Daphne and I were met at the train station by three Japanese men holding a giant banner between them that said 'Welcome Laura and Daphne!' We smiled at them and they smiled back and it was then we realized that only one of them spoke English and only one of us (not me) spoke Japanese. With that established we got in the car and began the harrowing drive to Maki. Driving in Japan is frightening, partly because the roads are so narrow but also because people drive very fast.
We spent a good amount of time in our supervisor's car during that first week. During the day we were taken to get bank accounts, cell phones, cars, and registration cards. At night we would meet for dinner or a movie, and began to venture out into Niigata city. Particularly memorable was the ramen we had at a place near my house, where the owner brought us custard and ice cream on the house, and Immigrant's Cafe, where I was able to get apple pie.
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