When the plane touched down at Tokyo Narita International Airport two years ago, I didn’t realize then how an exciting vacation would also create a new lifelong friendship. Leaving Narita, the Keisei Skyliner glided on the rails up to 100 mph, the hum of the tracks so subdued that I noticed the quiet passengers. After passing rice fields, power lines and billboards, the train decelerated into the city of 13 million residents, passing a contrast of modern concrete apartment buildings next to traditional residential architecture, a sea of parked bikes, a graveyard and small Shinto shrines, many of which you can find while walking around Tokyo’s 23 distinct wards.

My first destination after landing in Japan was Café Asan where Meine Meinung, a local ensemble, would make their monthly appearance. They earned Youtube fame through covering Zelda and Final Fantasy soundtracks, and now were livestreaming their original compositions to their international fanbase. A turn of good fortune led their monthly concert to coincide with our arriving flight, at a café that is a 10 minute walk from the Skyliner train station. In the café, one wall was lined with iPads and small hammocks suspended from the 20 foot ceiling, all occupied by eager listeners. Another wall housed a small library of manga books. They placed sheet music and lyrics on the table tops, so we could all sing along. Rice salad, curry and Assam tea were several items being served, and like at all restaurants in Japan, no tipping was allowed.

Hiroyuki, the band leader, warmly introduced himself when he saw us enter the venue pulling carry-on bags. He was surprised but happy (ureshi) to see fans visiting from Ohio.

“Could I invite you for lunch? Can you meet me at Tsunashima Station? Tuesday at 14:00?” He helped me bookmark the station on Google Maps, the only prerequisite to navigating Tokyo’s unrivaled train network alongside 40 million other daily riders.

Hiroyuki took us to a Shabu-shabu restaurant, a dish where you place thin slices of meat and an assortment of vegetables and spices in a large pot of boiling water. I would eventually learn that one of the defining characteristics of Japanese foodways is restaurants specializing in a single dish, whether it be tonkatsu (breaded deep-fried pork cutlet), ramen and, yes, sushi. Eating out at one of Tokyo’s 160,000 restaurants is an affordable daily routine thanks to long-term economic deflation.

After lunch Hiroyuki invited us to his home recording studio in a quiet suburban neighborhood outside Yokohama, a neighboring city. He had never traveled to the United States before and wanted to know what Ohio was like. To provide an unfiltered image of real life in downtown Wooster, I showed him pictures in Google streetview. What amused Hiroyuki was seeing an Amish buggy rider sharing the road with cars on Liberty Street.

“People there ride horses?”

By explaining to him that the Amish represent a unique place in our local culture, it later helped me understand how Japan is filled with its own plethora of distinctive subcultures that may receive a lot of attention on Buzzfeed, but play a minor role in the lives of most Japanese.

We returned to Japan this past March and met up with Hiroyuki again. It will take a lifetime to understand the beautiful and diverse country and I especially look forward to bridging two cultures through a lifelong friendship.

Stephen Flynn, a Contributing Writer for the Voice, can be reached for comment at SFlynn@wooster.edu.