Arrival

Upon arrival at Narita International the first thing I noticed was how trusting Japanese people are. When going through customs in most countries, I would typically open my bag and allow the agent to sift through my belongings (destroying my neat packing) to assure them I had nothing dangerous inside. However, after lifting my suitcase onto the stand, the agent looked confused and just told me to continue on toward the exit. Not that I'm promoting it, but sneaking things into Japan would be pretty easy (Jessica, don't forget those cookies).

A Kameda driver was waiting for me at the exit and we struggled to even say hello to each other. It was a long car ride with very little spoken. We managed to establish that we both wanted the radio on and that we were going to the same place (the sign definitely helped with that one).

When we pulled into Kamogawa, the driver pointed out Kameda Medical Center, where I would be spending the next two or so months which is also the largest employer in Kamogawa. There are 11 companies associated with Kameda from property services to healthcare to IT. Just Kameda Medical center employs about 2,500 people.

Another five minutes past Kameda we pulled into a neighborhood and drove up a steep, narrow street to my preceptor, John Wocher's house. He built his house about four years ago and it is a mix of eastern and western styles with a great view of the Pacific Ocean. Midori, John's wife, greeted me at the door. They both gave me a very warm welcome and we sat down to dinner. We stayed up for a couple more hours talking about John's career and family and my background and interests. Since it had been a long day of traveling I went to bed somewhat early.