I am still alive

Ok, I realize it has been a few days since I have posted so here is the update:

Last Friday we checked out the Tokyo Metro line, which consists of 9 different subway lines crisscrossing the city. Our presentation was given by an American woman from New York. It was almost weird listening to a native English give a presentation, but we learned a lot about their routes and business model. The Tokyo Metro receives most of their capital from the city of Tokyo, but is in the process of becoming completely privately owned. The most interesting thing about the subway line is that it shares rail lines with 2 or 3 other private train companies. Passengers can ride on one train across the different territories without getting off. Only the drivers change as the trains move from one company's zone to another. Great for the passengers, but I am glad I am not the guy trying to coordinate the schedules of 3 train companies on one line.

After the lecture we had lunch and checked out Old Tokyo. Here I am by a temple. Besides Roppongi, Old Tokyo had the highest concentration of foreign travelers that I have seen since I got here. Once lunch was over, we took the subway across the city to check out the newest Tokyo Metro line and some of their newly renovated stations.



This weekend was a lot of fun. On Friday night we stayed in and watched movies. Then Kazuma and his girlfriend came over and we listened to old American songs and sang along. On Saturday, I met up with Adam, the brother of my co-worker in Wisconsin (Sam). We met at "What the Dickens," a British pub located smack dab in the middle of Tokyo. It just so happens that some of his college buddies also live in Japan, and I got to see their band play that night. The guys are all from Minnesota so we got to talk sports a bit. I am going to meet one of the guys for lunch sometime, and am planning on going to a Japanese baseball game with Adam on July 10th.

On the way back home, I rushed to get the last train (with a quick stop to grab a burger at Wendy's) and made it at the last minute. I was pretty bummed when I found out the train stopped for the night at the stop before mine, but within walking distance. When I got off the train everyone started running towards a different platform, so I followed. There was one more train there, but it was already very packed. I barely squeezed myself in, and was followed by a few more people that somehow also squeezed in. I ended up in the middle of the train. I was very pleased with myself until the train started moving...the wrong way. So much for following the crowd. Now two stops and a few miles from home, I took a $20 cab ride back to my place.

Stayed in the apartment all day Sunday and watched movies...

On Monday morning, we took off for Hamamatsu. We had a lecture on the operations of the Hamamatsu workshop and then took off for our hotel. We checked into the Grand Hotel Hamamatsu, and explored the town a bit. There isn't a whole lot here, but it is still a fairly large city with the usual shopping and restaurants. We had dinner at a local chain, and dessert at a Mister Donut. Apparently Mister Donut used to be a huge competitor for Dunkin Donuts in the US, until DD bought them out. They now mainly operate in Asia and El Salvador.

Today we went back to the workshop, which specializes in the complete overhaul of the Shinkansen trains every 1.2 million km. One of the trains was just getting done, so we got to tag along for the test run to Nagoya. The train was loaded with sensors and computers to make sure everything was working correctly. We ate lunch on the train, which was probably the fanciest bento box ever eaten on a train. It was amazing. The main course was eel, a local Hamamatsu speciality.



I think you are about caught up now. I am back in the hotel room this evening just watching some movies. Tomorrow I get to wear this fancy getup and learn about repairing rail lines: