On my third week since i arrived here in Japan for a two-year stay (I know, two years is a long long way of homesickness), my Japanese bosses, Yoshizu-san, Inoue-san, and Akune-san, together with Peter, my colleague in AOTS training, and I went to Hakkeijimma for a cool trip. It was actually a farewell trip for Peter since he will be leaving Japan because his training will soon end on the next two weeks (ii ne, considering my stay will end on the next 23 months).
YOKOHAMA HAKKEIJIMA SEA PARADISE is a leisure island surrounded by seascape and cityscape. It is located at Yokohama Bay and is a cool new generation style amusement park. It is the home of one of the top aquariums in Japan. When the sun sets, the island turns into a place of fantasy. Attractions are specially lit up and the ships lights·offshore create a romantic setting for lovers, unfortunately I did not have a lover with me during this trip.
We met at MK(Mita Kokusai Building) in Tamachi at around 8am on that day, Yoshizu-san was already there when I arrived, then shortly after Akune-san and Peter. We got on Yoshizu-san's Nissan March and drove off the highway through Tokyo's sky towering overpass and bridges.Yoshizu-san had the courtesy of explaining and telling us about the places we passed through. As always, my boss is a cool companion to have with, never a boring moment. We stopped over halfway to Hakkejimma for a little snack, where a nice view of the port can be seen before we proceeded to Sea Paradise to meet Inoue-san. The attractions were really cool, and as much as I have promised to myself not to ride any more roller coasters, I was really pursued to ride one here. Akune-san also offered us a free pass which added the pressure of getting on the roller coaster. After that, we went to the Blue Fall. But on this, no way I will be riding this monster. I think I cant even make it until the middle of its monstrous height. I just offered to do the picture-taking, and by the way, Yoshizu-san also was afraid to take the Blue Fall, at least I am not the only one who got scared then, hehehe. After that we had our lunch on a seemingly Italian restaurant, was it? I am not sure, I am not so attentive on foods, really.
Leaving from Sea Paradise, we had a nice walk along the Yokohama Bay. What a nice place for a walk. The bay holds one of the coolest buildings in Japan, modernized for new generation, however, preserving their old ports, ships, and railways into a city attraction. A night on the Yokohama Bay is a great time for me to realize there is more in Japan than just work. I always got a picture in mind that Japan is a place for work, and work, and work, until late in the evening. All the seven trips I had here, since 2001, were business trips, and within those trips were 100% work. Except during the AOTS training of course.
Anyway, when the day ended, I was really tired yet fulfilled. I appreciated very much the time my bosses had spent with us. It was really a cool trip with these cool people. Thank you.
