One of my room partner woke me up in a few minutes and told me to get ready. I resisted in sharp voice, "do you go to the office at 4 in the morning"?. "No", my friend replied. "Please have a look at your wrist watch, if at all it is set according to Japan Standard Time". I looked into my watch, it was 7:15 in the morning, so I was sleeping for whole four hours and I was feeling like I had just reached the apartment few minutes ago from my journey all the way from Mumbai. Still in a voice of protest I said, "but its just 4 hours I was sleeping, don't you think it is unfair, especially when somebody is exhausted by a journey of 16 hours". My friend smiled and replied,"It is a Japan my friend, sleeping more than 4-5 hours is considered as a sin here, you have already completed your quota, now don't waste time and get ready quickly".
Two of my friends were going to drop me at the Shibuya station on the Yamanote line and one of my senior was going to pick me from there to take to our customer's office. In a 30 minutes we were out of our apartment, walking towards the Rokugoudote railway station. On a way to station one of my friend told me about our route to office. We were suppose to take a train from Rokugoudote till Shinagawa and from Shinagawa by changing the train we were suppose to travel till Shibuya station, a journey of 45 minutes. After reaching the station, I was told to get a ticket from a ticket vending machine. First time in my life I was trying to get a ticket from vending machine, I was just observing the machine for few seconds, then slowly put the note of 10,000 Yen and finally confused and entered wrong button, as a result my note came out of the machine as it is. A person wearing uniform was watching me and then came to help me. I asked him why the machine is not working, he was expression less. I repeated my sentence, he was still speechless and now confused. Suddenly my friend came and told the person that he needs a ticket till Shinagawa station in Japanese. Then his face started glowing, he took a money from me inserted into machine and entered the required information so fast that at the end of fifth second he was having my ticket and change in his hand. I thanked him and went ahead with my friends to the platform. On reaching platform, one of my friend muttered in my ears, "you are incredibly slow and now onward forget that you can speak English and start speaking in Japanese, this is not the international airport, the language of this nation is Japanese you should remember that always". "I agree that I should speak Japanese but I object that I am slow, that person works here only, it is his profession so it is natural that he did it faster than me", I protested. My friend then shouted at me,"yeah I know that, but you took a whole minute and 30 more seconds and still could not get your ticket, everything was instructed there. We normally do it in 20 seconds, as you are new you are allowed to take 15 more seconds but instead you took 70 more seconds". "But its just 70 seconds, not 70 minutes or hours, how can you say that you are too slow", I still tried to argue. My friend looked at me sharply and said,"welcome to Japan. you are not in India now.This is a Land of Rising Sun, here the day starts and ends before rest of the world. Here every second counts".
With this heated debate my first day in Japan started. Soon our train came on platform, due to peak hour the train was crowded but there was no rush like the Mumbai trains, people were boarding the train gently in a queue. We got down from the train on next to next station called 'Kamata'. Before I ask anything , both of my friends replied, we are here to board the fast train, it doesn't stop on Rokugoudote. The fast train directly stops on Shinagawa station, skipping all other stations between Kamata and Shinagawa. I understood, its the same like Mumbai local trains.
After reaching Shinagawa station, my friend took me to ticket counter and told me to take a ticket till Shibuya as we are changing the line or route. This time there was a person issuing tickets hence I could get it in time and we headed for the platform.
This particular route from Shinagawa onwards which goes further to Tokyo station is the busiest train route of Tokyo, during peak hours the trains arrives every one minute thirty seconds. This route is called as Yamanote line of Japan Railway or simply JR.
On Shibuya station my senior was waiting for me, the two of my friend wished me all the best, told me that they will join me in two days and they left for another customer's office.
The office was at ten minutes distance by walk from station. On a way to office my senior gave me a brief introduction about the customer company and my roles and responsibilities during my stay.
Shortly we entered in a tall building. When our elevator stopped at 10 th floor we came out of that and entered the office. First time in my life I was entering into some office in a foreign country. Without looking here and there, I followed my senior and stopped at one desk, a middle age Japanese man of medium height was sitting there. He looked up and rose from his seat, both my senior and that Japanese man greeted each other, then my senior turned and introduced me with him. He was a project manager and was going to be our point of contact. After exchanging our visiting cards and few formal words, they went away to attend some meeting leaving me alone in a reception area. I was sitting there for 45 minutes. I could not see anybody from there, there was a pin drop silence, there were people inside but they were just working and were talking only when needed.
When my senior came back to me he gave me a breaking news, he told me that I need to go back to my company office at Ikegami, my work station was not ready. I did not reply. He paused for few seconds and then said in low voice, "I will tell you how to go to Ikegami". "What"? I was shocked, "you are not coming with me"? I asked him in scary voice. "No", he replied in calm voice. "I have few meetings and discussions today and coming with you to Ikegami and returning to Shibuya will cost me at least 2 hours. It is simple you need to change your train just once". "Ok", I replied reluctantly. After having breakfast, I left for the Ikegami. I found the station then asked for a ticket on ticket counter, boarded the train and got down on 'Gotanda' station. Everything was going smoothly so far. Then I started searching for a Tokyo Ikegami sen's entry point. I found the gate and while entering I put my ticket into machine, the doors for entry opened but at the exit the doors remained closed. I was confused and finally tried to cross the closed those short doors. Then staff member of Tokyo Ikegami line came to my rescue, he told me that I need to buy the ticket from Gotanda station to Ikegami station which I didn't have. So I got the simple rule of the train journey, different route then different ticket. I thanked that person, went to the platform and boarded the train. After journey of 30 minutes I reached Ikegami and by referring the map, provided by senior finally I reached office.
Everybody was surprised to see me there, I explained them everything and occupied one desk in the office. I couldn't notice when I fell asleep. But in the evening my room partner woke me up and told that in five minutes we will be leaving for our apartment, I realized that I was sleeping for almost 5 hours on my desk. This was enough for the day, I quietly packed my bag and left the office.
(in continuation)
After reaching Shinagawa station, my friend took me to ticket counter and told me to take a ticket till Shibuya as we are changing the line or route. This time there was a person issuing tickets hence I could get it in time and we headed for the platform.
This particular route from Shinagawa onwards which goes further to Tokyo station is the busiest train route of Tokyo, during peak hours the trains arrives every one minute thirty seconds. This route is called as Yamanote line of Japan Railway or simply JR.
On Shibuya station my senior was waiting for me, the two of my friend wished me all the best, told me that they will join me in two days and they left for another customer's office.
The office was at ten minutes distance by walk from station. On a way to office my senior gave me a brief introduction about the customer company and my roles and responsibilities during my stay.
Shortly we entered in a tall building. When our elevator stopped at 10 th floor we came out of that and entered the office. First time in my life I was entering into some office in a foreign country. Without looking here and there, I followed my senior and stopped at one desk, a middle age Japanese man of medium height was sitting there. He looked up and rose from his seat, both my senior and that Japanese man greeted each other, then my senior turned and introduced me with him. He was a project manager and was going to be our point of contact. After exchanging our visiting cards and few formal words, they went away to attend some meeting leaving me alone in a reception area. I was sitting there for 45 minutes. I could not see anybody from there, there was a pin drop silence, there were people inside but they were just working and were talking only when needed.
When my senior came back to me he gave me a breaking news, he told me that I need to go back to my company office at Ikegami, my work station was not ready. I did not reply. He paused for few seconds and then said in low voice, "I will tell you how to go to Ikegami". "What"? I was shocked, "you are not coming with me"? I asked him in scary voice. "No", he replied in calm voice. "I have few meetings and discussions today and coming with you to Ikegami and returning to Shibuya will cost me at least 2 hours. It is simple you need to change your train just once". "Ok", I replied reluctantly. After having breakfast, I left for the Ikegami. I found the station then asked for a ticket on ticket counter, boarded the train and got down on 'Gotanda' station. Everything was going smoothly so far. Then I started searching for a Tokyo Ikegami sen's entry point. I found the gate and while entering I put my ticket into machine, the doors for entry opened but at the exit the doors remained closed. I was confused and finally tried to cross the closed those short doors. Then staff member of Tokyo Ikegami line came to my rescue, he told me that I need to buy the ticket from Gotanda station to Ikegami station which I didn't have. So I got the simple rule of the train journey, different route then different ticket. I thanked that person, went to the platform and boarded the train. After journey of 30 minutes I reached Ikegami and by referring the map, provided by senior finally I reached office.
Everybody was surprised to see me there, I explained them everything and occupied one desk in the office. I couldn't notice when I fell asleep. But in the evening my room partner woke me up and told that in five minutes we will be leaving for our apartment, I realized that I was sleeping for almost 5 hours on my desk. This was enough for the day, I quietly packed my bag and left the office.
(in continuation)
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