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A Tokyo Arrival (April 14) · Apr 17, 04:50 AM

Past customs in the Narita aiport I pulled out 50000 Yen and, with the help of repeated trips to the information desk, figured out how to make a phone call. I called the hostel in Yoyogi, and I called my Tokyo contact, then I bought a ticket on a Keisei limited express to Ueno.

I was fortunate to arrive in the Friday afternoon rush at Ueno, where I changed to the JR Yamanote line that would take me to Shinjiku on the other side of the city. At Shinjuku station I changed again to the Odyaku line to Sangubashi, which was 5 minutes from my destination.

It was like diving right in to getting the wind knocked out of you in a bright, Asian, cthulhoid labyrinth swarming with very productive-looking people. Black business suits were the norm. Ueno and Shinjuku stations combined could eat the sloppy New York subway system for lunch. It would have been totally awesome except for those symptoms I mentioned earlier.

Inside the gate to the Yoyogi National Olympic Memorial Youth Center two guards bow and issue the appropriate Japanese greeting to everyone, even the tall, wide-eyed gaijin like me. I found my way to the hostel on the first floor of one of the dorms with the help of another information desk and checked in to a small private room. It was just under 6 feet wide and about 10 feet long, but all to myself and across the hall from the bathroom. I think I settled in and passed out. I’m not sure if I ate anything—the first day and a half is pretty fuzzy.

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