[Thank you to my second guest reviewer for the kind words. Bonus points to them for catching my use of "flu" rather than "flew". Goes to show that I do my writing late at night after my daughter has gone to bed when I should be sleeping. I have one vote so far for long bookish chapters. That is my personal preference. Though I probably won't make chapters as long as a book here as it is hard to keep place without the pages to break up the text somewhat. Really, if I go with longer chapters it will probably be two to three postings to make up an actual chapter if printed as a book.

6/19/15: Only minor revisions to this chapter.

At the hotel the group of mostly young adults was gathered into a large conference room. Most everyone was dragging their feet, clearly spent and suffering from the sever jet lag. Tokyo is a whopping 16 hours ahead of Seattle and the time difference would likely take days to adjust to.

Sara and Michelle's plane finally managed to take off at around 9 Am on a Monday. Their bodies are feeling as if it should be 8 Pm on the same day. Due to the magic of time zones the current time in Tokyo is around Noon on Tuesday. When they eventually make the return trip, they will essentially travel back in time, landing in Seattle when according to the calendar and clocks they should just be leaving. Really, it is truly impressive to think about. Right now, no one in the room was feeling impressed; rather disheartened that time to sleep was still so far off.

The man who had escorted the group hadn't bothered introducing himself but stood at the head of the table as he waited for everyone to take seats. The man was tall, around six feet if not a little above. His hair was a sandy blonde and simple glasses sheltered his soft brown eyes. Being older than everyone in the group, he gave off a warm fatherly aura even in his dark suit. As chatter died down, he began to speak in perfect English only slightly touched with an English accent.

"First off, let me say: Welcome to Japan. I know that you all are very tired. You made a great journey to get here and will have your well-earned rest soon enough. Dinner will be brought in shortly. No doubt, you are all hungry. I know airplane food is almost as bad as hospital food." He pauses to smile at his own small joke. A few chuckles come from the group. Michelle is too tired but offers a small smile. Sara on the other hand gives a hearty laugh.

He continues, "For now I have some basic information to go over with you all." His face takes on a more serious expression.

"Whenever not inside your home, carry your visa and identification on you at all times. If it is lost, immediately go to the embassy to receive another. Authorities have full right to request to see your paperwork at any given time. Having it on your person will save you a lot of troubles and time, trust me.

Remember to contact us if you have any problems. Most of you have been set up with housing that ELT owns. I will speak to the few of you that are going to be in rental rooms. Every one of you will be taking over the housing of a former ELT teacher who has chosen to leave Japan. Many leave useful items for the next person to use. We encourage you to respect those items however they are yours to do with as you please.

Most of you are in traditional housing, without bathing facilities. You will be provided with the location of the local bath house with your assignment documents. Public bath houses tend to be cheap and individual privacy tends to be lacking in them. Get used to it.

I must remind you all, this is not America. You will do best to adapt a 'Japanese' attitude. You will have hardships, your feelings will get hurt and you will work over time. Learn and adopt the culture and this will be a much better experience." As he finished up this lasst and in many ways most important point, servers came into the room carrying large pots of stew, burners and bowls.

They made quick work of setting a few pots along the length of the table as well a basket of chopsticks, a pot of rice and pots of tea. This was a basic and informal stew meal. Everyone would dish the desired amount of rice and pick out of the pot what they wished. Large spoons rested in the pots for those that would like the juice as well. A small cup held forks and spoons for anyone who may not know how to use chopsticks or not be comfortable with them. Everyone quickly dished up before the man spoke again.

"Now, your greatest support through the next year of your stay here is everyone in this room. You are all Gaijin. Does anyone know exactly what that means?"

A man with a shaved head raised his hand. He was young, with dark eyes and even darker skin. " A foreigner." He spoke, plain as day as if it was something as simple as that before returning to his meal. The man in the suit sighed and spoke again.

"Yes, but here it means so much more than that. Anyone else have any ideas?"

"Someone who is not Japanese." Michelle's Clear voice rang out as she spoke with confidence. "Someone who as such is not a part of Japan, are not a part of the country, the group and never can be. Gaijin will always be just that, Gaijin." She paused before continuing. This was a lesson her Japanese Professor made sure his class understood. "Gaijin is used often in a derogatory sense to mean 'one who doesn't belong'. When used, it can be as simple as stating a fact or it can be used to cut like a knife." The man smiled at her.

"Very good. It will do you all good to remember that. 'Gaijin' in many ways is now a part of your identity. It is the first thing people will think when they see you. It can and probably will cause you hurt. Your best defense against sorrow and loneliness is fellow gaijin. Make friends with someone so you have someone to turn to that understands. "At this, he returns to his food.

Everyone is quite at first, thinking while eating. For some, the lesson was a slap in the face to some of them. This won't be easy like they thought. For others, such as the African American man that spoke up to answer the question that seemed so easy, it will be a continued battle that now has different rules. Slowly, people start talking to their neighbors. He is right after all; they need friends to make it through this. They all see that now.

The man finishes his small serving first and gathers envelopes before speaking again. "It is time for formal introductions. It should have happened sooner, for that I apologize." He stands. "My name is Tim Hage, I am your program coordinator. Hajimemashite." He says with a bow. Some students look confused at the Japanese tacked on at the end but none question him as they finish their plates. "As I call your name, please come up and collect your assignments and introduce yourself."

And so the parade begins. A John goes up first. The group is a good mix of ethnicity. Sara is one of the first called up. Her introduction includes that she loves purple, pink and is so very excited to meet everyone. Always cheery. Before here, everyone has just given their name and where they are from. Michelle is one of the last called up. She, like others, just gives the bare minimum of an introduction, too tired to care.

Michelle is pulled over by Sara who is chanting that she must see where Michelle is going. Sara's face breaks out into a huge grin after snatching the papers from Michelle. The girl starts jumping up and down with excitement, her waves bouncing with her body. Michelle is happy that Sara is pleased with her assignment however still hasn't gotten to see where she is going.

"We are both gong to Arakawa, Tokyo!" Sara announces with a laugh. Mr. Hage makes his way over to them.

"It seems you two know each other already?" He questions with a smile.

Michelle just nods, feeling the need to be quite to make up for the volume of Sara's rambling.

"You two are in a two bedroom apartment, unlike some others, yours's does have a traditional Japanese bathroom complete with a tub. However, it is down for repair, scheduled to take place later this month. "He mumbles looking over the paperwork. "Oh, the unit has the option of including a fridge or two bicycles, your preference?" He asks smiling. He has never had any choose to go without a fridge in order to avoid the expense of purchasing a bike before.

Michelle told him that she indeed, did want a fridge in the apartment. Who would have guessed? Somehow as unlikely as it seemed, both Sara and Michelle managed to be placed in the same location, though both assigned to some different schools. Both girls had one elementary school and a high school as their assignments. Both girls would be teaching at the same elementary school. They got off easy; some had three of four schools to teach at.

Slowly groups dispersed to their rooms. They had one night of rest before the race to get settled in their new homes. Classes start on Monday.

Arakawa is a district of Tokyo. Tokyo itself has 13 ward districts and is just massive. I do not know what district the gang are in so forgive me for taking some liberty with this.

Mr. Hage's lesson on the word 'gaijin' was a bit of a mix of what I was taught before my stay in Japan as a student and what my friend was taught before her stay as a teacher. Like many words in Japanese, gaijin has a underlying meaning as I tried to explain.

Hajimemashite is one of the words that don't directly translate. Many simple translate it as "nice to meet you" but that is only the quick answer that is good enough. It really means something more along the lines of "please be kind to me" and is thus a request to begin the relationship on a kind note.

I promise in the next chapter you will get to see a face you already know.