Hello friends,
It's time for my travel blog again! I got laid off from my job on Oct 1st, so I extended my Japan vacation to include more of Asia -- Thailand, Hong Kong, Laos and Vietnam -- for a total of 64 days. I always try to do some extended travel in-between jobs, and I look forward to it (kind of a reward for the job I left, and a chance to recharge before diving into a new job).
Day 1 summary:
1. Fly from Chicago to Seattle to Tokyo with Dad (aka Hutch)
2. Meet up with Mom (aka Missy) and check into Hotel Okura
3. Dinner in Roppongi, followed by salsa dancing
As with all of my international trips, this one started out with an over-ambitious list of things to do, some last-minute craziness (such as my phone had MAJOR issues in the last 2 weeks before travel), and staying up all night trying to decide what to pack. My rule is "don't ever check bags" so I am carrying everything I'll need in the next 3 months in these two bags (because I'll spend some time in California upon my return from Asia).
I headed out to my parents' house around 5am, knowing that a cab was picking us up at 6am. I know, I know, I'm cutting it close, but I like to live dangerously. Hutch and I made it to O'Hare with plenty of time, and got on the 8am flight on standby before I completely passed out for 3 out of the 4 hours on the flight to Seattle. We left cold/grey/drizzly Chicago to land in cold/grey/drizzly Seattle, where we spent 3.5 hours due to weather delays. I got some last-minute texts and voicemails (thanks everyone!) while sitting in the Red Carpet Room enjoying the free treats. Gotta love hanging out with the business types while hauling my backpack around!
Our 9 hour flight to Tokyo felt much longer, and now that I had slept 3 hours already, I wasn't feeling too tired. I was finally done with everything I needed to get done, so it was finally time for me to get excited about starting my vacation!
Once we landed, clearing customs was easy (because I'm a Japanese passport holder) and we headed over to catch the Narita Express train to Tokyo station. If you ever go to Tokyo, don't take a taxi -- it will run you $150 - $200 just to get downtown! We met up with Missy at 6:30pm, and headed over to the fancy Hotel Okura to check in.
We're in Tokyo this weekend, because my cousin Junya is getting married at Hotel Okura. It's not a hotel we would normally pick -- the Akasaka district is full of fancy hotels and embassies for the foreign dignitaries who visit them -- but it's very centrally located and easy to get to other parts of town. It's also right next to Roppongi, the foreigner entertainment district, and most long-term residents of Japan avoid this area. But for a short stay, it's tons of fun.
We went to Ikkon for dinner, a Japanese tapas sort of place. The food was beautiful and delicious (yes, I took pictures) but my shochu cocktail really made me woozy -- not sure if it was the alcohol or the jetlag that hit me hard. I had to catch my second wind, though, because I found a salsa club nearby, and I wasn't going to miss going out on a Saturday night in Tokyo if I could help it.
Hutch and Missy have never seen me dance, and they have definitely never been to a salsa club. Since we were out anyway, I decided to drag them along, knowing that I couldn't stay very long (not that I had too many hours of dancing left in me at this point). The cover was 1,500 yen per person (about $18), but it came with one drink ticket each. When I peeked into the bar, I was SHOCKED at how teeny tiny the place is -- but it was packed full of happy dancers. I grabbed some open seats for Hutch and Missy and told them to order a drink as I scoped out the postage stamp sized dance floor, looking for someone to dance. I gravitated toward the foreigners, and found Juan, a guy from Peru. I spoke to him in English, he responded in Japanese. I asked him where he's from, and when he said Peru, I responded in Spanish. Turns out his English is very limited, so we kept going back and forth in Japanese and Spanish. I asked him for another place to go dance, but I later realized that I only have one more night in Tokyo. Oh well. In case my salsero friends visit Tokyo, there is a place to go dance every night of the week, and if you're really anxious, the Japan Salsa Congress takes place in Tokyo from Oct 31 - Nov 1.
Though Salsa Sudada was hoppin' I knew that Hutch and Missy were probably dying to leave (too loud, too crowded, getting constantly bumped), so I only danced a few songs with Juan and signaled to leave during the merengue break. Almost $50 spent, but only 30 minutes of lame dancing and two really bad margaritas... I'm not starting out so good in the bang-for-the-buck department.
We took a taxi back to the hotel ready to head to bed. I have to tell you about Japanese taxis! First of all, don't touch the door. The door is remote controlled by the driver, swinging open when you approach the cab, and closes shut after you are safely inside. When you step in, you'll notice that the seats are all covered in pristine white seat covers -- many with lace on the seat backs, and some with lace curtains. In Japan, entering someone's car is like entering their living room, and taxis are no exception. All this fancy stuff comes at a high price -- the meter starts at 720 yen, which is almost $8.00. Next time you get in a cab, remember how much MORE you'd pay if you were in Japan, and it will feel like a bargain!
By the time I was ready to doze off, I heard my Skype going off, which meant that my sister Yuka's family was calling for a video Skype session so I can see my adorable baby nephew, Kai! We tried this once before, and it took Kai a little while to get the idea that this was a live phone conversation, not a video of Aunt Sami. I showed him that Jiji (grandpa) and Baba (grandma) were passed out on their beds, and he was not too pleased, but I was able to distract him for half an hour and get my fill of his cuteness.
It was only 6 hours, but I was able to pack in some public transit, dinner, and salsa dancing -- not bad for Day 1!
Day 2 is Sunday, and Hutch and Missy will be attending Junya's wedding. I have about 6 hours to myself, and I will go exploring some of Tokyo's most interesting sites -- Asakusa with the big Thunder Gate and temple, Akihabara (electric town with the latest electronic gadgets and everything anime/manga), Harajuku to see the cosplay (costume play) girls who dress up like it's Halloween year round, and Meiji Jingu, the largest temple in Tokyo.
