Japan Day 2: First Day at Work and Getting Lost

I woke up pretty early today (probably due to jet lag), and had a very hearty breakfast at Dormy Inn, the place where I am currently staying. After breakfast, I went out to explore the neighborhood some more, finding restaurants and convenience stores in the area. I also visited Don Quijote, a discount store chain in Japan. (I had gone yesterday to buy some pajamas, but did not have time to see the whole store.) There were many interesting things for sale at Don Quijote, and I was surprised to find the variety they carry. There is a wine and spirits section and they also sell costumes, furniture, and bicycles. Below you can see me trying on a curious ware of the store. 

At 10am, someone from Showa came to pick us (me and another intern) up to go to the University, where we had a campus tour and orientation about what we will be doing for the rest of our time here. (Showa University itself contains a kindergarten, an elementary school, a junior high school, a high school, and a British school in addition to undergraduate and graduate facilities.) I found the campus to be small, but very beautiful. The landscapers do a great job at the school, and there is a koi pond (with gigantic koi fish!) right next to the building I work in. Everyone at Showa seems to be very friendly, and I am looking forward to the rest of my time here.

After work, the interns were asked to go meet the President of the University, President Bando. Because she was very busy today, we (unexpectedly) went to see her at an awards ceremony for research on gender equality in Japan (on-campus). The ceremony was entirely in Japanese, so I was not entirely sure of what was going on, but it seemed to be very impressive. There was a small party afterward, and I tried sushi in Japan for the first time! (I would say that it wasn't that different from sushi in the U.S., but the fish is much fresher.)

When the ceremony was over, the other intern and I had to figure out the way back to Dormy Inn by ourselves. We had originally wanted to walk back, but we actually ended up going in the opposite direction we were supposed to go! We figured this out eventually, and decided to take the subway instead. I am very proud that I was able to ask for directions from locals in Japanese during this escapade. Though my questions were very fragmented, I was able to somehow communicate my point across. Hopefully, we will not get lost tomorrow! But, if we do, we at least know how to tell if we are lost now!