I'm Back From Tokyo!!

 

It's crazy to think that last Friday I got back from Tokyo after spending 6 days there, flying out from LAX on Friday the 2nd, then landing back in the States the following Friday (doing a little time traveling in the process, taking off from Narita airport around 4:30 PM and landing at LAX around 9:30 that morning).

It was a whirlwind.

As most vacations go, it went by way too fast.

I learned so much, which I'll be sharing in the next few weeks.  I just need to gather photos from my brother Michael and sister-in-law Krista, and then I can start compiling blog posts and put together a Shutterfly book as a family keepsake.  (I've put together 5 Shutterfly books in just the last 12 months.  Heh, its become routine.)

I'm embarrassed to admit how absolutely terrified I was right before going.  Man was I nervous.  Regrets about not learning more Japanese and still maintaining an inability to read it.  Worry over the train system.  Wondering how difficult it would be to arrive safely to the apartment we were staying in with all our luggage.  Thoughts, worry, thoughts, etc.  I'm a planner.  I like planning and preparing, knowing what to expect, and no amount of research settled my nerves, and the fact that my Japanese is limited didn't help.

But everything turned out fine!  It did take 4 hours to get to our location, but getting the bus ticket was really quite easy, and at the Narita airport there were people who spoke a little English.  and then when we were dropped off at the train station and I couldn't find the train platform, I was able to ask "Densha wa doko desu ka," and was shown where to go.  I knew just enough Japanese to get around, and on both the Odakyu and JR train lines all stops show both the Japanese and English, with a voice announcing in both languages.

Goodness, there was some culture shock.  That first bus ride was over 3 hours of COMPLETE silence.  I read somewhere how it's impolite to talk and make ANY type of noise on the train, but I wasn't quite prepared for that silence.  It was honestly a little unnerving.  But the bus ride was fun, because I got to see Tokyo from a distance (The Skytree stands out so brilliantly), and experience the highway system.

I was also surprised at how difficult it was to find food I liked.  Shamefully--yes, I must admit this!!!--I ate at McDonalds three times and Denny's twice.  Don't judge! (Or was that 4 times at McDonald's?) But I did get a great stake lunch in Shibuya.  I just wasn't prepared to embrace Japanese sea food.  And there was a smell that bothered me throughout the trip that I finally figured out at the airport on the way home: Ham.  They like to put ham on ramen and some other dishes, and I really, really don't like the smell of ham.  I'm the only one in my family with this strange quirk.

It was a great trip.  Just this morning I woke up wishing I could hop on the train for another adventure.

But I have a few weeks to talk about all the stuff I learned, experienced, and even some tips if you plan to ever visit Tokyo Japan.

Ikimashoo!!

(P.S. The original trip with my brother Steven was a month long. I would have left a few days before and right now I would be in Kyoto. We couldn't cancel and get a refund for the place we were staying in in Tokyo, so spontaneously I went with my other brother Michael and sister-in-law Krista. I kept it secret in case it fell through again, but everything fell right into place.)