Toph Fails at Japan, The Conclusion

When I showed up at the Keisatsu (police station) this morning with my letter in Japanese from the folks at TDR in tow, guess what? Saint Anthony worked his miraculous self out and all 3 of my cards were there! In sum total, I basically am out 500 yen for replacing my Suica, but I am so much happier now! I love you, kind Japanese person at the Shin-Urayasu station. Thank you, thank you thank you!

Toph Fails at Japan, Part 2

So first off, some good news on the lost cards front... 2 cards (I don't know which ones) have supposedly been turned into the police station near Shin-Urayasu station, and I will be appearing there tomorrow morning around 9 AM to find out which ones they happen to be. If my Suica is there, I get 500 yen back (yay!), secretly I'm hoping all 3 are magically there. We'll see which ones... Knowing me, I will find some way to be disappointed about whatever card happens not to be there.

Also, it was no problem to finish the process of getting my new Suica, which I succeeded at today!

Now even though I have updated about my first failure at Japan, the real reason for the title of tonight's entry is what has happened in the past hour or so. Campbell, my only real friend (who's probably sick of me to death.... wait. Can we just discuss that phrase for a second? Sick to death. Sicken to death? I get it, but in the context I just used it makes no sense. Or my English is regressing here in Japan (that is more likely the truth)... whatever, comment if you wish) called me an "E-Village Bum". I don't lie. He literally called me out in front of the brand new dancer who arrived this afternoon for not leaving Urayasu in the past 7 days. Which instantly planted that nasty little itch under my skin. I'm not mad at him, because to a certain extent he's right, and I know he didn't mean it as an insult, but it's still there...

Am I really that big of a bum? Am I that messed up for not heading in Tokyo proper yet?

In my defense, I would say that first... I've been here 7 days. Unlike Tony, who we went out of our way to welcome and visit his room and offer advice and help in his first HOUR here, besides Campbell, the nicest thing anyone has done for me is carry my bags. I'm not saying I'm expecting anything more, but I've hardly met anyone yet, and the only other person in my show is Campbell, who has a life here already blah blah blah. We've had a pretty busy schedule that required me to be fully off book on day 2 and we have fully staged the show, ran it for the big wigs, recorded emergency tracks, and will do dress rehearsal tomorrow. No small task in my mind. And on my one day off, it was the first time I had really talked to my mother or friends, I hadn't hardly even found anything beyond the grocery yet so I needed to feel more at home here in Urayasu. Meanwhile, I have been exhausted and on an early schedule that I'm really attempting to keep up. I've also attended the fireworks, asked and tried to go to the Hub on Sunday to no avail, fought with NWA till my eyes are gouged out, had to run back and forth to the station 85 times now with regards to my lost IDs, and find time to unpack and settle in. So, no, while I have not ventured far yet, or even after rehearsal (when I'm tired and the train closes at midnight AND we have early calls), I had originally hoped to climb Fuji this weekend (and so was saving up energy) and now that that is postponed, I intend to go out and explore and find plenty of new Japan in the next 4 days. It just took my first day off to prepare.

In other news... I visited the theatre yesterday and met a bunch of the people I'll be working with and got a feel for my surroundings. I think it's hysterical how far out we have to ride the bus (we basically loop the entire park) to get to work, but it just comes with the territory, I guess. I tried to get a couch or bike hookup, but again, no luck. Some day soon things'll work out...

Today we spent the day in the recording studio recording our emergency tracks, and also taking the time to get some vocal notes. It's been a long process of trying to understand and give our director the sound and confidence she wants. I mentioned previously that it's hard to own this stage and environment, but I'm also starting to understand that they don't like the light tenor sound I was mastering over at HSM and 42nd of late. They want a more full vibrato and bright, energetic Disney sound, so I finally found it a bit better (I hope) today. We had a Spanish interpreter to help us with our pronunciation, and once I FINALLY got through recording that monster I finally started to have some fun. The Cowboy number is so easy and natural and I hope I am pleasing Ai-san with my work. I know I felt too much pressure and nerves about being right for her early on, such that once I settled in and had more fun the results improved! Needless to say, I loved working in the studio and wish I could do it more often!

The strangest part of the day was the blackout that caused our train to stop working entirely! It was supposed to be up and running again at 5, but we decided we would stop at Monsoon for dinner (SO DELICIOUS) just to be safe. Turns out, the trains were still not working at 6:15 and Maihama was INSANE. Lines weaving around the block for buses and/or taxis, television crews everywhere getting footage of the madness, and Disney operating like nothing was up. We decided to either try a cab or the bus to get home, and beat the system by walking away from the station to the next stop for the bus (which is down by the cast entrance) and squeezed onto the bus. Now here is where you really can understand the difference in Tokyo culture. The train is COMPLETELY out of service for hours, and people are either patiently waiting at the steps, patiently waiting in line, or patiently CRAMMED on buses. The bus driver filled the bus to capacity when we got on, not fussing or making a scene about people in the very front. Everyone politely shuffled back to make as much room as possible, and when it came time to debark, even though we were in the middle of the bus, people moved out of the way to let us off. I just can't even describe how polite and calm and patient and orderly the Japanese were. UNREAL.

Now think about NY on a day like this. People b*tching everywhere, yelling, rude, no idea what the crud is happening, and making a huge fuss in general. In fact, I remember a day when the N wasn't running to Qboro plaza and I didn't know the bus to get home. I've been here a WEEK and know how to get home if the train isn't running. Weird. I fell in love with Japan a little bit more because of that.

So now I'm off to bed to catch up on SYTYCD and make some weekend plans before police station, dress rehearsal tomorrow and hopefully Tokyo tomorrow night!

Toph Fails at Japan, Part 1

Yes, it's true. I have failed. Pretty big. Not my-world-is-crashing-down, but pretty stupid and tragic.

See... I managed to lose not my whole wallet last night, just my Driver's License, Student ID, and Suica card (train pass). Now luckily, 2 of those are easily replaced; in fact, I have to go get my Suica on the way to work. And the driver's license can be repurchased. I really just want that irreplaceable free discount card back. The problem is, that my wallet has gotten stretched out over time, and since I don't need as many cards, etc, here in Japan and their money is a different size, the top see-through window in which I store my cards and train pass, well, sometimes the cards slide out of it. And apparently they did so at some point from Shin-Urayasu station to home last night. Campbell and I went to Saizeria (Japanese Denny's) for dinner and my guess is that they fell out whilst paying. Because then we walked home and I believe my wallet was in my pocket the whole time. As it should have been from the station gates to Saizeria. So I instantly walked back to the station, retraced my steps, prayed to St. Anthony like crazy, managed the worst Japanese ever at the Saizeria and the ticket station, but alas, no one had found (or really understood) my problem. I did end up applying for a new Suica card (it's like a SmartCard in DC and can be replaced if you lose it -- holla - cuz that thing costs like 500 dollars), so I'm out 10 bucks for the fee today, but the man didn't understand that I had lost more than just my Suica. And I retraced my steps on the way home again to no avail.

Now here's the killer. I don't think you really understand how long my commute is. I actually google mapped it and it's 1 MILE from my house to the station. Which I walked 3 TIMES yesterday since I lost my cards. Foolish. Now I could take the bus for 140 yen, but I would have had to wait 20 minutes and we know how stubborn I am. So I walked a good 2.5 miles after coming home last night to no production besides a few calories lost. I decided not to go to the Koban (police station) since they would speak very little English, and I just called the Entertainment Office for advice/help this morning. I am going to get a sheet in Japanese before work to take to the Koban after work explaining my situation. But even with the English they speak in the office, I still got a follow up call asking what color my wallet was and how much money was in it... You see my point.

Now this is Japan, so I highly doubt these items won't turn up. But who knows where and if they'll know how to track me down. I'm also thinking an FYI call to the Embassy wouldn't be a bad idea, just in case they get their hands on anything. But basically, Topher failed at maintaining a personal hold on his belongings. Thank god it wasn't his bank card or passport...

In other news, we added the band members and MC's and cleaned and ran the whole show 3 times yesterday, in final for the big wigs. It's amazing to me how many people are involved in this little "special event" show. There were at least 75 people in that room yesterday at some point, and that still doesn't include wardrobe, makeup, hair, dressers, etc. Whoa. The run went super well (though I wasn't in it that time) and they seemed to think our show is great and a lot of fun. Today we go in and record our emergency tracks in case we are sick, which hopefully won't happen in the 17 day run. Then more runs tomorrow and 3 days off! Woo hoo!

Sum total of my day... Japan 1, Tophs 0.

C'mon St. Anthony! Help me find my lost things!

Tokyo Good, NWA Bad

So today had two major parts: One good, one bad. Let's start with the good, shall we?

I have rarely in my life felt as much pressure to be perfect from Day 1 as I have whilst rehearsing here at TDR, but voila! In 3 days and about 17 hours of rehearsal time, I have been fully thrown into an entire show. With 19 cast members (actually more with the doublings), and 30 minutes of non-stop dancing, singing, and character fun. Surprisingly, I feel quite confident after today's rehearsal. I can't believe I literally have learned and run the entire show top to bottom, but the work ethic in Japan is incredible. So much is expected of you, and yet look how quickly we can accomplish and create something great.

Not so secretly? I ADORE Mickey and Minnie's Summer Vacation. The Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride number with the dancers is RIDICULOUS. Those boys are hitting it so hard I'm in awe. And remember, these dancers aren't double cast and do the show EVERY time full out. No marking. WHOA. I got to watch it when Campbell ran it today and I am just in awe of our characters. They are SO GOOD at what they do. And I'm sure the height difference with me is comical (all of them except the Goofy's are obviously very short). But they give you full face and words and energy and PERFORMANCE every time. It really is incredible to think I'll be sharing the stage not only with so many talented Japanese, but also Disney Characters! Chip and Dale even stopped by our rehearsal today and looked so cute in their raincoats!

I'm really proud of the work we are doing, but I feel like I'm doing the ship all over again (process-wise of being the lead singer). It's honestly so hard to learn simple mover choreography! I'd almost rather have crazy dance steps so at least it didn't all bleed together. Especially when half the words are Spanish/Japanese and don't mean anything to me besides rote memorization! And it's so strange going from being such an ensemble player in HSM to having to "own" the stage with Divo confidence whilst still being secondary to Mickey. But I'm getting there... I think.

Tomorrow... Clean and Run. Whole show. 3 days. Wow.

Other positive things... I got my schedule and it looks like I will have a pretty normal schedule (not the crazy 6/7 day weeks I expected) so I don't have to worry about squeezing Fuji in this weekend if there's no one with whom to go. I can wait for Blair since she's all about it and go mid-August on one of my two-day weekends! Hopefully tomorrow we'll stop by the BBB theatre and maybe meet some new friends to get a couch and a bike! And I got more hangers from Campbell (and a Xmas tree for later) so I'm officially suitcase FREE!

Bad news:

The NWA saga only deepens... this could be a long battle, folks. Watch for recaps here at "A Toph Out of Water".

Today's madness: So I tried calling NWA to speak to someone about the clear overcharge for my baggage. After "choosing my own adventure" with the "Customer Care" number on the website about 15 times, I finally gave up and called reservations since I couldn't get anywhere. Turns out Miss Wendy at reservations let me in on a little secret. "Customer Care" is actually "Customer, we don't care (unless you're an elusive "Elite" member)" and is a DEAD END. NO LIE, readers. The supervisor at reservations actually told me that calling Customer Care will lead you to nowhere. And they wonder why I'm infuriated.

After explaining my situation, Wendy politely declined to help me (she does work in reservations after all) and I let her have it. When all was said and done, I learned a few things. Contrary to popular belief, having a reservation doesn't mean your ticket was purchased. Turns out, as we scrolled down the website on the phone TOGETHER, when I explained the "Tickets purchased prior to June 27, 2009" link, Wendy told me I was crazy. Apparently, according to her, my ticket was purchased July 14, 2009. However, I proceeded to say, okay, let's say that's true, and scroll down the page to the table for International Pacific Travel where IT STILL SAYS heavy bag fees are only $50! I literally said, "I'd JUST LIKE ONE NWA EMPLOYEE TO AFFIRM THAT THEY SEE THIS WITH THEIR OWN EYES TOO. IT CLEARLY SAYS 50 DOLLARS". At which point, Wendy promptly turned into a banana-throwing monkey and somehow couldn't find where I was on the website. She did reassure me that if I Fax or Snail Mail Customer Service with my receipt and a detailed explanation of it all, that I would most likely get a refund of the over charges. To which I asked her why I couldn't call someone directly, but she told me that I would never get through. At least she was honest.

I then further clarified with her that I was also on a Coach-Class Y full-fare ticket, which meant I should've been able to have a 3rd bag at NO CHARGE. Which I OFFERED TO DO IN THE AIRPORT. So now, in my humble opinion, NWA owes me $180. She did say it was a Y2R class, "but we still treat that as full-fare". So, I then ask, why the desk agents in NYC treated me like a terrorist. I explained to her that I am a US Citizen, a nice, polite, down-home Midwest boy who specifically was trying NOT to make a scene in JFK. She said that baggage rules are changing mutiple times daily due to merging with Delta and KLM, agents are instructed NEVER to go by memory, and to always look it up in the matrix. I asked if they had internet access and could have pulled up the website, and she said they only had local network access to the NWA matrix but it would still read the same. So now we have established in MULTIPLE ways that I was correct about everything except (according to Wendy) my ticket purchase date. I politely asked her one final question. Is my April 2010 return flight RESERVED or PURCHASED?She said it was considered PURCHASED and I should be subject to the baggage agreements made at time of purchase. July 14, 2009. So on the way home, theoretically, I should have 2 (more likely 3) bags free for 50 lbs. With a $50 overage fee. Pshaw. I'll believe it when it happens. And that means the gate agent lied to me YET AGAIN. And that was the "nice" second lady I went too. PSHAW.

Continental, I'm so glad you are leaving this BS since you have all my miles.

So now I am going to try one more option, the Refunds number from 8 AM to 4 PM CST listed on the website (I had to wait due to the time change). I don't trust Big Brother (NWA) and have saved all relevant information on my computer, including web pages, because I have a sneaking suspicion the website may magically change by tomorrow morning. I even called my mother to ask her to print out the baggage rules for evidence in case they change the website. Seriously. It's that bad. You can do it too for backup if you'd like.

Lesson? Don't fly Delta or Northworst unless you want a migraine. And never, ever, ever expect anything to be fixed AFTER your flight. Good luck with post-flight bureaucracy.

So I Wouldn't Say the Honeymoon Ended...

I just think maybe yesterday was that day in the honeymoon where you go "Oh, shiznit! What have I gotten myself into?"

I didn't have a bad day yesterday, but for about an hour there, I lost some of my confidence and joy. In all truth, this is probably because I was hungry (and we all know how I can get when I get hungry) and I instantly dropped my bravado to try something new because I was afraid to order incorrectly. Even when I broke down and had my first Starbucks in 3 months (and that caramel frap was delicious, mind you), I still pretty much failed at ordering or communicating well. I think, maybe, that after feeling like I learned so much on Sunday, I basically had reached full capacity and was incapable of storing any new information. And let me tell you, being in Japan is all kinds of new information!

I decided yesterday to adventure around Shin-Urayasu, mostly since I failed at getting up before 10 and out of bed before 1 PM. Hence ~ exhausted and hungry. My travels took me out towards the sea wall, around the onsen (I'm so excited to go -- think sauna/baths/water spa day) and all the way down the other side of the street to the station. I stopped in K's which is basically Japanese Best Buy and found the camera very similar to the one I've been eyeing in the States for only 19,800 yen (198 bucks!). If I can figure out if there's a way to get it in English at all or get the guide online, I might finally replace my lost baby (I foolishly left her on top of the car whilst camping in June and she went the way of these old ceramic mugs my parents had when we were kids. Anyone else remember that? They drove around the hill by the Hoppe's for like 8 hours and never found to where it disappeared... at least I found mine, even if it was smashed to smithereeens!).

I explored the 3 areas of Shin-Urayasu and finally got some food (and coffee), but I didn't really appreciate anything as much as I'd hoped. I was merely trying to get the lay of the land. I eventually found the Uniqlo and found some fun new sunglasses for 398 Yen! But that store cracks me up because even though we only just got it in the States, everything is in English here and there was an American music soundtrack and I could buy a Boston Red Sox T-Shirt, Central Michigan University hat, or Superman T-shirt! As much as that was disappointing, I think I needed the familiarity for the afternoon.

Which leads me to the point that Japan could be trouble for me. Since everywhere you go is a giant superstore, you can find just about ANYTHING you don't need at all times. Even on a simple visit to the grocery. I found about 8 different pairs of amazing Nike hi-tops (we all know I've been dying to find new kicks), and nearly threw down 50 bucks on some fun yellow and green sneaks. I AM, however, officially obsessed with the 100 Yen store in the Ito and D2 (Home Depot). And since they are my neighbors... well, you get the picture. They both finally got me set up with some hangers and dish towels and necessities such that I finally started to unpack! But I'm really ready for a couch and I'm itching like crazy to get a bike! I'm like a 10-year-old at Christmas just waiting for Santa to send me someone who is getting rid of one. AHHHH. I even drooled over the new ones in D2.

Which brings me to my final point. I think part of the reason I had a less than perfect day is the fact that I just don't know anyone here. There was a BBQ happening when I left in the foyer, but when I went down I didn't have the confidence to go say hi. Because seriously, while all the gai-jin here have been nice so far, not a single person sans Campbell has done more than say "Hello/How are you?/What show are you doing?" and leave it at that. I don't need a bestie right away, but I'm pretty sure I have a friendly countenance at most times. And no one has made any effort to get to know me, in fact, occasionally it's seemed I've been affronting people when I try to introduce myself. Maybe I'm just lonely and they are tired after long days at the park, but 4 days here with only one Western friend (who knows everyone, rightly so, and therefore has 85 things to do at all times) who simply escorts me to work and back is pretty disheartening. I'd love to get a jump on a couch and a table and a bike, and maybe have a night out meeting people or even dinner in a restaurant, but I guess I just have to wait for my new cast. I'm not giving up hope yet. Just need to be brave again!

My skype works now and it was great to tell my mom all about this place! Give me a buzz sometime!

Gumby and Doraimo

Yesterday was a very good day because I got internet and a skype number and now I can communicate with the world! Hooray! JCom came right on time for their service call (imagine that!) and despite our limited Japanese/English, within 10 minutes I had internet! And since I brought an old router from Newtown I have wi-fi too!

I discovered Pan Jewel, the little bakery across the street, yesterday. It is FREAKING AMAZING. I went about 8:30 and since it opened at 8 AM and was Sunday, the line weaved through the whole store and out the door. But it was well worth the short wait. I had a black tea cream pastry that was delightful. It basically had a slightly sweet cream filling (like a cream puff) and was the size of a large dinner roll but with a sweet bread. So good! And then I had the best thing ever. The English label called it "Pumpkin Sweet Potato" that was basically a muffin shaped spongy croissant with squash and sweet potato and was yellowish orange. Seriously... AMAZING. AND... when you buy food you get espresso for free (you can also get an espresso-sized coffee/cappuccino) and it was SO perfect!

Then on the way home... a girl was exiting the Village and nearly fell off her bike exclaiming, "Chris!?!" Turns out it was Chrissy, a girl that went to Catholic for a year and an old classmate of mine who works here at TDR too! Ran into her on the walk home at the Ito as well!!! So nice to run into an old friend 7 years later on the opposite side of the world.

Yesterday's 7 hour rehearsal was long but amazingly productive. We learned almost the entire show, sans Opening and Finale since those rely so heavily on the characters, and even ran it twice (once for me and once for Campbell). I am so impressed by our Japanese dancers. Firstly, they are beautiful dancers and so SNATCHED. Secondly, they always give you full performance and detail despite the fact that we were brand-new, lost, and they had to run everything twice as much for us. Thirdly, there's a "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride" number with Lilo & Stitch and those boys are HITTING IT. Full tilt B-boy moves and crazy awesome hip hop. I'm obsessed.

They are also so kind and sweet and several (especially Emi) speak surprisingly good English. I managed to learn everyone's name by the end of the day (it's so difficult because there's no point of reference, just sounds strung together to our ears), as well as "Yareba Dekiru" which means "You can do it!" This led to us shouting Obama, the Japanese laughing, and then Lily, our translator, explaining there is a place and a family name here in Japan named Obama. If Obama is as wonderful as these Japanese, we are in for some good years. Oops... too political, too soon?

Lost in translation, however, was me trying to explain "Gumby" and them trying to explain "Doraimo". Neither one of us had seen the other's animated character, but it didn't stop us from laughing.

Ai-san and Tetsu-san are wonderful at creating our show, and I'm so excited to add the characters tomorrow. I'm also surprised at home much you can understand in rehearsal with minimal translation. They are very good at understanding our questions and explaining things in a way that are understandable before transliteration. So rehearsal has actually been a really fun, new, and interesting process. Ai-san lovingly told me yesterday that even though it was my first time in Japan and working here, I'd have some familiar faces in my show (aka Donald, Goofy, etc.) HAHA! I thought that was so clever and sweet and welcoming.

I simply adore this whole process, our stage management staff is fantastic and sweet, and they look so dapper in their uniforms every day! (that's a new one... stage management not in black). Though we worked some long hours yesterday, I just need to be better prepared with snacks in the future!

I will say despite my homework and preparation, I had no idea what my Spanish lyrics were or the words to the Cowboy song were. So I still have homework to do, and I had better be prepared for the Japanese sections tomorrow! The sunshine was beautiful and I am so excited to go enjoy it in a little bit!

On the way home we stopped at the Daiei and got groceries and I convinced Campbell to walk home. We ran into a bunch of TDR peeps and I got to make some new acquaintances. Still haven't found anyone with whom to climb Fuji next weekend or who has a couch/bike for me to purchase, but those will come (I hope!). I had kind of hoped to go out to the Hub with people, but as usual, I was pretty wiped (and STARVING) and came home and was in bed by 11.

Slept in till 9 today (WHOA) and have lazily not yet gotten out of bed. Soon to decide where to explore be it within or beyond Urayasu, but soon I will be enjoying my day off and getting a bit more settled!

Fireworks over Fuji-san

No, dear reader. Don't get too excited. I didn't see fireworks over actual Mt. Fuji, just pretty much the most incredible display of fireworks right here in Shin-Urayasu! Last night was the 31st annual Summer Fireworks of the city of Urayasu, only 3 large city blocks from my front door, and I had the fortune of finishing rehearsal in time to walk over and attend with Matty and Campbell! Of the hour long show from 7:30-8:30 (remember there's no DST here), there were 7 different themed sections to music with the huge booming overhead ones in between set to crazy 90's pop music like "Time After Time", the Backstreet Boys, etc. All American songs, which just seemed weird to me.

Anyway, Shin-Urayasu means "New Urayasu" because basically where I live is land reclaimed from the ocean by dumping a bunch of dirt on the swamp that used to be there. So the layout of the city is very new and suburban-ish and quasi-American with a grid of wide streets but very Japanese apartment buildings and still very dense in population. The land is still being built upon, so the fireworks viewing areas are on huge avenue blocks of empty fields right off the seawall of Tokyo Bay. Pretty amazing. There were vendors EVERYWHERE selling everything from Chu-hi and Beer to Kebab Pitas, Chicken on a stick, to crazy things I do not yet recognize or understand. Basically a huge fair/festival in the city. Swarms and crowds of people took public transportation to our train stop and then walked down where we live, so coming home from work was like Times Square on Saturday night at curtain time. Except everyone is so polite and follows the rules here. (Side note: Best part about being a gai-jin? You can't understand their instructions so you don't know/feel bad if you don't follow their instructions properly!)
Everyone was wearing their summer cotton kimonos and I wanted to have one so badly and join in the fun. I still can't get over the flower and beads in the hair. So beautiful. Campbell and I stopped and got DELICIOUS street food on the way home before the show, including a "hawaiian beef taco" that, while grisly, had such incredible flavor and the tasty chicken on a stick -- one even had asparagus! YUM! Also got some Chu-hi (you guys are right, it's AWESOME) from 7-11 and thanks to no open container laws, just drank it while we walked home! People don't really eat and walk here, though... but I did!

So we went and saw the amazing fireworks (thank goodness the weather held out... even if it was super windy all day), and there were themes like "Surfer's Paradise" (really cool ground and low fireworks display with brilliant blues and lots of waves like the Bellagio fountains except FIRE), "to the brilliant future" (the blindingly bright and gold finale), one about the city flower of Urayasu that had all these chrysanthemum-looking fireworks, and my personal favorite "fireworks over Fuji". There even was an amazing announcer who delivered each theme's presentation in English. Get it, Shin-Urayasu! When we walked up, we thought there was construction going on at the next block over close to the water, but it turns out the two cranes were holding a wire creating the outline of Mt. Fuji with fireworks that when set off, glowed red and eventually turned brilliantly white and showered down white streams of sparks that looked like snow on Fuji. Then the most beautiful grand-finale-esque display of fireworks over Fuji. The city themed and structured the display so well! For the whole hour. Each section had a grand finale of its own, so they didn't wait to just blow their wad all at the end. Each grand finale was beautiful and grand and blindingly bright with hundreds of fireworks overlapping. And in between they set off the huge spectacle fireworks in the sky that shook your uvula with each boom and were so creative and stunning. And expensive. Clearly I liked it.

So that pretty much topped off a great day. After finding out that yes, I do have 3 days off next weekend, I do intend to climb Fuji I just need to find a friend who wants to go with me. (I don't know many people yet since I only have one other singer going through the process with me for the first two weeks, and since he lived here before he has lots of friends and places and things to do whilst I still have yet to unpack). And today will be day 2 of rehearsal before tomorrow's day off. And I get internet in about 3 hours when the JCom guy comes! Hooray!

Yesterday's rehearsal was surprisingly hard and fun. We got to TDR relatively quickly for our commute, so we stopped at the convenience store to get a snack. There we met Ai-san, our director, who is amazing, and apparently (shhh!) the first Annie when it came to Japan and also part of the first all-female Kabuki theatre. She also is my director for BBB so I'm excited. I'm glad I felt pressure to do my homework, because straight off the bat, after a little explanation of our show, we went straight into singing with the track and microphones in hand. Our first time through in rehearsal of the opening! And within 10 minutes, one at a time! Talk about homework. And I'm supposed to be off-book as much as possible for blocking rehearsal today. Of the whole show! These peeps don't kid around! That being said, we spent 4 hours learning the whole show and they were happy to break down our trouble spots, and were very patient whilst learning the Japanese section. Oh yes, dear friends, not only do I sing in English, but also in Japanese, and Spanish! Which, shockingly, the Japanese was easier to learn yesterday, in part, I think, because I've been hearing it so much and trying to wrap my tongue around as much as I can in my daily life. There's a fourth language in our show as well, Hawaiian, but only the characters and dancers perform that (clearly I'll be changing clothes).

I'm also really glad I just did HSM because the show is surprisingly difficult and sits up in that lovely break section for much of it. I do think I'll have to flip for the end of the show, though. Naturally, we sing about 16 measures of B natches... in Japanese, out of nowhere! Thank goodness for a good, old handheld mic. Lily, our translator, is just a doll and really wonderful at our job, and I adore the fact that there were probably 8-10 people in my rehearsal throughout the day. We are expected to work hard, but also taken care of so well here. And today I get to meet our Japanese dancers!

At one point, the Mythica show people had to use part of our rehearsal room as their final launching area for their show, and I had to try so hard not to get distracted and sneak peeks at their AMAZING costumes. I can't wait to see that show! I definitely even got a polite little "pay attention to your job" tap on the shoulder from Ai-san at one point. Oops. Kindergartener with ADD right here!

So day 1 of rehearsal/ day 3 of Japan experience was pretty rockin'. Time to do my homework since once again I was in bed by 10 PM and up at 6 AM. Talk to y'all via Skype later today/tomorrow for you!

Top 6 Things of Day 2

6. Realizing I live in Japan now, and I'm okay with and excited about that. On the way home from work yesterday Campbell took me through a the market in Shin-Urayasu station and later I took a trip back to the Ito. Maybe it was because I wasn't quite as exhausted as the day before (though that's not really true) or maybe it was because I just was a bit more adjusted to seeing things in Japanese and figuring out pictures, but I felt more at ease with attempting to decipher the grocery. Not that I probably succeeded very well, but hey... I live in Japan now and haven't starved yet! I even managed to make a copy at 7-11, utilize the bank ATM, and trade in my train card for a Suica card (like SmartCard in DC), as well as call the internet company, ask for someone who speaks English, and set up an appointment to have them install my internet Sunday morning. So hopefully I'll be able to Skype soon! Even the city office where I applied for my Alien Registration Card, seeing the water (that looked like a painting), and the crazy humidity/rain all made it feel like home. And the little jaunt when we stopped with Atsuko-san for her lunch at a little bakery called Maman Daughter that was basically in the back of someone's home, the smells and sights overwhelmed and excited me. I wish I had gotten something tasty!

5. Having my own personal tour guide. Since I arrived in Japan early for the Summer Party show, the only other person going through "orientation" was Campbell, a singer who has done two contracts of BBB already. Practically a rockstar at Disney backstage, he kept seeing lots of old friends who were so surprised to see him, and I got a whole day of one-on-one hints about the gai-jin (foreigner) experience here in Japan. I met lots of new faces and learned little hints, had someone actually explain the convenience store and cafeteria to me in depth (so it was slightly less of a trial by fire), and when we got to any sort of uncomfortable translation situation, he was able to offer bits of translation as well as personal suggestions/cautions/warnings from his personal experience. We'll be spending a lot of time together through rehearsals as the only two who speak English so I am thankful for his years of expertise and hope we'll be good friends. We won't see each other much once we open the show, but I'm definitely thankful I have a friend and helper as nice as he.

4. Seeing backstage at TDR and Ikspiari for the first time. In general, most of backstage seems like a film lot, just lots of warehouse buildings, people milling around, buses, and little glimpses of the volcano or the castle at Disneyland or some of the parade floats to remind you where you are. But two times I turned into a kid all over again. when a Splash mountain boat was being transported on the back of a little Japanese truck, and when I saw the amazing old-fashioned limo/car that must be Mickey's car from the 1940's. I just turned into a little kid all over again. And whilst walking through the giant mall that is Ikspiari that we basically cross through to get to the cast member entrance, I just found myself in awe that the Miracle Mile at Planet Hollywood might as well be my daily walk-through. I'm just so overwhelmed by the monorail and the magic. I'm a part of that!

3. The supposedly super-short Japanese culture ~ So when I got here, I expected to be a giant among men, but I was pleasantly surprised by the height of the Japanese, especially the women. Maybe it's because the cast of HSM at MGR's ladies were all quite miniscule (love you, ladies!) but everyone is very similar in height to an average height American. That's not to say I'm not still very tall, but I'm merely a head above everyone else. M___-san explained to me yesterday that the elderly generation is much shorter than the younger folk. But, point proven, on our little bus jaunt back from the station, the center bus bar took out my sunglasses (that were on top of my head) like a kid shooting BB's at a glass bottle. Luckily they prevented me from getting a nice big bump, but I find myself having to specifically DUCK on both the bus and the train to avoid hitting all the door frames, bars, and hanging handles. Guess it's just a new thing to get used to. Heck, I sometimes hit my head on the old W or R trains back home!

2. The ID office ~ When we went to get our TDR ID's after lunch, two things happened to me that really caught my emotions by surprise and were the two internally overwhelming moments of the day. First, as we walked in with M___, our interpreter, they non-English speaking me directed me to sit in the chair. As they called me over, they addressed me in the formal Japanese way as Christopher-san. Well, it was the first time it happened, and frankly, I don't know why, but I just loved it. Maybe it's like Mr. Christopher. It just made me feel welcome and part of the culture and special. The second moment was one of those moments that catches you off-guard in life, leaving you a bit breathless but just full of .... something. I don't know if it's love or memory or what, but it's like these fumes just waft up from your secret well of emotion that you didn't mean to uncover, but it shocks you for a mere moment of eternity. Basically, one of the men working at the copy machine somehow looked or did something that was like one of those flashing arrow signs in Vegas... it just pointed right to my dad in my heart. And it made me feel so comforted to see my father in a Japanese man in the security office. It just felt like the universe saying, yup... he's right here with you and he thinks this is awesome. So thanks, Dad. I think you'd be pretty stoked to come see me here if you could. And I wish it so...

1. The Japanese/English partnership at work: From the talent office staff who will always handle my affairs (since they speak so much English) to the people who are there to interpret and explain and ask questions for us when we deal with those who speak less English (like Kioko-san (which made me miss my Bestie!) who handled our insurance and the production manager for Summer Party) to the 85 ladies in my costume fitting, everyone has been so welcoming and generous and excited to see us, that I can't wait to get to work today! The costume fitting was one of the most interesting ever. They pretty much didn't believe I really am this skinny/my legs are really that long/my feet are actually that small. Ha! At one point they were so nervous to ask if I would mind wearing my own jeans and relinquishing them to the costumers for the Cowboy section of our show since jeans would be majorly difficult to buy for me in Japan, that I think there were shocked when I said of course I don't mind and yes. It turns out they changed their mind and had bought me a pair (that fit very well and were only slightly too short) that will go inside the cowboy boots anyway, but they were so wonderful and kind and sweet, even when lost in translation. I'm not quite used to the experience of fully underdressing tights and a leotard as your "skins", but as Campbell pointed out, it makes for easier quick changes. And hey, now everyone gets to see that I look like a crazy busted gymnast! HA! It was also fun to have people poking and fixing you, not understanding (but having a pretty good idea of) what was working and not working or what they were giggling about, but also relishing the care and precision and fit with which they were fitting me. Seriously, best fitting ever.

Needless to say, those were merely the best things about a pretty fantastic day. I don't think I've ever gotten as much paperwork in my life, or been directed to sign so many forms I didn't understand before. I did feel rather unprepared for rehearsal today, so I came home and studied while I ate dinner, but was literally sitting at my computer falling asleep. It's really not all that surprising when you consider I had basically been up since 4 AM and hadn't gotten a good night's rest in 48 hours. So I passed out shortly after 9 PM (I mean, when was the last time I went to bed at 9 PM?) and wasn't too thrilled when I woke up at 3:30 AM, but I finally passed out about 45 minutes later and slept till right before my alarm went off at 9 AM. Guess I needed some sleep, huh?
And Campbell and I are quite thrilled because we only rehearse from 1 to 6 today and will be home in time for the apparent madness that is the city's fireworks display from 7:30 to 8:30!!! YAY! (they can do fireworks early here because they don't have DST and it's dark by 7;30!). I'm literally so excited for MORE fireworks over the water and my first crazy crowded Japanese experience, not to mention the wonderful reputation of fireworks here!
So here goes day 3! Time to sing the whole show!

The Toph in Tokyo: Day 1.

First and foremost, thank you to the kind and most likely blissfully unaware sir/madam/future fellow employee whose internet I am currently "borrowing" until I can set mine up with J Com.

Secondly, thank you to all my friends and family who helped me survive the long 24 hour day I am wrapping up halfway across the world from where it began. Even though technically it is now tomorrow, and almost the next day. Lame. Soup. (Maybe it would be better if I refrain from using inside jokes on this blog, but basically this one's easy. I dropped Joshua's iPhone in a millimeter of soup two days ago at the Olive Garden. And Soup on my iPhone is too long, so when something's bad or confusing, I now just say "Soup"). So "soup" to my nerdy time-zone-aware self.

Thirdly, let's get day one's adventures down on paper so I can get some rest!

The day began with lots of calm nervousness. Hodgekins was wonderful at ushering me down the door (two 70 lb bags in tow), and soon I was on my way to JFK with a delightful final phone call from Lauren. Then, the worst part of my day began. I don't know what we're all focusing our attentions on right now, but once we pass health care reform and somehow pull ourselves out of this economic crisis... COULD SOMEONE PLEASE STOP THE AIRLINES FROM BEING THE BIGGEST SCAMMERS EVER?!?!?!?!?! Sweet beans on toast! If it requires letters and appearances in front of Congress like that lady talking about her cancer and crappy health care on CNN today, then crud, I will do it. I mean, is no one else noticing the fact that we as consumers are getting raped (sorry, but it's true) by U.S. airlines? Super lame. Souper soup.

I walked into JFK, told the Northwest/Delta idiots I was flying to Tokyo via Detroit, was ushered one direction, then to a line of machines that was customer-free (because they actually weren't working) then back to the original check-in. Do the fast and friendly computer check-in and wait patiently for oh, I don't know, the time it takes to bake a cake, for someone to come hand me my bag tags. Now let's review. I checked, double, triple, even quadruple-checked baggage allowances. I mean, what dope anymore would fly overseas for 9 months and not figure out what he's getting into? So I went online and much to my relief, found that your first two 50 lb. bags are free. And, with any ticket purchased prior to June 27, 2009, an overweight bag up to 70 lbs. is only a $50 "heavy bag" fee. However, the lovely "lady" behind the counter instantly hesitated and asked why my bags were overweight. Like anyone in their right mind would be crazy to pack more than 10 lbs to fly overseas for 9 months. I explained that I didn't mind paying the weight charge of $50 (since my employer will cover it) when the RUDE, irritable, hates-her-life, stereotypical woman from Brooklyn at the next counter HELPING SOMEONE ELSE proceeded to jump down my throat and claw out my vocal chords with a basilisk fang. She instantly chose to ream me out, rather than listen to what, in my humble opinion, was a very valid claim. Mind you, next time I will be printing out luggage regulations from the internet before I travel ANYWHERE. She informed me that it was $90 per bag domestic, $150 international, and that I was crazy, wrong, irrational, obnoxious, and could ask anyone else but they would all treat me the same and tell me the same thing. Rather than make a scene, much like a family with 2 small children was doing since Northwest denied them check-in to their flight to Minneapolis, I chose to visit another agent, who kindly helped me without treating me like the hair in the bottom of the drain. I explained I would pay the overage charges, or repack a third bag I had packed in the suitcase, whatever was cheapest and easiest. In the end, I paid $90 per bag, which is fine because, again, it will be reimbursed, but the lady was kind enough to supposedly give me the "domestic" charge because I happened to be flying through Detroit. And she didn't make me unpack the 3 lbs from the one suitcase that happened to be 73. I then asked if even though my ticket was bought in May 2009, if luggage regulations change before I leave in April 2010, I would still be permitted to carry what was PAID FOR IN FULL in May 2009. She informed me, no, I would be subject to whatever whimsy NWA/Delta feels is appropriate at the time. She, in fact, politely encouraged me to send my luggage FedEx because it's cheaper.

This, dear friends and readers, is why NWA/Delta will continue to remain on my No-Fly list. (I have no choice when my employer books me otherwise). I know, in fact, all U.S. airlines feel it more respectable to charge unsuspecting travelers arriving at the airport RIDICULOUS transportation fees, but it is, in fact, happening all over the U.S. Beware, and perhaps one of our elected leaders could take notice that our airlines are quickly going the way of the housing market.

Meanwhile, I'd like to point out how EXACTLY right I am. Please go to: http://www.nwa.com/travel/luggage/checked.html#freeluggage and scroll 7/8 of the way down the page. You'll notice there is a distinct table for international overage fees for both BEFORE June 27, 2009 and AFTER. Before says $50 for 51-70 pounds. Now, even this isn't correct and only applies to travel to Europe, there is also, only 1/4 of the way down the page, a link for baggage requirements that reads "Get baggage allowance information for tickets purchased prior to June 27, 2009". I have also pasted the link to this evidence here: http://www.nwa.com/features/baggagearchived/ Again, the heavy bag fee for the first two bags is $50. I'm just saying... NWA. YOU SUCK. I HAVE EVIDENCE. I'm calling you and getting my money back.

Luckily, though this nearly had me shaking with fury, adrenaline, nerves, and tears, I kept my calm, and went through security. I had some time to kill, even though that last infuriating encounter took a good 45 minutes, and I foolishly thought there would be food options through security. Alas, JFK is as bad as La Guardia. So I stopped at the Panda Express where Kristin Chenoweth (seriously, she could've been her with maybe a little Latino mixed in, but seriously that short and the same face and hair) waited on me. Turns out, my NWA flight to Detroit was delayed, which had me worried about my by-the-skin-of-your-teeth connection time of 45 minutes, but they assured us REPEATEDLY at the gate that all connections would still be made.

Cut to... we land in Detroit 25 minutes late, I call my mother as we taxi to say goodbye, and proceed to hurriedly rush off the plane (not like NWA would've been courteous enough to ask those without connections to let those of us with connections to de-plane first), hang up with mom, and pee fast as lightning. As I am rushing the 36 gates (probably a good mile) to my next flight, I hear "Final Boarding Call for NW Flight 25 to Tokyo! Passengers ___ and ___ and (me) please report to gate A40 immediately for final boarding." What am I supposed to do? I literally SPRINT through the airport, listening to my name called probably 3 times, SPRINTING across moving walkways (in Crocs mind you), rollybag in tow, nearly taking people out, and saying (under my breath to no one in particular/the voice overhead), "I'm on my way and hurrying as fast as I can!" I sprint up to the gate Home-Alone style, they ask me my name, and I get my passport/boarding pass out of my backpack. I wheeze out, "I'm sorry, our plane literally JUST landed from NY" and run onto the plane. At which point the gate agent politely tells me, "Don't worry, take your time". RIGHT NWA, because you were so kind as to communicate with your other employees and make sure I made the connection, or possibly have a cart waiting for me at the gate so I didn't have to sprint a mile (I mean, what if I was 60?), or heck, go out on a limb and not park my NY-Detroit flight 36 gates away!

Anyway, I made it onto the flight (thank goodness!) and found my seat. The so-called "exit row" was NOT, after all, a normal exit row, just a row with the exit in front of the window seat so that man had extra room, and therefore I foolishly gave up my aisle seat for the promise of extra leg room in the middle seat of an exit row only to find a nice seat in my knees and face. I sat between two very kind Asian men, the window who spoke English very well, and the aisle who clearly did not. We took off, and I slept on and off, thanks to the free wine, and the food was not half bad either (1 point NWA, 9,865 points Tophs). No hot chocolate though. The flight attendant told me I could find some at Starbucks (no joke) when I asked for some. Strike 45, NWA. And to top it all off, when it was discovered the sound of the movie system wasn't working (community ones, NWA isn't kind enough to have individual seat players like Qantas), a different flight attendant (from the hot chocolate Nazi) told us that they weren't going to reset or switch over to the secondary system for 2 hours until food service was over because they could only do it once and wanted to see if it would work once the actual movies started. Guess what? Two hours later... still no sound, they switched it, and magically it worked. So once again, NWA felt it kinder just to bore me out of my time for 2 hours than to provide a menial service like in-flight entertainment. Not that I'd call Dragonball or Race to Witch Mountain entertainment. And the one episode of "Mad Men", while beautiful to look at, in their opinion wasn't worth sound. But I whine and moan too much. There was one beautiful part (shocking!) -- when I found time to stretch my legs and travel back to look out the window and see Alaska or the Northern Territories from above. BEAUTIFUL.

But enough with the sarcasm... Let's move on to the good parts. Besides, it's way past bedtime.

Tokyo Airport is amazing and very English friendly. And of the 5 people on my flight who apparently chose Tokyo as their final destination, I found myself shocked that the airport felt more like 3 in the morning than 5 at night. Which my body surely THOUGHT was 3 in the morning. Seriously, VACANT. Got through customs in 5 minutes, and met the lovely lady with my name on a sign who escorted me to the Currency Exchange (much better rate here than in NYC), and to my limo service. Pretty much got totally in awe when she bowed as we drove away. So reverent. Really. Just beautiful. (NWA, you could learn something about service from the people here).

It was a beautiful drive in introspective silence since my driver spoke as much English as I do Japanese, and I just sat in awe at the greenery, the cars, the sunset, the skyscrapers, and was surprised at much of the English on signs.

First stifled giggle: Their EZPass-type toll booth readers here beep when they go through them, and in my driver's case, at one booth, it felt it necessary to speak. Which basically sounded high and feminine and squeaky and caught me totally by surprise in my silent car ride. Imagine the sultry GPS lady voice, only stereotypical 12 year-old Japanese girl voice speaking Japanese. Hence, giggle.

We pulled up, and I realized in shock that I would be living across the street from Babies R Us. No lie. Not even Babies R Us written in Japanese. The most American store possible. HA. Actually kinda bummed me out. Seriously, I walk out of my front door and you can see it and the apartment building across the street. Lame. Thank goodness everything else isn't quite so English-ified.

Had a lovely tour and orientation with Chris, who was so thrilled we had the same name. (I didn't have the heart to correct him). Moved in to my room, and laughed when I realized that every appliance requires an instruction manual to figure out how to work it. But I managed just fine. I even met a couple of the other performers (how nice it was to hear English, and I'd only been here an hour!) and one was even kind enough to help me carry my bags to my room! Thank you, kind sir!

So now... it is actually 7 hours later, 7 AM Friday, and alas, after being that tired, I only managed to sleep till 4 AM. It felt even better when the sun peeked its head out 4:30 AM - NOT. I vote that Japan should join the ranks of Daylight Savings Time. Not that I even have a vote. At which point I revisited the classic comedy "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and made me a tad homesick (and more loving and appreciative) for Astoria. Managed to sneak in another 45 minutes or so of dreaming sleep (I had all sorts of crazy dreams about TDR) and found myself wide awake at 6 AM.

So here I am, ready to complete this re-telling of Day 1 of Tophs in Tokyo! After a solid 45 minutes of scoping out my "hospital room" (as Michael so lovingly described it), I ventured down the street to the Ito. Now for those of you unfamiliar with Urayasu, the Ito Yakado is basically your local grocery store, Super Wal-Mart style. I merely ventured through the first floor which has a KFC, McD's, Bakery, Grocery, Clothing Department, and there's still two more to discover (including the elusive 100 Yen store!). It was here I realized how much of a "Tophs out of Water" I really am! I had seen a few English-speaking faces on the way (in variably on their way home from a long day at the park) and in the apartment complex as well. But not at 8 PM in the Ito! My mom later asked if people were staring at me, but honestly, I was so intent on finding one final meal, and some milk, cereal, and juice for the morning whilst exploring the overwhelming experience that is grocery shopping, that I didn't notice anything except pictures, products I had to guess at, and the little gem of an English word/brand here or there! I managed to find my groceries, but failed at even the simple task of remembering bottled water, and frankly, was too exhausted to do much but check out. I don't think I've ever demurely said "Hello" to someone before, or basically managed to pull off an entire transaction without saying or understanding ANYTHING, but there you have it. I did it. Awkward, quiet, introspective Tophs just trying to be polite and not offend anyone. Thank goodness people had warned me about money going in the tray, and even though I felt CRAZY, I'm guessing the people at the Ito are totally used to it with all the gai-jin down the road. Nonetheless, I managed to succumb and order by pointing at McD's for my first Big Mac in years! I won't even try to hide the fact at how good it tasted, probably because I was overwhelmed and overstimulated and starving. The lovely girl did manage to ask "to go?" and I was on my way. Realizing the water error, I stopped into the 7-11 that's on the way, and found myself once again so uncomfortable. The girl behind the counter was ADORABLE and remarkably sweet, and even carried on a minor conversation in English with me (she probably knew more than I expected or gave her credit for) and I managed to use coin currency for the first time. Honestly, I was just ready to change and head for bed.

I called my mom as she was heading to work (6 AM her time) and I think more than anything it really comforted her to know I made it here safely. Then I devoured the Big Mac (seriously, I'm shocked at how good it was, I never get a burger with cheese or mayo on it), and sat down to finish this monster of a blog.

Now a relaxing morning before orientation and Alien Registration and costume fitting day! Here's to hoping I actually bought milk, and not cream of some sort!

In summary, though, I think the most ironic part of the day is that in the whole overwhelming and exhausting experience, the part that had me shaking on the verge of tears, and ready to never move overseas again was checking in in the frakkin' United States. When I was rested, fed, and pleasant! Maybe it's because I expect to be confused and lost every step of the way here in Japan and therefore am attempting to approach everything with patience. And for some strange, remarkable reason, I'd expect JFK employees not to treat me like a terrorist.

Meh. Welcome to Japan, Tophs! Here goes NOTHIN'!