Now that I've been here for a month, I'm starting to feel a little bit more comfortable. At least most folks here are nice. I wouldn't want to be greeted with rudeness from strangers. Hospitality is totally important, and Japan is numero uno (or at least one of the very top) in that department.
The "dorm" as I call it is filled with expats who are all so good in Japanese, and that makes me feel a little bit jealous.
My room is a small studio with a little kitchenette and a really small bathroom. So far, the only complaint is the majorly uncomfortable futon the place provided for the room, but hey.... I'm just an intern. Beggars can't be choosers.
So off the three of us went to Nara, but not without getting lost first. You see, my friends from the office are also new in town. One of them is an intern as well and the other one was just assigned to Osaka around five months ago, so we were all pretty naive about the train system in Japan. And not to mention we were in a hurry and just followed random people like lunatics.
So we got on the wrong JR and took a long detour to Takada, which is a place in Japan that even the Japanese haven't heard of... At least the people in my office have no clue where Takada is. Finally figured it out. You know, maps really do help. I should read them more often.