Check out for my hostel was at 11. It would take roughly 2 hours to get to Narita Airport. Yes the international airport for Tokyo is 2 hours away from Tokyo. Ridiculous? You bet. Haneda, the smaller local airport is about an hour away but is reserved only for domestic flights. Didn’t know this? It’s alright, neither did I till I got here. So I told Owen and Mike I would pick them up from the airport to guide them to Tokyo before I knew it would take me four hours to get there and back, haha, oh well. I had about an hour to kill after I checked out and before I had to head for the airport so I went to the nearby Museum of Modern Art by my hostel. It was not terribly interesting, but I did really like a few works of art.
So I have some fun making my way to Narita Airport. I get to the gate no more than 5 minutes before the guys show up. I was afraid I had gotten there late or that I was at the wrong gate, but I soon see Michael’s goofy smile as he emerges from the gate followed by Owen. We do a customary bro hug (an evolution of the one handed clasped shoulder bump that is a suitable hug for males to share) and quickly get underway on what promises to be one of the most amazing adventures we’ve ever shared.
After catching up a bit on the 2 hour train ride, we arrive at Shinjuku Station. I’ve been to Shinjuku Station probably more times than I’ve been to any other station in Tokyo since and I still get lost there every time. So 4 days into Tokyo, we exit out of the station and of course I’m completely disorientated. The guys are marveling at the Japanese neon signs which are starting to turn on as dusk begins to turn to night. I decide we should just simply get a taxi instead of lugging all our luggage around while lost. We arrive, check in and go up to our room only to be surprised there is only one bed and three of us. This was not much of a problem for me since I was planning to sleep on the ground with my sleeping bag anyway, but the guys were not keen with the idea of sleeping in the same bed together for 7 nights and quickly checked their reservations for the fine print that said they only get one bed for two people. Turns out a twin room, means one room with a big bed and a double room is a room with two beds. We arrange for us to change to a larger room with two beds for a small additional fee. But we later will have to move back and forth between a double and twin room 3 times because New Years Eve and the day before are fully booked. So including our first room we spent 10 minutes in, we lived in a total of 4 rooms in that one hotel in less than one week. We arrange to meet Jessica Yoon for dinner. The guys were hungry and we searched for a suitable and satisfactory first Japanese meal. We decide on Shabu Shabu which I learned is the onomatopoeia for the sound the beef makes swishing around in the hot water as it cooks from Jessica. She has been studying Japanese for a year before she came and her Japanese is much better than mine. She easily orders and converses in Japanese at the restaurant and I stay silent so as not to reveal my own inadequate Japanese. Tabehodai (all you can eat) hot pot and a few beers later, we are full, happy and fondly exchanging drunk stories. I have not seen Jessica for at least 1-2 years and we have much to relearn about each other and college stories are a good way to start. Michael and Owen regale us with some of their best and we have a good laugh. We walk around Shinjuku a little bit and Owen and Mike are amazed by some of the crane games that litter Tokyo. Jessica spots a cute lama stuffed animal and decides to try for it. I feel like I can get it and she lets me give it a try. We are surprised when I actually get it for her on the first try. (I was a pleasantly surprised at myself too and trying not to gloat). The guys try another game and because they have not gotten money yet, I hand them 100 yens as they try their luck on a game that costs 200 yen. First Owen, then Michael and then Owen again. They lose my $6 in about 30 seconds and give up. I tell them how much they had just spent and they say, “crap… I thought those were quarters”. Two expensive and valuable lessons learned: 100 yen coins are worth more than a dollar and crane games are evil. We’ll continue to spend a lot of money and time on crane games throughout our stay in Tokyo. We decide to call it a night and see Jessica off. We’ll see her again a lot more on this trip. We open my treasure trove of gifts that Owen has brought along with him. Included was a fleece top and bottom and messenger bag from my mom, 3 thin ties (which are awesome btw) and a bottle of Peach Absolute Vodka from Owen and Mike, a card signed by all of TMV, a card from my Aunt and Uncle with some money for my travels, 2 CD’s, a card and a Berkeley T shirt from Jackie. I loved every bit of everything. Thank you everyone.
This is a pic from the next day actually, but I have too many pictures to post for that day, so here.
No comments:
Post a Comment