FIRST WEEK IN JAPAN

Alright so we have survived our first week in Japan. I don’t have my camera yet so I will share with everyone random observations I've made so far.

- People -> The Japanese people are very nice and try to help us out as much as they can, considering we can't communicate. We have met a few foreigners living here that have been extremely helpful. The community of English speakers are from all over the world - United Kingdom, Brazil, Argentina to name a few. Most of them are in their second or third international assignments. The people that we know basically show up in our front door either on foot or in their bikes (like if you were 12 years old and your friends will come to get you at your house) and take us around downtown.
- Wrestling -> There is allot of wrestling on TV. The same as the US (WWE) and the Japanese wrestlers dressed as the bad guy from the Power Rangers with masks and lots of colorful suits. Orlando saw the Legion of Doom (for those of you who remember) wrestling in the Japanese league - we are still looking for the Ultimate Warrior - yes they are still wrestling at about 60 years old.
- Music -> The Japanese MTV is a source of endless entertainment. The types of music (Hip-Hop, pop, dance etc.) are the same as the US but in Japanese obviously. I did not know what they where saying but the MTV V-jay was interviewing a band in a studio full of Jamaican flags and the singer was Japanese with corn rolls - yes it exists. We did hear "La Gasolina" yesterday blasting from a clothing store - gather your things it's the end of the world. If anyone knows of good radio stations thru the internet let me know
- Church -> We went to the English mass in the Catholic Church in front of our apartment. Once we got to mass it was obvious that we where not in Kansas - in our case Michigan - anymore. There was us about 6 Americans and the rest of the people were from the Philippines. The mass started out in English and then the songs where in Phillipino so I understood half of what was going on. It was definitely an experience to say the least.
- Peace museum -> We went to the Peace museum on Saturday. It’s very impressive and about the only cheap thing here, only about $3. It showed the destruction after the atomic bomb and, the saddest part, the effects of the radiation on the people.
- Baseball -> There is allot of baseball on TV. They give allot of the Yankees games and Seattle Mariners games since they have Japanese players on their rosters. At the end of the game the managers are interviewed in the middle of the stadium and transmitted through the loud speakers. This particular game we where watching had Bobby Valentine’s team win and he spoke at the end and people cheered for him once is translator spoke. Also the MVP of the game is given a giant plush toy (peluche) at the end. There is allot if Americans and even some Puerto Ricans (Hello, Orlando knows them all) playing in the Japanese Baseball league. It’s interesting to see the Japanese’s take on America’s past time.