Writing this in the waiting room at Matsumoto station, not knowing for sure that my first woofing host has received my message about my arrival time his end. But there's no room in my brain for worry - too much novelty to digest. Finally, I have to let go... Boosted by how easy everything has been so far.
I had been a little anxious about my journey into and out of Tokyo. But Yesterday I glided through Tokyo airport without a hitch, sped round the city on the Narita Expressway, and then out from Shinjuko to Matsumoto on another train. At any point when I hesitated, a sign in English or a friendly local helped me out.
As I write, a cleaner is spraying and scraping meticulously at a stain on the (already immaculate) floor, followed up by a thorough mopping. Even the Swiss could learn something here. And it was the same yesterday: the Narita train floor scrubbed clean before we boarded, and, on every balcony in every flat we passed, I could see clothes drying. Clean clean clean. At the backpackers hostel I stayed at last night the wheels of my wheely suitcase were wiped by my host, to avoid dirtying the floor. And this morning was the first time I've walked barefoot around a fortress - my shoes removed to walk up Matsumoto castle's six floors. The only western tourist, and the only one without socks.
My castle visit was greatly enhanced by a local guide, the bowing, smiling and thanking that is so much a part of all dialogue reaching new proportions. The 16th century fortress has resisted wind, rain, fire and earthquakes to stand as one of only three of its type in Japan, a "National treasure". At the entrance, posing next to the two samurai warriors was de rigeur, and, to avoid giving offence to them or my guide I did likewise. I wasn't able to pull the V sign plus teeth-flashing pose of the Japanese but I'm sure it will come!
All through the visit my guide was solicitous: were my feet cold, did I want my picture taken (again), did I want to know any more about the history of guns... And I'm finding this everywhere: on the train, people check before reclining their seat that it's ok, the face masks - disconcerting at first, and which we assume are for protection - are apparently worn to protect others from the sight of a dribbly or red nose. (I'm not yet convinced of this; it means an awful lot of the population is ailing!)
Something else I've noticed: the sense of fitness for purpose. For my lunches I've been buying triangular wedges of rice sold with a separate leaf of seawood that you wrap around the rice - totally practical; in the backpackers a really simple thing, but oh how useful - hangers with clothes pegs to dry your towel, or whatever.
Anywhere and everywhere things are unexpectedly different: on the bus you take a piece of paper with a number that corresponds to an illuminated display; as the journey progresses your fare mounts up, as in a taxi. In the trains there are carriages for reserved seating and others for non-reserved. Walking along the street I saw someone doing shiatsu in a shop front made entirely of glass, the client in full view of the street. Loo seats are heated; flush options include bottom spraying (I've pushed as hard as I dare to understand the detail but it's got embarrassing before I fully understood!); the hand basin is positioned just above the cistern, activated by the flush mechanism? And so much more. But if I don't stop here I'll never get to what happened next. Which - for me - has been like a dream. I have landed in totally the right place.
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