San Francisco and on to Tokyo

Orientation in San Francisco started out with bad news and good news. Listening to lists of things to do (take off your shoes before stepping on wooden floors) and not to do (chew gum in public) was long but not the bad news. The director announced that because of budget cuts, our group would be the last of 12 years of JFMF (Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund) teacher programs. We felt very lucky and sorry for those who have applied several times and not gotten to go yet.
The good news was the reception at the Japanese Consulate on a hill overlooking the Bay. We got a preview of Japanese food before heading back to the hotel to try and sleep.
Sunday/Monday brought 21 hours of being awake, 12 of which were the plane ride which started an hour late and then took 2 hours longer than anticipated. They showed 4 full-length movies.
As exhausted as we were, most of us opted to go out to our first dinner in Tokyo with volunteers who were former JFMF participants. The guide for 5 of us was a retired economics professor. He took us to a restaurant within walking distance of our unbelievable hotel -- luxury, individual rooms. The tables at the restaurant were low, but there was a pit for our legs, so we didn’t have to sit on the floor. Our host ordered a variety of foods to share, and we often didn’t know what we were eating, but it was all Oishii -- delicious. The wood block in the picture is the "key" to the cubby where we left our shoes.

We were literally falling asleep in our plates by the time we headed back.