I made it. I'm in Tokyo for the JET orientation. As soon as I got off the airplane into the Narita airport the humidity hit like wall. It seemed that there was no air conditioning because we were all sweating as we waited the 45 min to get through customs. After finally getting to our hotel in the heart of Tokyo, myself and some other hungry travelling companions ventured out into the city in search of some authentic Japanese cuisine. We found a great sushi bar where the dishes were put out on a conveyor to be picked at our discretion. Each dish I chose was far better than any sushi I had had in Vancouver and was far less expensive! The staff were shouting in Japanese back and forth and when we finally figured out how the pricing scheme worked, we ordered like we had never eaten sushi in our lives. At each 'station' there were these spouts emerging from the counter from which we could obtain hot water to make our own Japanese tea. After this extravaganza, we continued along the street lit by the flashing lights of the signs and advertisements of the various shops and restaurants until we found our next destination: karaoke. After paying 1200 yen, we were ushered into our own private room where we picked from the variety of english songs and sang to "sweet child of mine," "ring of fire," and some other various selections. It was a satisfying Japanese adventure in Tokyo.
The following day was filled with various seminars pertaining to our coming experience living and teaching in Japan. I felt so professional wearing my suit and surrounded by colleagues similarly dressed in business attire, attending sessions in a posh downtown Tokyo hotel. What a change from just a few weeks ago where clean clothes and a shower were luxuries.