I begin my trip by getting a good 5 hours of sleep and waking up at 2 am to start my packing for my trans continental flight to Japan at 10 am. Why so late? I spent most of my days at home getting the business ready for my two week absence and to establish communication protocols when I arrive. My wife has had a week head start on me and has done the leg work on getting familiar with the area. The real reason is that I'm not bringing much to Japan, a bag of electronics and a few sets of clothes. I was able to accomplish the two week trip with only a backpack and a small cary on roller. Amazing!
The flight there was very fast. First was a short hop to Salt Lake city. Our flight was delayed by half an hour to SLC and the flight was delayed by 1.5 hours to Tokyo Narita airport so I got a chance to hang out at the Delta lounge for an extra hour. Sitting near the front of the Airbus 200, I sat in the middle section next to an old Japanese nature filmographer who travels the world filming for the past 30 years. The flight was empty in the middle sections all the way back but I was unfortunate not to be able to get an aisle seat. No matter, the seat next to me was empty so the guy on the other aisle seat and I used it to hold our drinks and my iPad. The iPad made the 12 hour flight go really fast. Being able to read, watch TV and play games made the time go by very very fast. The free drinks helped to, so I believe I only slept for an hour on the entire flight.
Getting out of the airport, the customs process took seconds to get through. I was out in the airport lobby, exchanged $$$ for some Yen, hooked on to the internet, make a quick facebook post before I realized that the bus I needed to take to Shinjuku was leaving in 5 minutes. The fortuitous timing made it so that I didn't have a wait at the terminal. Within minutes I was on the bus for a two hour ride to Shinjuku. Traffic entering Tokyo was stop and go and extended the trip by an hour.
All that waiting was all worth it as the bus pulled up to the station and there was my wife smiling up at me, warming my heart and filling me with renewed energy. I greeted her father, whom I haven't seen in over three years, and off we went, walking to where we will be staying only about a mile away. The atmosphere was humid but bearable.
First stop, a ramen shop for some dinner. It was delicious and hit the spot. We then walked to the place we are staying. On the way there the streets were lined with tons of Japanese looking for a fun night out. Men played at Pachinco parlors, women dressed in their Saturday night best. Food establishments were bustling with hungry patrons and entertainment venues were out advertising in force for people who wanted to pay for a lucky night. The place reminded me of the las vegas strip mixed with the crowds of lower Manhattan. It was an amazing site to see. I was told that it's not just because it's Saturday night but Shinjuku is the city that never sleeps and has activity like this every night.
After dropping my bags off, we walked out to just soak in the sites for a couple more hours before I died of exhaustion from being up for 30 hours straight. We visited a tacoyaki shop, a super electronics 6 floor store, and McDonalds for a glass of water (I wouldn't eat there in Japan).
Day 0, travel to Tokyo ends with nice dreams of an active city full of a great culture of nice people.
Oh Yeah, be sure to leave me a comment after you read it. Too bad there isn't a like button here...
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