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For a guy who is used to hitting the ground as an independent traveler, being a part of a huge group was a bit of a worry. It was not helped any when I got off the plane in San Fran and was met by the mob of over 100 fellow travelers. On the ride from the airport for orientation, I was wondering what I got myself into. I have to say, I was a bit nervous at first. A gob of people all headed to Japan together reminded me of my days of driving cruise ship passengers in Alaska. I was very worried. Three weeks of bus tour hell. Everyone sized each other up at the first day, and it was a little nerve wracking to sort through the names, the people, where they were from and where they were headed. My mind continued to play the mantra... This was a going to be a long trip. Although I had a middle seat on the trans pacific trip, my worries began to subside upon arrival in Tokyo. Upon arrival in Tokyo, I was quite pleased. Although not a "city person" it felt good to be in a new foreign country.
The Japanese were indeed treating us well. A $300 + a night room to my self in the heart of down town Tokyo.... about what I spend on a typical week overseas. For the next five days I exlpored Tokyo and all it had to offer, before and after very interesting sessions set up with the Fulbright program. Although it was hard to meet and sort through the many people on the trip to see who was of the same mind set in terms of their interests, everyone was incredibly interesting and diverse. I managed to connect with a few people who seemed have a similar adventurous spirit. Although there are plenty of people I would not necessarily become great friends with, I admired the wide variety of 
people and the overall enthusiasm they had for an adventure. There are participants from all 50 states, elementary through university. Some have never left the coutnry and others have seen the far reaches of the planet. Regardless of their interests, ideas or personalities, they all seemed interested in diving into Japanese culture, which was a pleasant surprise. There was a certain energy with the group. I have to say, my skepticism was a bit off, I was expecting a bunch of travelers who longed for the comforts of home, I was happily mistaken. It looked as though I was headed in to a great couple of weeks of travel. 
