The past 24 hours have been spent getting used to Japan again! We flew into Narita, which is quite far from Tokyo. Fortunately our next flights are in and out of Haneda, much closer in.

Entry into Japan was a bit complicated, with an online sort of visa website, but we made it! Next time, when we fly back in from Australia, will be easier.

We reached our hotel, the Nikko Narita, around 5:30 pm (around 1:30 am our time). We are 16 hours ahead now. They offered us coupons for free drinks, so we went up to the top-floor lounge for dinner and beer.

This morning we had an incredible breakfast at the hotel. I have always loved Japanese breakfasts, and I am a 7 on the enneagram (I love variety), so I took full advantage!!

After making our way to our new hotel in Kawasaki (near where our friend Kazue lives), we stopped in a bar for cold drinks and then checked into our new hotel, which is on the 28th floor.

Then Kazue (Kay) came to meet us in the lobby and took us to her place by train. Tragically her husband Katsuya died of a sudden infection just 6 weeks ago. We are serving as a distraction, but we’re also sharing memories of him. He was a kind, super bright, thoughtful, retired academic, researcher, and author who specialized in British literature (Mike met them at Oxford). I have never seen anyone with more books in their small residence, carefully organized! Kay too is a professor and still loves teaching.

She made us a dinner of Japanese summer dishes, and we had a lovely time catching up since we hadn’t seen her for over 30 years. She actually came to our wedding!

We also FaceTimed with their mutual friend Danny, another Oxford chum, who recently came to our house for dinner with his wife Shirin. We hadn’t seen them in 30+ years either! We shared more memories of Katsuya.

As expected, Japan has changed in many ways since the ‘80s, but in many ways it’s still the same.

What’s the same:

-It still feels very safe. The only thing I ever worried about walking around late at night was seeing drunk salarymen (businessmen) peeing in the street.

-Everything is busy and bustling, especially in Tokyo!

-People are orderly, polite, and formal rule followers. When we boarded the bus to get back to the airport this morning, the hotel staff were bowing at us.

-Children can be very independent. We saw a schoolchild, probably 8 years old, take the train by himself.

-I’m finding the clothes styles (especially for women) to be similar to the way they were 30 years ago! Baggy with basic colors (black, white, navy solids) is still in fashion. And even though it’s 95 degrees F today, most people are in long pants and covered up. Japan has had its hottest summer on record, thanks to climate change.

-Food is still beautiful, tasty, and well presented. I’m so happy to eat Japanese food everyday!!

-It’s still pretty homogeneous…even the plentiful foreigners are mostly white.

-We saw so many crowded apartment blocks on the train into Tokyo, many right next to the train tracks!

-People still hang their laundry outside everywhere. (I’m guessing dryers are still not common here.)

-Trains are still very organized, clean, and prompt.

-Drugs are strictly forbidden, still.

-We’re still seeing lots of fun Wasei-eigo (和製英語), or Japanese English, everywhere.

What’s changed:

-SO MANY GAIJIN (foreigners)!! In the ‘80s Japan was still largely undiscovered. That has completely changed. In fact, the government plans to put tiered pricing in certain places to discourage overtourism.

-Much more American/European influence (e.g., drinks available, Starbucks). Mike is delighted to discover the preponderance of nonalcoholic beer!

-We’re hearing more English and Chinese translations on the trains and in written content.

-Toilets are much more complicated now!! In the ‘80s they were just beginning to add features, but now they all have bidets, heated seats, etc.! At our hotel last night I couldn’t figure out how to turn off the heated seat…not what you want in 95-degree F weather! Kay’s is so fancy that the lid automatically opens and the toilet cleans itself!

-Our hotel is near a huge shopping center…I don’t remember much of that kind of thing when we were here before.

-We can do so much online, for transport and other things. We just use our phones for the trains and subways.

-Google Maps is incredibly helpful! How did we ever get around without that? I can tell you I got on a few wrong trains!!

Tomorrow we will go on an adventure with Kay and her nephew, who is a taxi driver and former motorcycle racer!