Not everyone likes to read. If you’re more of a visual learner, come check out JAPAN through photos. Its almost like going there - not really - but you’ll like them.
<< View All Entries
In Retrospective (Part I)
This is the first of a series of posts that will be dealing with the time spent in Japan before I was able to write it down here. I'm hoping that I will be able pull my thoughts together in an organized manner as well as offer all my possible insights when they come. So, let's start then.
The Flight
I know, now that its been over already, that I had the best seat on the plane going to Japan. It was all the way in the back (the farthest back you could go) in the aisle. There were no seats to my right because that was just empty space for the flight attendants to move around with their carts, as well as space for an emergency exit. I did move around a lot on the flight there now that I think back on it but I'd have rather had it that way as opposed to not moving at all. The service was excellent the food was tasty and it provided me with somewhat of a first chance to use Japanese with the stewardesses, who were very nice. Other than that I was far too excited to get to Japan to notice the length of the flight. I find it humorous now that we sat so close on the plane (the group) but barely knew each other so we talked about very general topics and I would've killed to have someone I knew on the flight with me back home, but thats a topic for later. In any case, during that flight, Japan was all I could think about.
Narita
After we got ourselves situated off the plane and reclaimed our luggage we waited for a bit for Takahashi Sensei to figure a few more things out before we left. I remember thinking about how Narita still felt like LAX (simply because of still being in an airport) but even after we left the airport it still felt like we were in Los Angeles, but all of that changed very fast. We got onto one of those commercial tour buses which was supposed to shuttle us to the Sakura Hotel and rode it for about an hour and a half to get to Tokyo. During the ride we all were able to get to know each other a little bit more and have our first real group opportunity. I had my head out the window for a good majority of the ride because I just couldn't help myself from checking everything out, that was fun. We stopped at a place, unloaded all of our luggage, the bus driver took off and we learned that we weren't at the right hotel. It was pretty funny in the end though because the hotel turned out to be right around the corner.
The Sakura Hotel and An Evening Concert
Well, the initial impression of this place was that it was not a hotel. It was definitely a hostel but not only that it was a hostel for foreigners. We found it to be more than enough though, especially me since all I wanted was a bed for the time being. I had almost forgot by that time though that I was pre-invited to a concert which would include a performance by the very talented Yu Manabe, a terrific violinist who you should see if the opportunity ever presents itself, so I only had time to dump my luggage down for a quick second and wash my face. I really wanted a shower by that time though after the flight and all. Myself, two others and Takahashi Sensei made our way through cabs to the hall where Yu was performing. We came in about halfway I would assume and it was a very different style of concert. The most intriguing aspect had to be a man who would be arranging flowers as music progressed and by the end of a performance he would have made a marvelous display to complement the piece that was performed. After the concert we got to meet with Yu (my second time meeting him in person) and congratulate him on a fantastic performance. After that we took off for home. One of us mentioned that the subway would be a fun way to go home so we tried that. It was my first time riding subways and it was a lot of fun. As we were getting ready to board one time Dustin was starting to fall asleep standing up and he almost completely missed the stop. We were walking into it when we noticed that he wasn't behind us anymore and when we turned around he was leaning against a pillar seemingly comfortable. We shouted out to him and he barely woke up and made it through the doors before they closed.
It was a pretty good first day, but the best was truly yet to come.
~ Joshua
Posted on July 11, 2007
Comments
No comments have been made yet.
Post a comment
A site about Japan? Yes. But thats not all! This is a site for anyone interested in the world and the traveling of it. If there is not enough information here help us out and add to it. Hit up the "Say Hello" page and have a say in whats included. Not only is your post archived for others to search, it also lets us know where to expand on info.
Advance order your own copy of TravelMoxie
Season 1: JAPAN. All proceeds go to document another great travel adventure.
