Arrival

It's been a long day. I left for the airport at 4:30am on Saturday. Two flights, one bus ride, and a short walk later I arrived at the apartment the firm found for me. It's a very basic studio--probably not as nice as the one I stayed in during my 2011 visit, but I think the neighborhood is better (to be explained later).

The first thing I did when I walked in the door was power up my laptop to send out a message to my family.  (My firm Blackberry has failed to connect to the cell network here despite the IT department's efforts to ready it to roam in Asia.)  Then, I unpacked both suitcases before turning in for the night.

Other highlights:

• Enjoying business class.  After sitting in coach on trips to China and India (in the middle seat!), I will never take the luxury that is international business class for granted.
• Receiving my residence card.
• Explaining to customs officer what I am here to do in Japanese once I realized that he didn't know the word "law firm".

All in all, I judge the day a success.  Tomorrow, we'll see whether I can get to the office without getting lost.