Farewell Dinner

My last day at Toshiba. (;;)

At 17:00 the department manager asked me to give farewell remarks to the people who work in my department, since not everyone was able to go to the dinner they had for me. So first he gave some remarks, and I followed with a short speech. At 19:00 our department went to dinner together. We went to a Japanese style restaurant close to the office, and had a private little banquet room just for our party.

We had a blast. It was an awesome time of everyone hanging out and talking, and is yet another example of an occasion that will make me miss the company lifestyle. During dinner two of the managers made toasts and speeches for me, and I also gave another round of farewell remarks. Also they surprised me with a gift from the department, a group picture we had taken framed in “Tesogi wood.” Which is a special artistic style of wood work that looks like a mosaic. However, when I first opened it I found that the picture was in the frame upside down so they had to take it back for a quick “repair work” session! It was so funny, but an easy fix and they gave it back to me as soon as it was righted.

After dinner everyone had to say goodbye, and I shook hands with several people (for the first time!). It is sad that I will no longer be a part of their company, and I hope to be able to see everyone again. The people in my department each taught me something in their own way about Japan, work, or life in general. I went to Japan by myself and felt very lonely the first few days, I remember wondering how I was going to get through the summer feeling like that; but so quickly the people at Toshiba welcomed me into their company and their lives and contributed to my absolutely fantastic summer. I am really going to miss the company and the people that I met here in Japan.

Last Weekend in Tokyo

My last weekend in Tokyo was a three day weekend. So I started Friday morning with a trip to Kyoku, the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. This is the palace that the current emperor actually operates out of. It was an hour walking tour of the grounds and we did not get to enter any buildings. Aesthetically it was not that wonderful, I have definitely seen many, way more beautiful places in Japan. But it was interesting to be able to go since it is the current palace.

After I finished the tour I went to lunch with my supervisor and two American businessmen who are working with Toshiba. We went to great udon curry shop near Tokyo station, and it was delicious! After finishing lunch we went to visit the Tokyo Skytree. We waited in line for about an hour and a half, but were actually able to climb to the top (which means we rode an elevator to the top). The Tokyo Skytree just opened in May and is the world’s tallest tower, at over 110 stories tall. From the top we had a wonderful view of Tokyo! I love going to tower observatories because it is so awesome to see the city from above. Especially, looking at a city like Tokyo is great because it is huge! The expanse of buildings, houses, and streets goes for miles and miles.

On Saturday, I went to the Sumidagawa Fireworks display with one of my friends from Toshiba. I dressed up in Yukata and we bought food for a little picnic which we ate sitting on a side street while we waited for the fireworks to start. We arrived in Asakusa three hours before the show was scheduled to start and already the area was full of people camping out to have a spot sitting down to watch the show. In Japan there are many fireworks shows held every summer, throughout July and August. I was told they are usually held during festivals or in honor of Japan prospering in the coming year by growing good crops of rice, protection from fires, and general prosperity. When the show started, we realized we had picked a bad spot! Our view of the fireworks was obscured by a tall building. Luckily we were able to move closer to the road and find a spot where we could stand and see the show just fine. The road was open for people to walk by on, but was lined with police constantly requesting people to keep walking, keep walking. The show lasted for a full hour and a half! It was the longest and biggest firework show I have ever witnessed. This was an awesome event for me since I LOVE fireworks J

On Sunday, I went to Chinatown in Yokohama with two of the ladies I know from Toshiba. We had lunch at a Chinese restaurant and tried many kinds of steamed dumpling dishes in all different flavors. We also walked down the streets and looked in various food, souvenier, and Chinese medicine shops. Our last stop was a little place where we could dress up in traditional Chinese clothes and take pictures. So that was a nice girly way to end the trip, playing dress-up!

For dinner we met another Toshiba person and went to a fishing restaurant. The restaurant literally is literally one that you can go fishing inside of, and then eat your catch! On the first floor there is a big boat with several tables on it, and surrounding it is a tank with fish and lobsters in it. The staff gives you a fishing pole and bait, and you get to catch a fish and then they cook and serve it to you.  It was so much fun! I caught a lobster for us to eat, and we also caught a Tai fish. We feasted on sashimi, tempura, and of course our catch. It was a delicious last dinner in Japan.

Today I am traveling back to the United States. I am sitting in the airport right now, and am already started to feel like I am no longer in Japan because the waiting area by the gate I am at is filled with foreign people. I was originally supposed to fly with Air Canada, but when I arrived to check in my bags they asked if I would like to switch to a direct flight with American Airlines. So I am leaving Japan an hour later (one more precious hour in this country! Haha), and arriving in the U.S. five and a half hours earlier. So it actually worked out quite well for me, I have a direct flight (no more layover in Toronto!) and will be arriving earlier in the day too. Today is my birthday, so I am getting my birthday two times this year, once in Japan and then I go back in time during the flight and have my birthday again in the U.S. so that is pretty rare and awesome.