Two days ago, I was chilling in Baguio because I failed to bring my bomber jacket with me. I was with Alex and Julia to visit a weaving industry there, bring some of their native fabrics and get ready for an upcoming fashion show.
After getting off of the bus, I was instantly blown off by the cold wind. And it was a weird feeling because I was reminded of Tokyo in a split of a second. The temperature was very Japan. If only Baguio is also high tech, it can easily pass as the Tokyo of the Philippines.
During the whole day, we were doing the rounds in the weaving factory of NARDA CAPUYAN. After the busy day, we went to the market to look for things to buy. Baguio of course is famous for Ukay-Ukay, And they have all of these stores set in a an elevated slope which curiously reminded me of HARAJUKO and TAKESHITA street. Although we only found a few stuff, I have to admit that I also bought some great finds in the HARAJUKAY of Baguio. hehehe=J
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I arrived at around 10 pm in Narita airport because the flight was late. I was supposed to arrive at around 7 pm so I can catch the 7:30 pm shuttle bus that would take me to ANA Intercontinental Hotel in Downtown Tokyo. Because of the delay, I completely missed the bus so it was a problem already on how I would be able to go to Tokyo which was still 2 bus hours away from the airport.
The immigration desk in the airport was really strict. To think that most of the staff were really young and looked really amateur. Their airport was really high-tech. From automatic doors to floor escalators, everything smelled and felt first world. The only problem was, most of the directions were in Japanese characters. So it was hard to look for the direction that I should take. Anyway, it went ok because I also found my way out from Narita after a lot of questioning and interrogation from the immigration desk and the luggage check point.
I instantly felt the cold temperature of Japan. It was then that I realized that I was already in a foreign land. It was a relief that due to the delay, Philippine Airlines provided a shuttle bus for the passengers bound for Tokyo. I boarded the bus and tried to catch some sleep. It was exactly two hours after when the bus finally stopped in TOKYO station.
Seeing Tokyo for the first time is an unexplainable feeling. I once promised myself that someday when I visit another country, I would go down on my knees and kiss the foreign soil. But I was slightly disappointed because in Tokyo, there was actually no soil to be seen but concrete roads and pavements. But I think it was a good thing, or else I would be forced to kiss and eat dust literally. Hehehe=:-)
My first major problem in Tokyo was on how I would be able to go to the hotel where Siti is expecting me. The cabs were all over the Tokyo station. But the problem was, all of the drivers cannot understand even a bit of English. Even the people who were walking on the streets were also not so familiar with the language. How I wish I knew how to speak Japanese. I called Siti using one of the phones in the station, and she directed me to say a particular Japanese phrase to the cab driver. I then have a Filipina company so she was also having a hard time to communicate with the cab drivers. I don’t want to just leave her in the station at 1:00 in the morning so I suggested that she should just go with me to the hotel where she can ask Siti for some directions and help. So I hailed a cab, just mumbled the magic Japanese phrase to the driver and instantly, the automatic door of the cab opened. It was my first encounter of technology, what a culture shock.hehehe=:-)
As we were in the cab, I can’t help but notice the big difference between their cabs there and our taxis here. They have in their cab an electronic map that guides the driver. There’s also a TV, a credit card reader, an ashtray, some brochures of advertisements etc. Everything is like so far from what you can see in an ordinary cab here in our country. It was like a luxury car, except for the flat rate of the cab which is really expensive. If our flat rate here is P30, Tokyo cabs are entitled for a Y660 flat rate (around P330). But when they say the taxi is metered, it is really metered and you even get a receipt of your taxi fare. You’ll just pay the exact amount in their meter compared here in the country where you always need to bargain or add some few bucks for the taxi driver. As if you need to pay an extra charge for their stories and escapades as a driver, their rants over oil price hike, their mishaps in the streets, etc…
I reached the hotel at around 1:30 A.M. I was looking for Siti but couldn’t find her so I needed to call her phone again. Surprisingly, she was already just a few yards away from the phone cubicle. It was our first time to meet, but she greeted me as if I was a long lost friend. It comforted me so much. And I knew from then on, that I need not to worry while I’m in Tokyo because of a warm person like Siti. I also met Raj who is also a foreign participant from India. He would be competing for the accessories division.
We needed to walk in order to reach our hotel. I was already clad in a thick jacket yet the cold early morning of Japan is still a bit unbearable. Maybe I’m not just used to freezing temperatures because of the warm climate here in the Philippines. Nevertheless, Tokyo is like one big city with a centralized air conditioner.
When we finally reached our rooms in the hotel, I was like already like an exhausted log which just wanted to fall down on the soft bed. But since I still have some few finishing touches to add in the dress, I needed to still be up until 5:00 A.M. After placing the last metal stud in the dress, I lay on the bed and within seconds I knew that I was already asleep.
I woke up at around 7:00 A.M so my head was a bit aching and feeling really light. I needed to go to shower immediately because we need to catch up with Siti at around 9:00 A.M. I was on the comfort room when my second encounter of technology in Japan happened. I noticed that their toilet bowl was plugged to an electrical outlet. And right on the side of the bowl was a series of buttons that you can use. Can you imagine a toilet bowl that can automatically wash your ass right after you poo? Well, welcome to Japan.
Walking on the streets of Japan is really an experience itself. The concrete pavements were so clean you’ll really feel shy to throw any form of litter. I was with Raj so we both headed to JAPAN FOUNDATION OFFICE which is actually conveniently located just a few blocks from our hotel. We have an appointment with the officers and directors of Siti’s office because they were the people responsible for taking us to Japan. We were so thankful and honored that we were able to meet the Vice-President of Japan Foundation as well as Siti’s directors and officemates. It was quite a surprise to actually see them really excited to meet and greet us welcome in Japan. We have our entries with us so they were as well really excited to see them. After a few hours in their office, I needed to go to the Philippine Embassy with Siti to meet the representative of our country there.
The Philippine Embassy in Tokyo is quite nice. They have this beautiful building right in the center of Roponggi. We had a chat with the representative and Siti invited him for the show that was going to happen the next day. Hmmm…I’m just wondering if he’s aware that our government didn’t provide any assistance for me while the Japan Foundation actually gave a huge support for my stay in Tokyo.
After our lunch in McDonalds, we needed to go back to JF office to get our things and to dash to Meguro Jaguen to submit our entries for the registration. We took the train and in no more than 15 minutes, we were already in the last station of the JR line which is Meguro. We needed to walk to reach the hotel which would also be the same venue of the competition. We were on our way when I noticed this Buddhist chapel. I requested for us to go inside just for a few minutes so I can take pictures. I just want to take some shots but I ended up throwing a coin and praying on the Buddhist chapel. Actually, I don’t have an idea on how I was going to pray to Buddha. I just decided to think that I am also in front of God (as a universal force) and just thanked Him for taking me to Japan and requested for nothing because being there was already a prize and gift itself. The place was actually really solemn so it was a different experience. After your prayer, you needed to hit this huge gong right on the entrance of the main chapel. I was then hoping that Buddha can also understand English because believe it or not, I prayed in English at that moment instead of Tagalog thinking that Buddha would be able to understand English rather than our native language. Funny right? hehehe=;-)
Meguro Jaguen is a really huge hotel. Actually, it is one of the most prestigious and biggest hotels in Tokyo. It’s architecture is a mix of the modern and their old world. I can’t stop admiring the really nice interior and design of the building itself. I noticed that the building is actually designed like a bird cage. Because of the ceiling inside that uniquely resembled a huge avian gallery.
By the time we arrived, Almost all of the participants were already able to register. Clothes and the other entries were already hanging on the racks. I needed to pick a number from a box. This would alter on became the order of my entry for the show. It was a huge box. So once you reach for your number written on a paper, almost half of your arm is hidden inside it. I found a paper and handed it to the one in charged. Siti took a look together with the other people around. And in unison they announced. Number 62!!!
I went around the place and tried to take a look at the entries. At that point, I already felt nervous because of the good and competitive quality of the entries. But two entries caught my attention. They were really different and I thought that it would be impossible for their designers to go home without an award. Suddenly I had a sort of anxiety attack. Hoping that I should have made a better design if only I knew early on the situation of the competition in Japan. But then I was already there and there was nothing to do. I took a seat and waited for things to settle.
I was also greeted by the staff and the faculty of the school which organized the event. SUGINO GAKUEN and DOREME is one of the three major fashion and design schools in Japan alongside BUNKA. The principal of DOREME, Madam TOKO greeted and welcomed me. She invited us for a dinner that night in a Chinese restaurant just up the hill near the Station. She was supposed to come with us but then she was really busy so Siti, Raj, and I unfortunately dined without her. But she promised that she would take us again for a dinner appointment after all of her busy schedules.
The second hotel where we need to stay that night and for the rest of our stay in Tokyo would be a bit far from the downtown. So Siti decided to go with us first so she can lead us to the place. We took the train where I needed to be really attentive because of the confusing train lines in Tokyo. Going to our new place is like a puzzle that we should piece together so I just paid attention to all of her directions. We needed to exchange trains three times. And the travel time took us around an hour. The place was already outside Tokyo so yes, it was really far knowing that their trains were really fast already.
Our new hotel is situated in a very country styled place which is KITA URAWA. The building is really huge and complete with high-tech amenities. The room given to me was really nice. It was spacious and comfortable. Siti was also glad that we got nice rooms. Actually, I feel already sorry to her because she’s been going with us all the time and I knew that she’s already tired. She still got work in her office in the morning so it’s really a stressful account for her. But she remained really nice and accommodating to me and Raj. After some time, she needed to go and so she just instructed us of what we need to do for tomorrow’s competition. We needed to be in the venue at around 9:00 A.M. So it means that we needed to leave really early so we can arrive on time.
I collapsed in my bed after a very tiring yet fulfilling day. I felt really stressed so I decided to have a warm bath. I filled the tub with warm water and sank myself in it. Japan is a very busy city. And in just a few hours of stay in this country made me realized that they were really hard working and focused people. I was submerged in warm water thinking of all the things that would happen the next day. I couldn’t still believe that I made it in Tokyo. Once I’m using a “tabo” to take a bath, but now I’m using a bath tub for God’s sake. I found myself laughing really loud in the bathroom in complete disbelief and excitement.=;-)
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COMING UP!!!!!
Day 3 of the Japan Adventures!!!!
The competition begins!!! The heights of the contest and the experience. The night of celebration.=J
