I arrived on Tokyo around 2:00 p.m., after a 14-hour flight and a 30-minute transfer through customs. I was greeted at Narita airport by Fukuuchi-san and Nishimura-san, two members of Kobelco who had previously interviewed me.

Both were so friendly and helped me carry my bags to the train station as we headed to my temporary home in Tokyo.

Once arriving at my apartment, we sat my bags down and headed out to explore my new neighborhood.

We walked all around the Meguro-district. I saw amazing shops full of tasty food and really nice clothes. Everyone I passed as I walked through Meguro appeared to greet me with a smile.

I felt very relieved to be in a place with such kind and welcoming people.

After walking the streets of Meguro for a while, we stopped into a tonkatsu (fried pork) shop. It was the most delicious tonkatsu I had ever tasted in my life.

After dinner, we said our goodbyes and I got ready for my first day at Kobelco.