Delta 55, Rochester to Tokyo via Atlanta

After receiving a thankful bow from someone driving in a car that I let pass today, I think it finally sunk in that I'm actually here.

I arrived three days ago via a connecting flight from Atlanta, which would explain the Jeff Foxworthy fan club in the customs line ahead of me. And if they were allowed to enter the country, my student VISA and I sure as hell weren't going to be turned away. Sure enough, I was not asked a single question, but simply allowed to pass through customs and baggage inspection unmolested.

I was greeted by a student from my university, my personal monitor, who was holding up a card with my full name on it, including middle. She took me to my home where I met my roommate's parents. He was at work so he asked them to receive me. They're very nice, as is their son, my roommate.

The second day I had an orientation at my university.
Check in was at 2:30...

Me: I'm here for the exchange student orientation.
staff: OK, this is it.
Me: Are you sure? (looking around) Is this orientation or an anime convention?
staff: Well...little of both?

Naaah, just kidding. Everyone seems pretty nice...and young. And with the exception of the girl sitting next to me who was intently reading manga written in Japanese, and then later filled out a form stating that she had never studied Japanese before, anime zeal was, for the time being, suppressed.
And I met two dudes from Boston college, but had trouble joining in their discussion regarding the pluses and minuses of living on campus your senior year.
While on campus, I checked out one of the school cafeterias. I was very pleased with what I saw. kakiage, kitsune soba, curry rice, just to name a few dishes. And for an average price of about $2.00.

After orientation I headed over to Ueno park to meet Norie for some night time flower viewing, or "hanami", which this park is famous for. The cherry trees around Tokyo started blossoming last week, which means that, for Japanese people, it's time to party. On a given day while the trees are in bloom, a company office will send its lowest ranking member to the park early in the day in order to lay down a tarp which reserves a space for everyone else who will join him after work ends, at which time the drink, and the portable karaoke, will be plentiful.
However, on this night, with the exception of a few die-hards, the cherry blossom revelers were few, as the temperature dropped to a chili 40-something degrees. But there were still quite a few people simply walking through the park, enjoying the sakura blossoms.
After that, we headed to a near by izakaya where I enjoyed my first proper Japanese meal since I've arrived.

Today I went back to my university for the Japanese placement test, which will determine what classes I can take. It went well, but my kanji is a bit weak.
From there I came back to Funabashi and made a trip to city hall where I applied for an "Alien Registration Card". In order to open a bank account or buy a cell phone, it's necessary to have one.
I then went on a long long walk trying to get from funabashi station to higashi-funabashi station, near my house. I think I'll have to check the ol' Google Earth again, cause I got pretty lost (see web log name). Much of my journey was accompanied by warm air and sunshine, which suddenly turned into a freezing cold gale and a thunderstorm with sleet, as seen in the photo below. I was kind of in the middle of nowhere, without an umbrella, so I got pretty wet, but soon found my way to...the same station at which I started, where I took a train one stop to my home station and bought an umbrella at a convenience store for the walk home, where a hot bath was calling my name.