Moscow → Tokyo, first day in Tokyo

Before the trip I was afraid that I'd have trouble finding a topic for a daily post. I didn't think there would be a different problem — so many impressions that I don't know where to start.

This was supposed to be a regular flight, nothing special: takeoff, ten hours in the air, then landing. But then the flight attendant brought out immigration cards, I got out my pen and passport and started filling them out. The Japanese guy to my left asked for a pen, and that would have been nothing special, but he spoke to me in Hebrew. Seeing the question on my face, he pointed to his chest and said:

— I studied in Israel for two months, at the University of Haifa, on a student exchange program. — How do you know I'm from Israel? He pointed at my passport. I don't know why, but the corners of my mouth stretched, each toward its own ear and for the rest of the conversation this wide smile didn't leave my face. The guy's name is Seira, father is Japanese, mother is from North Korea. — What does your name mean? — Network of peace. — Then he smiled. — Internet, basically.

He was flying from Switzerland to visit his parents, and in two weeks planned to go to North Korea to visit his mother's relatives. In Switzerland he studies law. He knows seven languages: Japanese, Korean, Hebrew, Arabic, German, French and Spanish.

We talked all the way to passport control. Too bad I couldn't get a decent photo.

Tokyo greeted me with a wall of rain. It wasn't there when I first came out of the airport building. I needed to get from terminal one to terminal two to put my bike and bag in storage. There's a free bus between terminals. I checked in my things. The girl at reception explained to me the best way to get to the Shinagawa district. Then she looked into my eyes with a caring gaze and said: — You should buy an umbrella first, it's raining hard outside.

And indeed, when I came out, it was pouring. I immediately thought about Fuji, since I want to climb it tomorrow.

I never found accommodation through CouchSurfing. Maybe because the 6th is a weekend. But on the site for traveling cyclists WarmShowers.org, a reply came within an hour.

Richard met me near the Shinagawa Prince Hotel and led me to his home. He's about forty. Works as a passenger plane pilot for a small Japanese company. Loves bicycles and often hosts tourists. This time besides me, he's hosting a French couple from Paris, but these guys are a whole other story. I was so tired that after a shower I went to sleep. By the way, the shower is also a whole other story, and the toilet too... Ahhh!! Everything here is different!!! How to tell about it all?

As I said, at five I lay down "for an hour" and slept until eight. Now we're sitting with the guys from France, whose names I unfortunately haven't memorized yet, since I'm still floating in space.

In two days they're returning to Paris after a six-month journey. First they biked from Paris to St. Petersburg, then on the Trans-Siberian Railway to Vladivostok, from there by bicycle to Lake Baikal, then Mongolia, China and from Shanghai by ferry to Osaka. They've been in Japan for a month already. 6 AM. I'm walking around the neighborhood with my camera. A woman in a cap smiled at me as she passed by.

— Konnichiwa. — I'm already trying to speak Japanese. — Konnichiwa! Where are you from? — then we spoke in English. — From Israel. — Oh, Israel, Israel. Are you traveling or on business? — Traveling, I want to bike from Wakkanai to Kagoshima. — I handed her my business card, she accepted it with both hands. — Ohhh, from Wakkanai to Kagoshima! North to South! — she studied my card for a long time. We walked about three hundred meters, crossed a bridge, I was asking her about different things, then she started slowing down. — Are you on a morning walk? — Yes. — She pointed at her watch. — Are you in a hurry? — Yes, I need to go.

We exchanged goodbyes, I thought she'd continue in the same direction just faster, but she turned around and walked back across the bridge, apparently she felt uncomfortable interrupting the conversation.