelligent brains of theirs.

It is not really a clear picture, but at least you can get a rough view.

Now, let us see some random things that caught my attention during my journey to Metropolitan Edmont Hotel.

The snow is really beautiful outside.

Red statues of a horse and farmers (?)

The statue was actually common to see during the journey. Maybe around 2 or 3 times the same statue appeared. I did not know what the statue symbolizes, though.

- Orientation

After lunch, we had our orientation at Hako, second floor of the hotel. We had our first greetings by Mr. Uchiyama Erito. He explained to us the details of the KIZUNA Project, and reminded us that we are the public ambassador of Malaysia in Japan, so we have to show Japanese really good manners. 

Orientation at Hako (The Box)

But, what touched my heart the most is when he mentioned that Fukushima is waiting for our arrival. That is when it struck me. Fukushima people really depended on us. I mean, US! The 92 participants of Kizuna Project. They are expecting us to help them, to raise them up once again, to bring back their victorious days. And those words really fired my spirits up! I thought of them like my little sister who needs my help when she is down and frustrated. Wait for me, Fukushima. I will come to the rescue!

- Dinner

That night, we had dinner at a nearby local restaurant. We had to go there by foot. It was a new experience for me as I rarely go out at night in Malaysia. My body was still not adjusting with the low temperature, so it was a really freezing night! The food was awesome and I really love the Japanese waiters and waitresses. They were so friendly and kind to us.

We made new friends on our first day!

I noticed that, in the restaurant, there were hangers above our table. They were for hanging our winter coats when eating. I found those hangers being very useful to us. In that way, our coats were easy to reach, and were always nearby us. So, we would not have to worry about our coats will be missing.

Hanging our winter coats.