Memoirs of a Gay-sha: Day 1

          Since free Wi-Fi is a rare find here in Japan, I am writing my daily adventures in a journal to be typed and uploaded at a later date. It’s about 5 AM here right now, and (of course) I’m wide awake (my body is saying 3 PM). I think I’ll be fine, especially if the rest of my time here is as eventful as yesterday!
          After a long 18-hour plane ride, our friend, Kelly, met us at the airport – it was very exciting to see her. We grabbed our bags and got on a train to her house in Yokohama. At the first stop was a bunch of schoolgirls, and they were dressed exactly like the Sailor Scouts! Looking at the Japanese countryside during the train ride was a nice distraction to the heat and near 100% humidity (it’s unbelievable how hot it is). Two and half-hours later we arrived, only to trek up a hill for another 20 minutes. It always seems to be the case that with “exotic” travel comes multiple forms of transportation to get to the final destination, and that alone helped the fact that I was on the other side of the planet sink in. 
          After showering and settling in to our dorm-like “apartment”, we went to a restaurant called Spring, which is a Japanese curry house. Although the menu was in Japanese, much of the décor was in English, including the “Daily Specials” board. I chose the have the special, which was some type of bird other than chicken? I didn't know that particular kanji (Japanese character), but on taste alone, my guess was turkey... 

          Following dinner was a trip to the grocery store. Here there is no tipping or tax, so what you see is what you pay – very convenient. When you pay, however, you always put the money on the counter and NOT in their hands. A black woman would be ready to fight if you slammed some money on the counter at the grocery store in Memphis! 
          Our first evening here was great, and I’m looking forward to the rest of this trip!