Heads up Tokyo!

It's official! I arrive in Japan on July 7th at 1:55pm local time. I landed a job with my first choice school, MIL The Language Center, in Chiba Prefecture. I'm about an hour from Tokyo, 40 minutes from Chiba City and a half hour from Narita Airport. For those of you determined to come visit me, this will make it a cinch (once you finish the 14 hour flight that is...).

What can I tell you about Chiba? First of all, the reason it sounds familiar is because cheeba is a slang term for marijuana. It took me a while to figure that out, but it was confirmed at my Japanese conversation club. Chiba is on Boso peninsula so I am about an hour from the Pacific Ocean to the east and Tokyo Bay to the South. It is latitudinally similar to Atlanta, although I am hoping that will be the only trait my new home shares with the ATL.

Chiba Prefecture in Pink

Today I sent off all the documents needed to process my working visa, so the official process has begun! I should receive a package in the mail in a month or so (I'm told) and then I'll need to go to the Japanese embassy in New York for the final stamp. It looks like the Fourth of July is on a Friday this year and I'll be leaving on Sunday, so figure on my annual fireworks bash being a biggie this year. The countdown begins!