Travel Log: Japan Trip Day 1 & 2

photo taken of the bullet train: Hikari

DAY 1:

I recently had an opportunity to go back to Japan. I took the Singapore Airline Flight which left at 1:10 PM and arrived the next night at 6:30 PM in Narita Airport, Tokyo Japan. The 11 hour flight plus the time change can be challenging, but here were the things that kept me going:

1. Doing stretches

   Especially in economy classes, this can be hard to do while in your seat and can annoy the person sitting in front. When the seat belt sign was turned off, I walked around the cabin towards the back. There’s always an alley where the flight attendants are not always walking around (usually in the back of the plane). This is a good area to stretch out your legs, touch your toes, etc. When in your seat, it is helpful to move your ankles around as it can be swollen from cabin pressure.

2. Watching TV

   On an 11 hour flight, movies can make the time fly by faster. I watched Hancock, Get Smart, and Wall-E.

3. Playing games, listening to music and reading inflight magazines and books

   These things can also be entertaining, hence the term inflight entertainment. I also brought an iPod with me, which was a great relaxing way of listening to music.

4. Drinking lots of fluids

   It is easy to get dehydrated on the plane, so it’s important to keep taking fluids. Sometimes the flight attendants could be busy, so I actually bought a bottle of water inside the terminal and brought it aboard the plane.

5. Taking a nap

   This is the best way to prevent jet lag. As hard as it may be to sleep in the plane, it helps to get even an 1 hr of sleep or couple hours of light napping.

Once we arrived in Narita Airport, we took a 1 hour bus ride to Shinagawa. We then checked into the Shinagawa Prince Hotel. It is a great hotel located close to the Shinagawa Station, which is a hub with multiple railroads. Below is a picture of the hotel room:

After checking in, we made our way to the Shinagawa Station to purchase the subway tickets for the next day. I had never done this before, so it was a bit scary. While trying to look at the map, which was color coordinated to show where the trains were stopping, a slew of Japanese business men and women emerged from the nearby railroad stop. It was captivating to watch the number of people, almost robot-like returning from work. We also had to be careful not to stand in their way since they were going full force with no intention to stop. As a Japanese person, I was offended at times with their rudeness, which I thought was rare in Japanese culture. Or perhaps it was the fatigue setting in. I soon found myself eating in a daze and making my way back to the hotel.

DAY 2:

We took the Hikari Bullet train to Shizuoka Station and then headed to Yaizu City with relatives.

Mostly we drove around the city, enjoying the views. We made a lunch stop at Soba Wankyu, which has handmade buckwheat noodles.

We also went to a Hojyusan Jyurinji temple and did a ohaka mairi, which is visiting the family tomb and lighting incense.

We went back to our relatives place and ate homemade sushi.

We finished the day by checking into Shin Yaizu Central Hotel.

Please stay tuned for Day 3.