My trip to Japan

My sister Susan and I got up at 3:00am on March 28th, 2008 and put our luggage in her car and were on the road by 3:30. We arrived at LAX at 4:00. I believe they are record events for both me and my sister as well for driving from Pasadena to LAX. Two and a half hours later we arrived in Dallas with our nieces there to greet us all of us happy and excited about our air voyage to Japan. Thirty minutes later we were on the plane headed for Tokyo.

Cool mosaic floor in Dallas Airport.

There were lots of Japanese people on the plane. I know this is not a shocker but it was unusual to see. It was mostly professional looking men looking suprisingly European in their ways and style. I wanted to take a photo but I figured it would be rude as well an invasion of privacy but it was noteworthy to me.

You see this trip was the most exotic trip I had ever taken. Europe is romantic and full of the history I am so familiar with but Japan is a new world for me.

To prepare for this trip Susan and I listened to conversational tapes to help me with basic Japanese. I use every opportunity I could on the plane to use some basic words. I even watched a Japanese game show and tried to pick out words I already knew.

Many hours later we met my brother Eric (giver of plane trip and organizer of personal tours). We went through the regular customs routine and got on a bus to our Hotel. We stayed the first night in a town called Machida the first night as our other hotel had no vacancies till the next night. The hotel was called Hotel Shinjuku.

Everything was very compact and efficient. The room was about 7' by 7' with a nice firm twin bed, a pillow filled with some kind of hulls, night stand with incorporated lamp and alarm clock, a television hanging over the foot of the bed, a small refrigerator with beverages, tea warmer, pitcher, cup, tea, and water glass. The bathroom was even better. It was similar to a bathroom on an airplane but with a mini tub. The bathtub was about 4' long and 2' deep. The depth helps you get wet while bathing. The best part of the bathroom is the toilet. This fabulous toilet had a seat that warms your bottom, deodorizes the toilet, and and squirts water on your bottom like a bidet saving endless amounts of scratchy toilet paper. I could have sat there all day.

A big picture of my little bathroom

After we all were settled in our rooms we went around the town looking for a place to eat. Eric led the way trying to find a place that would take credit cards. Most did not. Eric tried to get cash at an ATM but it was not successful. I watched as the ATM machine showed an cartoon image of a man and woman looking disappointed and bowing their heads in apology. What a friendly way to turn you down! We eventually found a restaurant that took credit cards. It was a Korean BBQ place. When we were seated they host opened the bench we were to sit on so that we could stow our purses and jackets and they would not get dirty from the frying meats in the center of the table. So thoughtful.

Machida at night


Korean BBQ

beer vending machine!

Not far from the beer vending machine.

We found many interesting store names.