First Impressions: A strong woman!

First. I am a tall woman in Japan. In Europe I am average size. If you watched "Lost in translation" you may remember the scene at the beginning of the film when Bill Murray goes in the lift and he sticks out way above the Japanese crowd. My first impression happened exactly in the same situation, in the lift. Maybe in other situations people are moving, some are sitting, some are standing and you do not notice the height difference? Maybe it is a cliché, but I only noticed it in the lift, where everyone has to stand upright.

Second. It is a summer here! Well, they say it is beginning to get colder, i.e. the wind a bit more chilly, but it was still more than 20 degrees centigrade and sun was shining all day! Unbelievable for someone who just flown from Scotland, from two weeks of non-stop rain, strong winds and last weekend of hailstone storms that made a world look like winter snow for several minutes.

Third. I am a strong woman. I have shocked three young Japanese men that picked me from the airport and escorted me to my flat. I wanted to connect my laptop charger to the electricity socket, which involved fitting a travel adaptor plug that fits-all-sockets. But when they looked at it they said it does not fit. So I tried, and when there was resistance from the plug I hit/pushed it hard and it went in. The charger worked and I can now use my laptop in Japan. The look that those men had on their faces was priceless! Fear, shock and horror mixed with admiration and amazement: jaws dropped low. Then one of them said with disbelief "YOU ARE A STRONG WOMAN!"

Fourth. I have no idea about anything. I have no internet at home - no connection with the outside world. I do not know my address or postcode. I am going to work by bus tomorrow but I am totally dependent on my Japanese hosts here. They are going to come and teach me how to use a bus. How to use a bus in Japan that is!