What day is it? What time is it? No matter – so far so good.
We arrived along at the Japan Airlines ticket counter along with several bus loads of Japanese students – our ticket agent took pity on us and bumped us up to business class, which made for a very comfortable flight over. We negotiated the train from Narita, the transfer to the subway system, a visit to Japan Rail to activate our rail passes and make train reservations, the purchase of a subway fare card and taking the subway (complete with transfers) to our hotel. Which we even found – only walked by it once, as it has no English character sign out front. But, by the process of eliminations (and the fact that it is 10 stories high, outlined in blue neon and the neon does say – 10 stores up ‘Hotel’). Anyhow – we found it.
Today we took a half day bus tour and then spent the afternoon in Ginza and then in the neighbourhood of our hotel. So much to see, such food to eat! However, it is 8:30 p.m. here, but 4:30 a.m. on our body clocks and it has been a full day. Tomorrow we’re off to Hakone, for the hot springs and a tradition ryoken. And we’re taking the bullet train to get there. So – I’ll try for a more detailed report later.
Business class- sweet! I gather this means the luggage that the future of your marriage rested upon was not lost?
ReplyDeleteYour pattern recognition skills must be getting a huge workout.
Ken and I had a mini-trip to the orient thanks to monks building a large sand mandala at the AGGV; there was a pleasant calmness and quiet. They were surrounded by dark antique tongkas of fire, fanged body guards trampling limp enemies and one modern laser-printed tongka of the Dalai lama.
KR