We got to the airport very early in the morning on Thursday. Our flight to Chicago had some matanince issues and we ended up being delayed about an hour and a half. That wasn’t too bad though, and we were soon on our way. We met up with a representative from LaurAsian at the airport in Chicago who helped us find the electric train to the Japan Air terminal. He gave us some good advice on the way over to the terminal, such as “Don’t misplace your passport, that would be very bad”. We got through security pretty quickly, and relaxed and waited for our plane to Japan.
receiving helpful advice before stepping onto the terminal train
Having flown JAL twice before, I knew what to expect when getting onto the plane, but it was still pretty cool to see everyone else’s faces light up. The airline really makes it as enjoyable as a 12-hour plane ride can be. Flying economy class on JAL is kinda like flying first class on American Airlines. You have a pretty big seat, a personal T.V. which you can choose from a variety of movies (I watched the new Alice in Wonderland, and two Japanese movies I had never heard about.) and video games, and a radio with mostly J-Pop, Classical, and… Kraftwerk? The plane ride was still pretty arduous and we were all happy to get off. When we did, it was 2 p.m. Friday afternoon. We made it through Japanese customs and met up with two people from Laurasian who took group photos and helped us onto the tour bus that took us closer to downtown Tokyo, where the dorm rooms we are staying at now are. They’re part of the center that was built for Olympians when Japan hosted the Olympics in 1964. The facilities are nice but also very no-frills. Our room is a bed, a table & chair, and a window.
view from my dorm room bed
We ended up arriving here at around 5 p.m. and took an hour to get settled and then rest. After that, we walked about half a mile to eat at a noodle house that Sensei Johnson recommended. おいしかたね！ (“O-ey-shi ka-ta-nei”- It was very delicious). I ordered Tendon- fried peppers, eggplant, and shrimp over rice, which came with a side of Miso soup and salad.
We headed back to the dorms after our meal and ended up passing out shortly there after 8:00, putting an end to our first, very short, day in Japan.
taking an elevator at chicago o'hare airport
playin' around, waitin' for the plane to work
good morning tokyo
Wow, Hank! What a great post. Sounds like you all are off to a good start. I hope you're able to keep posting -- it's great to get your stories and your pictures.
ReplyDeleteWhat's up here? Dad and I ate at Dalat last night, and this morning we'll be off for a walk before it gets too hot (it's supposed to get to like 96 today, I think).
Y'all keep having fun. Hey to Georgia, please!
Hank,
ReplyDeleteYou rule! Thanks for the post. Great work, keep it up. And have a tremendous time!
Love
Dad
Hank,
ReplyDeleteAwesome post. It looks like you guys are off to a great start! Tell Roo, who treats everything but the five different foods she actually eats like some kind of Fear Factor Challenge, that she needs to try more than white rice while she's there.
Hank,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update/post. We're excited to see and hear about your trip as it happens! Tell Sarah hi from her family. Have a great time and keep the posts coming!