Booked my tickets to Tokyo last Friday (that was when the managers confirmed my time there), and I'm flying out Wednesday morning from London. I'll arrive in Tokyo Thursday morning at around 10 AM. It's finally settled in that I'm going and that the duration is somewhat undecided. Currently, I'm planning to be there for 3 weeks, but I may very well stay longer or end up going back to Tokyo again in April. It's times like this that I feel like my life doesn't belong to me, but to my managers, the customers, and my peers. Sigh.
I'm looking on the bright side, which is that I'm finally going to Japan! Ever since I can remember, I've always wanted to go there. I am very thankful to have the opportunity to go, stay in a nice place, experience the culture, etc. The problem is I don't remember any of the Japanese I had learned from my Japanese tapes long time ago. I probably need to find a little phrase book and travel guide. I'm going to have some problems as I might pass for a local but will look obviously clueless if someone tries to speak to me in Japanese. I need a sign on my forehead that says: "Sorry, I don't speak Japanese."
One phrase I learned from my good friend Hannah is: "Dozo yoroshiku onegaishimasu," which means something like "Very nice to meet you, please take care of me." I wish I could take her with me. She lived there for 3 years, speaks the language, has friends there, etc.
Hopefully, I won't be stuck working til the wee hours of the night. I'm not going to set my expectations too high just yet. I'm hoping to have at least the weekends off!
Domo arigato gozaimasu!
Lily