Blizzard in Tokyo
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| At the Nagano Olympics |
I had been back in Tokyo for exactly one week. The weather was
cold, and my body -- which has already adapted to the mild Los Angeles
climate -- was a bit in shock. But I was caught completely off guard
by what happened on January 27th.
It was a Saturday, and my plans were all recreational. I was supposed
to meet my friend at Ikebukuro Station and together we were going
to go to an NLP workshop.
NLP -- an acronym for Neuro-Linguistic Programming -- is the study
of how humans think and experience the world. Through this study,
NLP aims to develop techniques for quickly and effectively changing
the thoughts, behaviors, and beliefs that limit us.
My friend had been participating occasionally in NLP workshops in
Tokyo and has told me enough about it to pique my interest, so when
he said there was another workshop this week, I asked to go with him.
Talk about limiting -- we were almost discouraged by the biggest blizzard
to hit Tokyo in half a decade.
When I got up Saturday morning, I was blown away by the blinding white
dust right outside my window. I just couldn't believe it, and tuned
into NHK for hours, listening to weather reports and the impact the
storm was having on the city. For a minute, I wondered if the trains
were even running, but happily the lines I needed to ride seemed to
be unaffected.
But I did have one more problem. Footwear.
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| These rubber boots did nothing to keep out the
cold! |
I came to Tokyo this time for a brief ten day stay, and accordingly,
I brought very little luggage. I did think about the weather enough
to remember to bring the long, heavy coat I wore at the Olympics when
I made an announcemented at the medal ceremonies. But for shoes, I
only brought a pair of loafers.
Needless to say, I wouldn't even make it as far as the station in
those loafers! But I couldn't go anywhere to buy or borrow a better
alternative either. Luckily, right across the street from where I
was staying, there was a teeny tiny little shoe store, the kind that
caters to older women and men. They sell geta and umbrellas and very
comfortable shoes. Well, they also sell rubber boots! And with a little
persuasion, I was able to convince the ojisan who runs the store to
bring a pair in size 23.5 across the street to me, where I gladly
handed over the \1500.
So, body snug in Olympic coat, feet completely waterproof in rubber
boots, head shielded from the storm by a big umbrella, I set off to
the train station. However, it only took a few steps in the slushy
snow to realize that while these rubber boots were totally waterproof,
they did nothing to keep out the cold! If I went on like this I would
surely catch a cold, so when I arrived at Shibuya station the first
thing I did was make a detour into the Tokyo Department store to buy
thick, warm socks!
Finally, I was able to go to Ikebukuro. When I arrived at the station
and met my friend, the site of the workshop was a good 10-15 minute
walk from the station, and I was very glad I had protected my poor
feet!
The workshop ended up being just a small group of people -- six in
all, and all of us foreigners -- but the three hours we spent together
were fun and informative. In fact, NLP seems so interesting that I
plan to buy some books and learn more about it.
After the workshop, we all went together to the Hub, a pub right near
Ikebukuro station, and had a few drinks and a bite to eat. Then, a
nijikai at another bar where they played some salsa on CD and I danced
with Kate, one of the participants in the workshop.
Funny thing about Kate -- it turns out she comes from a suburb of
Philadelphia not ten minutes from my hometown! Talk about small world.
("Small world" stories seem to be happening to me all the time these
days!)
After the second bar, I headed to Aoyama for a french fondue party
which, by the time I got there, was in full swing. I talked to Italian
and French men, ate some yummy fondue, and had a great time (until
somebody threw up all over the place and I took that as my cue to
leave!).
By the time we left Aoyama and headed home, the snow had finally stopped.
The blizzard in Tokyo was over, and I was really glad we had ventured
out despite the daunting weather.
In Tokyo,
Cara Jones
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