September, 2005 - The Beginning of a New Japanese Experience in Tokyo/Yokohama

So after my three weeks of vacation I was ready to start my new phase in Japan. I had to head back to Tottori for a few days to collect some stuff and prepare my luggage for Tokyo. My laboratory, as a goodbye party, treated me to dinner at the "Beer Garden" near Tottori station. It was basically a buffet dinner with UNLIMITED beer. I got tipsy, but I made sure to not get too too drunk since I had to depart early the next morning.

My Tottori University lab mates at my farewell party at the "Beer Garden"

So on September 1st, I moved to Tokyo to start my workterm at "Nippon-Koei Co., Ltd.", the largest engineering consulting firm in Japan. But considering the properties values are super high in Tokyo, the company placed their male dorimtory in suburbian Yokohama (the city just south of Tokyo - kinda like Kitchener-Waterloo)

It was quite crazy trying to lug my TWO gigantic suitcases and my two backpacks across Japan. I had to take the Super Hakado train from Tottori to Shin-Osaka station then I had to transfer onto to the Shinkansen bullet trains to Yokohama station. Then from there I had to transfer to the local subway/JR trains. Then, its not over yet, from there, I had to take the bus to the company dorm. The bus driver was getting all pissed that I had giant suitcases, but I didnt give a shit cause I was so tired by this time.

The company dorm is cozy little place. Basically I compare it to Village 1 at UW. We each have a room, we share showers, washrooms, and theres a cafeteria. But the difference is the food is AMAZING and laundry is free. This old couple runs the dorm. The wife cooks meals for all the rookie employees that live there. Its 150 yen ($1.50 US) for breakfast and 400 yen ($4.00 US) for dinner. These meals are GIGANTIC. I cant get enough of them. I am sooo gonna get fat by the time I leave Tokyo. My room is a cozy little rectangle with a desk, a tatami mat with a fouton and tons of drawer/shelf space. Its tiny, but its enough for me. Its not like Im going to be doing much in here but sleeping. I wanted to set up in the internet in my room. Boy did it take forever. Japanese red tape is crazy. I kinda expected it when I was making the calls to get it set up.

Nippon Koei Male Dormitory

My cozy Japanese style room

Suburbia Yokohama, the neighborhood where my dorm is located

The dinners at the dorm... HUGE!!

The night I moved in, the gentle man running the dorm introduced me to Hamada and Tsushima. Both are newcomers to Nippon Koei and had just started only two months ago. We had dinner together the first night and they offered to go with me to work the next day. Thank goodness they did. Commuting to work is an adventure in itself. I totally would have gotten lost if they didn't Heres my the routine I have to go through every morning

• Get up at 6 AM get dressed and catch the bus to "Tsunashima" station (on the Tokyu Toyoko line)

• Then from Tsunashima station I the Toyoko line train to Musashi-Kosugi station (3 stops away). This train is usually PACKED with people. They specifically hire people to push and squeeze people onto the train. I have never experience claustrophobia until I moved to Tokyo. Its insane. I call it "an orgy with 21 million people you really dont want to have an orgy with"

• From there I have to transfer trains to get on the Tokyu Meguro line which merges to become the Tokyo Subway "Namboku" line to finally arrive at "Yotsuya" station 35 minutes later. Then from Yotsuya, I walk about 5 minutes to our office building.
  

On the way home from work at Yotsuya station

So all in all it takes approximately 1.5 hours to get to work. Then coming home, reverse that process.

The Tokyo/Yokohama transit system is the biggest in the world. It's GIGANTIC!!!. There are basically three major transit companies in Tokyo

• JR (Japan Rail). Its huuuuuuuuuge. Its the train system with cars that basically work like subway cars. (click here for the gigantic JR route map - a clearer version of the one below)

• Tokyo Metro/Subway (click here for the tokyo subway map)

• Tokyu Lines (that borders Tokyo/Yokohama)

and there are a bunch of other private companies. So these companies are basically stacked on top of one another to create a GIANT web of transit options. Its nuts. Its mucho easy to get lost or make the wrong transfer. Unlike the one-fare system of the TTC in Toronto, you pay according to where you want to go, the closer the destination station, the cheaper fare is.