I have arrived!

And what an arrival it has been. I seem to have dodged the worst of the jet lag - prior to my departure I was up until 5am packing, so after napping on the plane I was still ready to go to bed in the Nagoya evening. Last night was a perfectly restful evening, no insomnia all Lost in Translation style!

The 'World Business Class' flight was terribly pleasant. The flight, despite its 13ish hour duration, seemed shorter than a flight to California. I was eating and drinking about 30% of my time on the plane, and the rest was spent sleeping. It may not be the most financially practical method of travel, but it's certainly the most comfortable I've experienced.

Thanks to the diligence of the TSA before even leaving the states, my trip through immigration and customs was a breeze. A cardboard box I'd packed as my third piece of luggage had been searched and resealed with conspicuous TSA labeled tape. No need to search the guy who's already been scrutinized by his own country!

My first full day in Nagoya involved a brief walking tour of the area, a visit to an enormous cemetery park, and an introduction to a few of the area stores. I thought I lived in a convenient location in Detroit, but this is urban living at its finest. This apartment is literally a block and a half from a nice grocery store, and you only need to travel a few blocks further for a 24 hour grocery.

The transition has been a little overwhelming to say the least, but I feel like I'm adjusting well so far. Sure this is the start of an extended stay in an amazing foreign country, but the real draw this weekend was arriving in town just in time for a long overdue date with A for Valentines Day. (hooray for a plan put in motion seven months ago) One day in, and I'm prepared to declare this trip an unconditional success.

Check out the latest batch of photos! I'll have a new batch in Flickr for each blog post featuring one. You can always hit the Japan collection via the link in the right column, or here.