Welcome to Japan: Arrival and Orientation

When I first used my TUJ key card and entered my dorm room, still just less than 36 hours ago, I felt like crying. Temple’s Musashi-Kosugi dorm in Kawasaki, just outside of Tokyo, instantly felt perfect: just enough for room for one person, clean and new, with windows facing a multitude of train tracks, and most importantly, my own and in Japan.

Backtracking a bit, on May 22^nd, I woke up at 4 AM on a quiet Connecticut morning in order to board the first leg of my journey to Japan, in Toronto, Canada. After an easy two hours in a small aircraft, I had officially left the comfort of my home soil, meeting up with a number of new TUJ peers for the main event: the 13-hour flight to Tokyo. Spending this amount of time sitting in the air was a first for me, and though it was replete with restlessness, anticipation, and minor headaches, I enjoyed the novel ability to watch the critically-acclaimed 1985 Japanese comedy Tampopo on the plane console and eating Cup Noodles at 36,000 feet.

After arriving – and almost being overcome with sentimentality when seeing my new room – I took a trip to a konbini (convenience store) and unpacked my suitcases. Our first stretch of orientation – today, the 24^th – started early the next morning. A Temple student representative guided us to the Musashi-Kosugi JR line for the first time. As true since the minute I disembarked at Haneda Airport, the beauty and personality in every street struck me, in every portion of neighborhood that we walked through. I know that I have much of Tokyo, and even more of Japan to discover, but every single area I have seen thus far has brought me a sense of appreciation, especially in strong contrast with the American context I’m accustomed to.

On campus, we began our orientation session, which was jam-packed with speakers from various TUJ services, question-taking, and a guided tour. Towards the beginning of the day, TUJ’s dean of students Dr. Bruce Stronach spoke to us on the relationship between the strong human inclination for group identification and the growing effects of globalization. A force as large as globalization inherently affects the way we identify and define ourselves, over national and other types of boundaries. Above all, globalization is a phenomenon that exists, Dr. Stronach explained, and we’re going to continue to experience its effects. And, he continued, much like every peer we meet along the way who is different from us, we are not obligated to like this, but only to understand it. Since two of my four TUJ classes are tied strongly to Dean Stronach’s words (Development & Globalization and East Asia & the United States), a need was spurred to record and remember this observation as I move forward in T0kyo.

Finally, a group of new friends and I spent some time walking around Minato Ward after orientation. We came upon Zōjō-ji, a Buddhist temple, built and remodeled in waves from 1622 to 1974. Zōjō-ji was the first temple I’ve ever encountered in Japan, and though rich with historical and religious significance, one couldn’t help but notice the bright orange traffic cones surrounding it. Modern trucks, materials, workers were busy setting up a festival on Zōjō-ji’s grounds. This, combined with a view of Tokyo Tower peaking over the temple’s left shoulder, set up a juxtaposing visual of old and new, traditional and modern. The scene should’ve felt interrupted, but instead, it felt apt for such a complex country. As I continue in Japan, and especially as I begin TUJ classes next Monday, I hope to consider these elements, too, to truly discover Japan both in and out of the classroom.