I headed to HDE on a typhoon day, found my way through Shibuya in the rain, and finished introductions and laptop setup after arriving soaked; lunch with coworkers and a view of Mount Fuji made my first day in a Japanese office feel both tense and fresh.

A typhoon hit on my second day in Tokyo, so I mostly stayed in, browsed online, and bought daily necessities; small frustrations with unstable internet and limited Japanese reminded me to be more proactive about fitting into life here.

I flew from Taipei Songshan to Haneda, took the Keikyu and Yamanote Lines to Shinjuku to handle my housing contract, and settled near Toritsu-Daigaku Station with 27 kilograms of luggage; after shopping that night, I reflected on my goals for the trip and reminded myself to change something in these short two months.