Day One back in Japan

Yesterday we were up early - again. It is summer, the sun is up early and so are the boys. We ate breakfast earlier than we usually do on school days!

Then, as I wrote yesterday, we hung around waiting for shops to open. Once we got going we really got going. We headed off to find a fridge and washing machine. If we were in the district we'd lived in the last four years, we'd have known where to go, but it was a little more tricky this time. Given some vague directions, we hopped on a train, went one station and then walked half-way to another. Eventually around lunch-time we found a large shopping centre and collapsed in the food court. One quite unlike we've seen for 12 months in Australia. No McDonalds, no KFC, no carvery or Subway. Only Japanese food. It was terrific. Our 5 y.o. and I chose noodles (udon), our 7 y.o. and David chose Japanese curry rice and our 11 y.o. chose rice and something like a rissole (hamburg - it looked like a steak, though). Once again the food was inhaled and during prayer time last night our 7 y.o. said a special thank you for a Japanese lunch!

Refreshed and refuelled, we set out for the electrical store nearby. To our joy, the fridges we'd looked at and tentatively selected on the internet were there and at a good price. To our surprise they were also in stock and able to be delivered the next day! A washing machine was no problem either (and much cheaper).

Crazy boys running and getting lost in the shop was a much bigger concern. They refused to listen and suffered the consequences - the loss of a trip to Mister Donuts (a much anticipated treat for our first day back). Ohhhh did our 7 y.o. moan. I just hope he'll do better next time.

By this time I had blisters forming on the balls of my feet. Too much walking in nearly new sandals. We still had to walk to the station and then walk back to our lodging. I made it without the blisters busting, thankfully.

In all of this we still felt no surprise or shock at being in Japan. It was like getting back on the bike after a bit of a break. It still seems amazing that a place so foreign to most Australians has become so familiar to us. We even had little trouble with our Japanese.

Besides being footsore, my head was starting to ache and spin, so I lay down for a good portion of the afternoon. David, however, geared himself up for a call to the telephone/internet company and managed to organise for it to be connected next Wednesday. That is faster than we managed in Australia, but there still will be a gap, although the school where David works is just down the road, so I'll probably be able to go down there and connect up occasionally.

One of the other things which stood out about the day was that because we had internet access yesterday, we were able to communicate our arrival to a lot of people quickly. We had many Facebook "Glad you made it"s from various people. But most encouraging were the "Welcome back"s from the community of friends and colleagues we already have in Tokyo. Leaving Australia is never easy, even though we feel strongly that we are doing what God wants us to do. The actual leaving bit is not fun. However moving to a place where you already have a lot of people who care about you takes the sting out of the tail. We've already got networks here that usually take months or years to establish when you move into a new place. We already have a babysitter for Friday when we have to take care of some official business at the city hall. Amazing!

Our 5 y.o. is delighted with his haul from yesterday too. He scored a new umbrella (essential for Tokyo living) and replacement scissors (which are even cuter than the ones Brisbane airport claimed).

Today David is on the other side of Tokyo supervising the moving of our stuff. The stuff we pack up and stored June last year. He'll also bring back a van we're borrowing for a month and tomorrow morning we'll drive back and take possession of the house ourselves. Can't wait! But in the meantime, I have to help the boys wait...one...more...day.