WHEN WE HIT JAPAN!!! Post 2

Day 2: Narita Airport and Narita Temple

Surprise, Surprise I was able to get a good 2 hours of uncomfortable sleep on the flight, To wake up finding a majority of the Lakeside crew still dreaming of their upcoming adventure. The flight was extremely turbulent, however most of us were able to manage this well. (Not all were able to keep their food down, but that is not my story to tell.) I was fortunate enough to watch an amazing Korean film entitled “A man who was Superman” This was a true story of a man who spent the last years of his life thinking he was Superman who had a piece of kryptonite stuck in his brain making him powerless. That is all I will say about the film but the reveal brought a tear to my eye.

We land in the cleanest place on earth; I was stunned at how tidy the airport was. My previous experiences when it came to exiting an airport consisted of a mad scramble to collect your bag, which took at least 30 minutes. Not so here, we scan in our fingerprints and by the time we get to the carousel to collect our bags, amazingly they were all their neatly waiting for us. (I snuck in a photo not realising that pictures are not allowed in the customs area) Walking out we meet up with representatives of Inzai Junior High to greet us at the gates. Apparently no one told the Japanese that it is meant to be summer in this part of the world as the rain started to drizzle around us.

The courtesy of our Japanese hosts is one of true love, knowing that our first destination was the temple they stopped and bought each and everyone of us umbrellas, really nice umbrellas. (I think I might take it home and give it to my mother for her birthday.) We arrived at the temple and I was blown away by the majesty of the temple and it’s surrounding. The main temple was at the top of what felt like a thousand steps with the water trickling down gave it more of a regal feel. The sight of this ancient architectural masterpiece made me feel a sense of wanting to see the holy Coptic monasteries of Egypt. I took a time out while the students entered the temple; I have the upmost respect for the culture that was shown however I didn’t feel that I could enter a temple that worships another god.

Standing at the top of the steps peering down at what looked like a daunting decent in the humid rains, a victory for common sense prevailed, as I was able to take the lift down. (Also I learnt that when in doubt add an o sound to the word you are attempting to communicate to the locals.) At the base of the temple again we as a group were able to see the small souvenir stalls. This is where the Egyptian blood kicked in and the bartering began, in a mighty battle of wits and determination between the shopkeeper who only spoke Japanese and the Egyptian barging king from Craigieburn (who at this stage has mastered the phrase “Domi Arigato” or Thank you. (not something that needs to be said in the beginning of a negotiation) I was able to talk down the price of 4 traditional Japanese spinning drums from the asking price of 1600 yen to an impressive 1300-yen to celebrate my victory with a taste of my first Dr. Pepper in a long time. JAPAN HOME OF THE WORLD’S GREATEST SOFTDRINKS!

Well it's off to the reason why we came, TO INZAI JUNIOR HIGHSCHOOL WE GO!!!

Mr. Sidhom