お茶の間留学

Hello everyone! My name is Hendrik, from South Africa. Some of you may know me from my online classes during the past few months, or from the Senrichuo branch in Osaka. I want to tell you about my first day in Japan. 

My flight took me from Johannesburg to Singapore, and from Singapore to Japan. I expected to be met by many new and challenging things on my arrival, and I was prepared for most of them. One thing I was not prepared for was the heat. The weather blew its fiery breath in my face from the moment I disembarked. I found brief solace on the white seat of a cheery taxi driver's cab bound for the guest house – my first experience of Osaka's famous friendliness.

I arrived at my guest house at about 21:30, exhausted from the flight and soaking wet from the heat. I immediately went to take a shower, only to find that I had no idea how to open the taps – they looked nothing like anything I've ever seen before.

After my shower, I slept until my alarm woke me up to a sunny Osaka. Next, the daunting prospect of finding my way on the trains and subway, with two suitcases (25kg and 15kg respectively and both with broken wheels), no cash in my pocket, and no Japanese skills whatsoever. A Jay-Z loving rapper by the name of Sota helped me. He set me on my way and gave me my second taste of friendly Osaka. Many mistakes and lots of walks later, I met with my manager and we proceeded to walk to my apartment. It must have been quite a sight to see two sweaty foreigners carrying two heavy suitcases uphill in 37 degrees Celsius with 70% humidity.

Upon entering my apartment I saw the most beautiful thing in the world. In that moment, nothing could have been a sweeter sight: an air-conditioner. The hard part was over and I settled in for the night. I had survived my first day. I had a strange feeling, almost as if I was home. Fantastic! Thank you, Japan.