Click on pictures to make them bigger.
The total delay time was almost 2 hours. We were supposed to reach Tokyo by 2pm but instead got there around 3:45. We got delayed twice – once in Dallas and once in Houston – both times because of the weather. We even sat on the tarmac in Houston for almost 40 minutes, in our plane with all the other planes beside us, because the airport had to close down due to severe thunderstorms. They fed us 3 times on the way (giving us warm towels in Japanese custom to wash our hands) and the air conditioning danced between a tepid warm to chilling cold. By the time we finally landed at Narita airport one day had gone by and we were all pooped.
Narita Airport's Mascot
Japanese ATM Machine
SIDENOTE: Something strange (or maybe not?) that I noticed about the flight was the immense amount of babies on board – and the equally immense amount of U.S. military newbies flying to their first training base. There was a boy from Minnesota who sat a few rows down from me absorbing pointers from the vet across the aisle from him. (I say boy because 1. He couldn’t have been older than 20 and 2. He sounded as naïve and innocent as the real babies giggling a few rows down). After we got off the plane he hopped around taking pictures for him family back home… and as we waited for our luggage many other fresh-faced boys stood, disheveled and alone, watching the families pass by.
SIDENOTE 2: On the bus ride to the hotel we got to experience the transition from countryside to urban cityscape. The view from the window went from rice fields (many) to a strange city of concrete – apartment buildings with clothes drying off balconies, cartoon icons and Toyota billboards, bays and waterways spotted by river taxis, multilingual signs (in Japanese and Romanjii – English to us) and the huge mass of not-so-tall tightly knit buildings that resemble an older but cleaner Manhattan. We passed the Tokyo tower (looking like a mini red version of the Eiffel), the Tokyo Disney and many other unique familiar buildings I should know but don’t. The bus announcer kindly reminded us that talking on cell phones in passenger vehicles is considered rude in Japan and the silence would have been awesome medication for how overwhelmed I was feeling if it were not for the loud Greek two seats back arguing on his phone the whole way. Combine that with how tired I was and you get the sorry excuse as to why I took no pictures.
The hotel we’re staying at first (we’re staying at 2 throughout the trip) is the ANA Intercontinental. Most of you will recognize it as part of the chain of hotels that span across the globe. Meriel is an “Ambassador’s Club” member so she got a few gifts when she checked in. The concierge lady felt bad for me so she slipped me a gift too… a pink embroidered handkerchief. Here’s some pics:
We had to save ourselves from jetlag so we walked around until 8pm. Again: everything here is clean and short. No asian-people-are-short pun intended. The people are immaculate in their dress and etiquette, bowing subtlety and speaking softly. The district we’re in must be a business one… everyone is in suits and skirts and nobody is around after 9.
Interncontinental's 'Hood
We stopped at the 7 Eleven to get snacks.
Back at the hotel I tried out the kimonos provided for sleeping and *ssshhhh* the bidet.
May 16 Tokyo Day 3:
Breakfast! No jet lag, so we got up at 8 and went to the buffet downstairs.
I got some sort of muffin, hashbrowns, sweet potato fries and broccoli, finishing it off with some fruit (look Mommy – lychee!).
Some ladies in the lobby were wearing kimonos so I practiced my inner paparazzi and snuck a photo.
Hotel Lobby
We bought our Pasmo Cards (3,000 yen = $30’s worth of subway/bus/train tavel) and took our first subway ride to the Asakusa District.
PASMO!
Tokyo Subway
Asakusa Subway Station
Old Man at Subway Exit
It’s the more traditional, “old Tokyo”-type part of the city. Apparently it’s also a tourist spot for the Japanese… there were throngs of elder Tokyoites and school children crowding the streets.
We went to the Senso-ji Temple (Buddhist) and picked out fortunes and watched the people pray.
Temple Street Entrance
The way fortunes work is you "donate" 100 Yen ($1) and shake a container full of fortune sticks. You pick the first stick that comes out and find the drawer that has the corresponding label. Open the drawer and *poof* a fortune is waiting for you. Mine was No.99 "The Best Fortune".
When you're done with the fortune you tie it on a string. I have no idea why. We watched a trash man come and take all the fortunes away later on.
People smelling incense.
Not sure what this one was... you take the ladle and fill it with water from the dragon's mouth. Then you gargle it and spit it out on the floor.
Inside the temple.
The view from inside.
We also walked along the side streets and happened upon a blessing or ceremony of some sort (I think it was a dojo blessing the students – could be totally wrong here).
Then we tried out some fast food sushi, or “Conveyor Belt Sushi.”
The restaurant puts menu items in colored plates on a conveyor belt and you take what you want – you pay according to the color or your plate and how many plates are in front of you. Very good.
Then we took the subway to Akihabara Electric Town… a part of Tokyo that features streets upon streets of discount electronic stories and anime and manga shops.
That’s about it for today. It’s 4:23am here (2:21pm in Dallas) and I should get to sleep. I took a nap when we got home but we’re waking up early tomorrow so it wouldn’t be smart to stay up too late. Night!
P.S. Here's the first batch of vending machines for Urban. A soup machine and a dinner machine.
The total delay time was almost 2 hours. We were supposed to reach Tokyo by 2pm but instead got there around 3:45. We got delayed twice – once in Dallas and once in Houston – both times because of the weather. We even sat on the tarmac in Houston for almost 40 minutes, in our plane with all the other planes beside us, because the airport had to close down due to severe thunderstorms. They fed us 3 times on the way (giving us warm towels in Japanese custom to wash our hands) and the air conditioning danced between a tepid warm to chilling cold. By the time we finally landed at Narita airport one day had gone by and we were all pooped.
Narita Airport's Mascot
Japanese ATM Machine
SIDENOTE: Something strange (or maybe not?) that I noticed about the flight was the immense amount of babies on board – and the equally immense amount of U.S. military newbies flying to their first training base. There was a boy from Minnesota who sat a few rows down from me absorbing pointers from the vet across the aisle from him. (I say boy because 1. He couldn’t have been older than 20 and 2. He sounded as naïve and innocent as the real babies giggling a few rows down). After we got off the plane he hopped around taking pictures for him family back home… and as we waited for our luggage many other fresh-faced boys stood, disheveled and alone, watching the families pass by.
SIDENOTE 2: On the bus ride to the hotel we got to experience the transition from countryside to urban cityscape. The view from the window went from rice fields (many) to a strange city of concrete – apartment buildings with clothes drying off balconies, cartoon icons and Toyota billboards, bays and waterways spotted by river taxis, multilingual signs (in Japanese and Romanjii – English to us) and the huge mass of not-so-tall tightly knit buildings that resemble an older but cleaner Manhattan. We passed the Tokyo tower (looking like a mini red version of the Eiffel), the Tokyo Disney and many other unique familiar buildings I should know but don’t. The bus announcer kindly reminded us that talking on cell phones in passenger vehicles is considered rude in Japan and the silence would have been awesome medication for how overwhelmed I was feeling if it were not for the loud Greek two seats back arguing on his phone the whole way. Combine that with how tired I was and you get the sorry excuse as to why I took no pictures.
The hotel we’re staying at first (we’re staying at 2 throughout the trip) is the ANA Intercontinental. Most of you will recognize it as part of the chain of hotels that span across the globe. Meriel is an “Ambassador’s Club” member so she got a few gifts when she checked in. The concierge lady felt bad for me so she slipped me a gift too… a pink embroidered handkerchief. Here’s some pics:
We had to save ourselves from jetlag so we walked around until 8pm. Again: everything here is clean and short. No asian-people-are-short pun intended. The people are immaculate in their dress and etiquette, bowing subtlety and speaking softly. The district we’re in must be a business one… everyone is in suits and skirts and nobody is around after 9.
Interncontinental's 'Hood
We stopped at the 7 Eleven to get snacks.
Back at the hotel I tried out the kimonos provided for sleeping and *ssshhhh* the bidet.
May 16 Tokyo Day 3:
Breakfast! No jet lag, so we got up at 8 and went to the buffet downstairs.
I got some sort of muffin, hashbrowns, sweet potato fries and broccoli, finishing it off with some fruit (look Mommy – lychee!).
Some ladies in the lobby were wearing kimonos so I practiced my inner paparazzi and snuck a photo.
Hotel LobbyWe bought our Pasmo Cards (3,000 yen = $30’s worth of subway/bus/train tavel) and took our first subway ride to the Asakusa District.
PASMO!
Tokyo Subway
Asakusa Subway Station
Old Man at Subway ExitIt’s the more traditional, “old Tokyo”-type part of the city. Apparently it’s also a tourist spot for the Japanese… there were throngs of elder Tokyoites and school children crowding the streets.
We went to the Senso-ji Temple (Buddhist) and picked out fortunes and watched the people pray.
Temple Street Entrance
The way fortunes work is you "donate" 100 Yen ($1) and shake a container full of fortune sticks. You pick the first stick that comes out and find the drawer that has the corresponding label. Open the drawer and *poof* a fortune is waiting for you. Mine was No.99 "The Best Fortune".
When you're done with the fortune you tie it on a string. I have no idea why. We watched a trash man come and take all the fortunes away later on.
People smelling incense.
Not sure what this one was... you take the ladle and fill it with water from the dragon's mouth. Then you gargle it and spit it out on the floor.
Inside the temple.
The view from inside.
We also walked along the side streets and happened upon a blessing or ceremony of some sort (I think it was a dojo blessing the students – could be totally wrong here).
Then we tried out some fast food sushi, or “Conveyor Belt Sushi.”
The restaurant puts menu items in colored plates on a conveyor belt and you take what you want – you pay according to the color or your plate and how many plates are in front of you. Very good.Then we took the subway to Akihabara Electric Town… a part of Tokyo that features streets upon streets of discount electronic stories and anime and manga shops.
That’s about it for today. It’s 4:23am here (2:21pm in Dallas) and I should get to sleep. I took a nap when we got home but we’re waking up early tomorrow so it wouldn’t be smart to stay up too late. Night!
P.S. Here's the first batch of vending machines for Urban. A soup machine and a dinner machine.
No comments:
Post a Comment