DEPARTURE AND ARRIVAL
SYNOPSIS: About a few obstacles before departure and a smooth arrival at a budget hotel in Tokyo.
CITY VIEW FROM HOTEL
If one more thing had gone wrong I would have convinced myself that this trip is cursed. Two days before my departure my computer rendered itself unusable. No computer, no blog; no computer, no processing of pictures — I might just as well forget about the whole trip. Of course, I could go without a computer, but half of the point of these trips is the sharing and the collecting of images suitable for teaching. And that takes organization and ongoing maintenance. And these days, that takes a computer.
For years my son had been preaching that I needed a Mac, and so I bought a Mac notebook. But I have never used a Mac and I had no tech support available either. You can paint the picture of me and the computer 48 hours before departure. It is probably that and a few tears on top of it. But I got the main functions going; probably not very efficiently, but who cares?
Then, I locked myself out of my own suitcase with my own lock; one that I had used for multiple trips before…. If it hadn’t been for David, who knows? After that all went smoothly, but 13 hours cooped up in an airplane is no joke. The last three hours, I had no idea anymore how to sit. My butt seemed to have worn thin.
But then it ended and we arrived at the rainy, drab and dreary Tokyo-Narita airport. Really, it could have been an airport anywhere in the world. Hardly an indication of anything Japanese except for the signs that were all in Japanese first and English and Chinese second and third. The move through customs and immigration was a piece of cake. No advanced visas are required for Japan. No money for the visa either, which is issued within seconds upon arrival. I am not sure I have seen anything that simple in years.
The subways are clean, well marked, and fast. The countryside could have been anywhere in the world if it had not been for a few miles of rice paddies between Narita and Tokyo and for the peculiarly Chinese (yes Chinese) looking roofs on some of the suburban homes. But it got dark and after the sun beautifully set over the rice fields I could not see much anymore during the 1.5 hour ride into town. One more transfer, another 15 minute walk and I arrived a the Juyoh Hotel.
It’s a 10-storied building and by the hallway I photographed, you may deduce the size of the rooms by the frequency of the doors. But it’s what I need. Privacy, a clean bed and access to a shower. Only three floors have showers though. I wonder what that means in the morning… The view from the rooftop features a distinct tower in the vicinity and lots of highrises, presumably downtown, in the distance. Of course, I will explore all of that tomorrow.
But after a 28 hour day, I will call it a night now.