First week - being a social butterfly

Hey all! So it's been an eventful first week here, just trying to get things in order so far. Haven't done much sightseeing, but thanks to Sakura House, the company I'm renting an apartment from, there have been plenty of social gatherings to go to! It's been an interesting ride coming back on to the culture after three years away and ten months since I looked at the language, but I'm surprised at how much things are coming back after only a week here. I'm feeling more comfortable already. Now, on to the photos! Kind of a sparse batch, but there will be more.

The view from my apartment balcony

Down the street

Party in Ikebukuro two days after I got there - met a lot of good people. Sakura House throws get-togethers very regularly to make their tenants feel more at home, and it's very much appreciated. It's fun meeting some of the locals and people from far-flung areas of the world in one setting. So far, I've met people from Washington state, Missouri, Sweden, Norway, England, Spain (lots of Spaniards for some reason), Italy, Austria, and of course Japan. Lots and lots from Japan.

Same party, fun times

An apartment party on Friday - the company paid for all the drinks, as well as the food at the Pan-Asian restaurant we went out to that evening. Gotta love that Asahi Super Dry, tastes even better when it's free.

At the restaurant

Some of the neighbors - Jordi and Carol, brother and sister from Spain, and Remy from Norway. Backdrop is a little nightclub strip in Shinjuku.

Intimate party at the Sakura Hotel Jimbocho this evening. Paul from England hates having his photo taken for some reason. Maybe it's the soul-stealing thing. The other three are Ayako, Sabina, and Brigitte, the latter two from Austria.

Well, as I say, I haven't been sightseeing much, and I always feel kind of strange taking photos just walking down the street by myself. I promise to conquer that weirdness this next week, though. Lots of environment photos coming!

Just for fun: Here's the layout of the Tokyo Metro subway lines. Exercise - plan a route from Shin-egota to Jimbocho.

Here's a hint: Shin-egota is on the Oedo line, and Jimbocho is on the Shinjuku line. First correct answer gets a brownie point.