Sorry for the gap.

Day Three.

"5:15, I'm changing trains."

I woke up half an hour before my alarm rang at 7am. Completely wired, I couldn't bring myself to eat anything, and got dressed and left my room. It wasn't until after I was walking happily down the narrow streets of Tanashi that I realized I had absolutely no idea how to get to Tamagawa University. In fact, I didn't even know where the train station was. But I continued bouncing along until I saw a group of businessmen crossing the street. Figuring that a group of businessmen probably wouldn't be going anywhere other than the train station, I followed them. They snowballed, picking up more and more businessmen from other streets as they walked. After a few blocks, I could make out the characters for "Tanashi Station" (田無駅) on a sign on one of the buildings. I wandered straight into the station and to the information booth, asking immediately how to get to Machida, where Tamagawa University is. The lady laughed at me, and wrote me a set of directions that I could sort of understand...kind of. Thanking her, I bought a ticket for Shinjuku, passed through the electronic turnstyle, and waited for the train. People routinely lined up along the concrete path, the large electronic sign hanging from the ceiling flashing that the next express train to Shinjuku would pull up in 5 minutes. They stood stoic and silent as I bounced slightly, super excited, examining my ticket, unable to read what it said. Once the train came, I got on it. After a few minutes, I noticed that since this train was a private line, there was no little screen detailing how far the train had come on the line, and there was no English being announced on the loudspeaker. I snorted to myself. I had absolutely no idea where Shinjuku was. So, after about 5 or 6 stops, I decided, "Sure! Why not," and got off the train. In retrospect, I think it might have been in Saginomiya. Anyway, I just trotted off this train and joined the sea of people wandering toward the exit. I passed through the turnstyle, walked to the information booth, and asked where I was. They said Saginomiya (I think), and that I needed to get to the Odakyu line. I thanked them and wandered off before I realized I didn't know how to get to the Odakyu station. So I thought, "...Oh well!", bought another ticket, and got back on the Seibu train. After a few more stops, I got off again with the throngs of clean cut men and women in slick business suits and disgruntled teens in school uniforms, all half asleep. Again, I went to the information booth, asking how to get to the Odakyu line. They said that they weren't exactly sure, but that I would probably have to transfer lines in Tnjkahiufejioajfelefbaba. They said it so fast I had no idea what the fuck they were saying, but I knew it started with a T, and that it had "baba" at the end of it, and my new ticket had the kanji on it, so I got back on the train and listened for my stop. Once Thojkjhnfrhbsifa'baba came over the loudspeaker, I once again got off the train. I wandered past the turnstyles and to another information booth. I asked how to get to the Odakyu line. They said that I had to take the train to Yoyogi-Uehara and and I could take the Odakyu to Machida. "Sweet!" I shouted, and got another ticket to Yoyogi-Uehara. Sort of a long ride, I was there after about 25 minutes. I got off the train, and went to the next information booth. They told me to take the Odakyu line to Machida. Finally, something slightly straightforward! So I got a new ticket for the Odakyu line, and boarded the train to Machida. The train rolled into Machida, and, swollen with confidence, I exited the station. Looking around, I realized that I had no idea where Tamagawa was. All I knew was that I heard it was in Machida. I asked a man outside. 

"Oh, no--you see, Tamagawa University is basically in Machida, but it's not this stop. It's one stop back," he said in Japanese. "BALLS!" I said, in English. So, laughing my ass off, I re-entered the station, and got a new ticket for the Tamagawa station, Tamagawagakuenmae. I didn't know which train to take, so I asked a nice lady waiting for the train. She was having a load of difficulty trying to explain it to me, because I couldn't understand the vocabulary she was using and she obviously didn't speak English. Finally, an overweight lady waddled over to me and frustratedly thrust a piece of paper at me that said "10:25, Local train to Shinjuku, next stop" on it in English. I laughed hysterically as the large woman wandered away, thanked the last lady as she boarded the train, and got on my train as it rolled into the station. 

Relieved and thoroughly amused with myself, I walked into Tamagawagakuenmae Station half an hour late at 11am, to be greeted by a frantic Kathy Riley, a coordinator for the exchange program. Clearly flipping her shit, she said that she was worried I had gotten lost, kidnapped, etc., and that the other students were in the cafe downstairs becoming acquainted with the program directors. I arrived just in time for their departure, and I guiltily joined them as they made their way toward the college entrance. The sun beat down in shards through rain clouds, spilling upon us and groups of late Tamagawa students riding bikes and chewing gum as we all walked up an endless paved hill to the Cultural Studies building. The campus consisted of distinguished numbered buildings, all four stories or more, nestled within clusters of vibrant green trees and fountains. A massive football field could be seen from our path. It was explained to us that Tamagawa was not only a university for college students, but a school for high schoolers, middle schoolers, and elementary schoolers. Which explained the small children in adorable uniforms being led up the hill by mothers with sun hats and long skirts. Rain began to fall as we made it to the building. After meeting the appropriate program directors, we introduced ourselves to some students who ran the Comparative Cultures program at Tamagawa. After that, they gave us a tour of the large, beautiful campus. Which was really more of us, the American students, wandering around blindly after the Japanese students completely boggled and confused--I know that I registered basically nothing. I did spend a lot of time talking to Diana, the last American student, about Japanese music and culture. I tried to make small talk with the Japanese students, who spoke considerably good English. I talked to Mari, a lovely girl with large teeth, about her love for dancing and Beyonce. She said that she had gone to Florida the previous year for a cheerleading competition. I was impressed, and told her I was on the cheerleading team briefly in my life. She asked to see me dance. I laughed, a lot. After that, they led us to a local Italian restaurant so we could talk to the program directors and get to know each other. The language barriers made it slightly awkward, considering my Japanese is broken, at best, but we got along alright. The waitress kept handing us plates and plates of appetizers and pasta and desserts and I just about died. I hadn't had an appetite since I arrived, and the sheer sight of food sort of made me want to blow chunks. But I ate a good deal anyway, and found out that the girl next to me was an X Japan fanatic. I leapt for joy and shoved forkfuls of free pasta into my face.

After that, we were led back to the Cultures building for a welcoming party hosted by the club. Dazed and confused, Diana, Rory, Alec and I snacked on shrimp chips and grape Fanta, and talked to the enthusiastic club members. I spoke in both Japanese and English, but apparently they have all been learning English since they were 13 or so, so we were better off speaking in my native tongue when it came right down to it. A group of bright-eyed Japanese girls stood around me as I talked about my love for Japanese music, and were in awe over my piercings and tattoo. Although I was completely overwhelmed at this point, it was amazing getting to know them, and once I started laughing with them, I realized that....yeah, of course Japanese people are different. But we're all college students, we all love socializing, we have likes, dislikes, and dreams, and we're essentially the same.

Afterward, we talked a bit with Kathy Riley about our schedule--which was a complete surprise. Turns out that even though Setsuko had told us we would be taking a few hours of class maybe 3 days a week, we were scheduled to be at the school from about 9-3 every weekday. Pissed off, but too tired to really give a shit, I left for the station with the Americans. Even though I didn't speak to many people outside of those facilitating the Comparative Culture studies club/program, it was still sort of reassuring to be in a setting with masses of young people walking to and from classes. The girls applied and re-applied lip gloss, laughing loudly as they texted with their sparkly cell phones, and the boys puffed on cigarettes as they adjusted their perfect anime hair. It was slightly obnoxious, but at the same time, it was very obviously a college full of kids, and an appropriate setting.

On my way home, I had a similar experience with the trains. I did, however, make it back in less than 3 hours this time. Completely exhausted, I keyed into my room, tossed my Tamagawa folder onto the floor, took a shower, and crashed.