Japan Trip 1.2
Jul. 15th, 2004 07:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
naruki_oniOverhauled again. When it gets to 2.0, I'll stop editing (hopefully). ;-)
So, I went to Japan from Saturday, June 26th to Thursday, July 8th of 2004 (12 days). Total travel time each way, averaged, was roughly 26.5 hours. So scratch two days off the total and that gave me only 10 days of "vacation".
Overall, Japan was fun, but then I don't have high expectations for a vacation (otherwise, it would have been Stinksville this time around). I was mostly looking forward to food, and I got some. To be slightly more specific, I wanted excellent Japanese cuisine, and they delivered. Actually, we had to go out for it, they didn't literally deliver. Except this one ramen shop that delivered, but it kind of stunk, so I don't really count it.
One day, there may be pics. Right now, however, anything I may hypothetically have taken is still on my SO's computer (which I can't seem to pry her off of long enough to get access to). Ah, well.
So, I tried to foil the jet lag a bit by not sleeping the night before my trip. It didn't help me sleep on the planes save in short 5 to 10 minute bursts, and a tad longer on the trains. Honestly, I'm not sure it really helped at all. I'd have to travel back and forth more often to really judge that.
The Going Travel Experience
Starting from my dad's house (where I dropped off our kitties), I took an airport taxi service ($65) that came to the house at 3:55 am, just 10 minutes late. An hour to get to Boston's Logan airport, then wait around for about 3 hours till my plane leaves for Newark, New Jersey.
At Newark, wait another hour until the direct flight to Narita airport in Japan leaves. As on the short trip (<1 hour) to Newark, I'm stuck in a small window seat next to two smelly guys - major bummer. About 14 hours later (I never really timed the flight, so it could be less or more), arrive in Narita and go thru typical customs rigmarole. When out of that, with luggage in hand (one medium size suitcase and a plastic shopping bag carry on), I proceed to exchange my money for local currency and take the appropriate ass-reaming (so where do you keep your money?).
Then I go to a nearby counter to purchase train tickets (don't want to buy those things in advance, cause that'll tie you down to a schedule you may not be able to make). Guy at the counter speaks some English, which is fortunate - I'd never have been able to understand what he was talking about in Japanese. The ticket to Tokyo is easy enough, leaves in about 45 minutes. The trick is the next ticket to Morioka (where my SO lives) by shinkansen. The first one leaves about 15 minutes after I get to Tokyo station, and it makes frequent stops along the way (in other words, not an Express). The next one leaves almost 50 minutes later and only makes a couple stops. That means I'd have to wait at Tokyo station for another hour before getting on the train. Hmm. As I'm pondering, my travel-weary brain suddenly catches the next piece of info he's been giving me: the destination times. Apparently, the Express arrives in Morioka a good 45 minutes before the Limited! Doh! Problem solved (actually, I would have taken it even if it took longer, because I didn't want to have to find my way thru the huge Tokyo station in 15 minutes).
1 hour to Tokyo, find shinkansen platform and call my SO. Um, try to call her. First, buy one of those little phone cards for $10 - you slip them into the phone and they deduct the time used from the card by punching a little hole in it or something. I collected a bunch of used ones when I lived there, cause they all have different pictures on them. Anyway, I try to call my SO. And get weird things. Apparently, I don't know how to call from in-country long distance - it's different than calling from international long distance, and I have no idea what the different pieces of the phone number mean. So I ask some nice couple on the platform if they can help, and they do (eventually, but that's okay). So I call and get the freaking answering machine. Nobody home.
Screw it, I get on the train when it comes, go to my assigned seat (lovely thing getting those, although they can be more pricey), and settle down for the 3 hour tour. Er, trip. See that weird message on the little LED news sign over the door that I mentioned before on UF: "JR East and the Police together are now on the alert." WTF is that supposed to mean? Ugh!
Finally get to Morioka station, where my SO is impatiently waiting for me, and sniping because I "forgot" to call her to let her know when my train got in. Seems they were at home, but somehow nobody heard the phone ring. Not my problem, and fortunately I left a message proving I'd called. Argh! Just what I need after a long trip next to smelly guys. And then we couldn't locate her father, who was sitting somewhere else than where he said he'd be waiting. Local time about 7PM the next day. Total trip time, something just a bit more than 28 hours. Whew!
Being There
Well, not much to say. They live in the suburbs of a fairly good sized "small" town, far enough away that you'd need a taxi to get to the nearest train or bus station. With both parents working most every day, this meant we were stuck at the house most of the time (unless we wanted to fork over money for a taxi, and we were low on cash). In the evenings the parental units would take us out to nice restaurants, though. Plus, there was an excellent ramen shop within walking distance that gives a little popsicle after dinner as a service. Plus a not so good ramen shop, and the one that delivers even worse ramen to your door in real dishware that you have to leave out on the stoop for the eventual pickup. We tried them all.
Had some awesome sushi. Oh, yes. And I understand there is even better sushi elsewhere, but we didn't have an opportunity to go there.
So, I went to Japan from Saturday, June 26th to Thursday, July 8th of 2004 (12 days). Total travel time each way, averaged, was roughly 26.5 hours. So scratch two days off the total and that gave me only 10 days of "vacation".
Overall, Japan was fun, but then I don't have high expectations for a vacation (otherwise, it would have been Stinksville this time around). I was mostly looking forward to food, and I got some. To be slightly more specific, I wanted excellent Japanese cuisine, and they delivered. Actually, we had to go out for it, they didn't literally deliver. Except this one ramen shop that delivered, but it kind of stunk, so I don't really count it.
One day, there may be pics. Right now, however, anything I may hypothetically have taken is still on my SO's computer (which I can't seem to pry her off of long enough to get access to). Ah, well.
So, I tried to foil the jet lag a bit by not sleeping the night before my trip. It didn't help me sleep on the planes save in short 5 to 10 minute bursts, and a tad longer on the trains. Honestly, I'm not sure it really helped at all. I'd have to travel back and forth more often to really judge that.
The Going Travel Experience
Starting from my dad's house (where I dropped off our kitties), I took an airport taxi service ($65) that came to the house at 3:55 am, just 10 minutes late. An hour to get to Boston's Logan airport, then wait around for about 3 hours till my plane leaves for Newark, New Jersey.
At Newark, wait another hour until the direct flight to Narita airport in Japan leaves. As on the short trip (<1 hour) to Newark, I'm stuck in a small window seat next to two smelly guys - major bummer. About 14 hours later (I never really timed the flight, so it could be less or more), arrive in Narita and go thru typical customs rigmarole. When out of that, with luggage in hand (one medium size suitcase and a plastic shopping bag carry on), I proceed to exchange my money for local currency and take the appropriate ass-reaming (so where do you keep your money?).
Then I go to a nearby counter to purchase train tickets (don't want to buy those things in advance, cause that'll tie you down to a schedule you may not be able to make). Guy at the counter speaks some English, which is fortunate - I'd never have been able to understand what he was talking about in Japanese. The ticket to Tokyo is easy enough, leaves in about 45 minutes. The trick is the next ticket to Morioka (where my SO lives) by shinkansen. The first one leaves about 15 minutes after I get to Tokyo station, and it makes frequent stops along the way (in other words, not an Express). The next one leaves almost 50 minutes later and only makes a couple stops. That means I'd have to wait at Tokyo station for another hour before getting on the train. Hmm. As I'm pondering, my travel-weary brain suddenly catches the next piece of info he's been giving me: the destination times. Apparently, the Express arrives in Morioka a good 45 minutes before the Limited! Doh! Problem solved (actually, I would have taken it even if it took longer, because I didn't want to have to find my way thru the huge Tokyo station in 15 minutes).
1 hour to Tokyo, find shinkansen platform and call my SO. Um, try to call her. First, buy one of those little phone cards for $10 - you slip them into the phone and they deduct the time used from the card by punching a little hole in it or something. I collected a bunch of used ones when I lived there, cause they all have different pictures on them. Anyway, I try to call my SO. And get weird things. Apparently, I don't know how to call from in-country long distance - it's different than calling from international long distance, and I have no idea what the different pieces of the phone number mean. So I ask some nice couple on the platform if they can help, and they do (eventually, but that's okay). So I call and get the freaking answering machine. Nobody home.
Screw it, I get on the train when it comes, go to my assigned seat (lovely thing getting those, although they can be more pricey), and settle down for the 3 hour tour. Er, trip. See that weird message on the little LED news sign over the door that I mentioned before on UF: "JR East and the Police together are now on the alert." WTF is that supposed to mean? Ugh!
Finally get to Morioka station, where my SO is impatiently waiting for me, and sniping because I "forgot" to call her to let her know when my train got in. Seems they were at home, but somehow nobody heard the phone ring. Not my problem, and fortunately I left a message proving I'd called. Argh! Just what I need after a long trip next to smelly guys. And then we couldn't locate her father, who was sitting somewhere else than where he said he'd be waiting. Local time about 7PM the next day. Total trip time, something just a bit more than 28 hours. Whew!
Being There
Well, not much to say. They live in the suburbs of a fairly good sized "small" town, far enough away that you'd need a taxi to get to the nearest train or bus station. With both parents working most every day, this meant we were stuck at the house most of the time (unless we wanted to fork over money for a taxi, and we were low on cash). In the evenings the parental units would take us out to nice restaurants, though. Plus, there was an excellent ramen shop within walking distance that gives a little popsicle after dinner as a service. Plus a not so good ramen shop, and the one that delivers even worse ramen to your door in real dishware that you have to leave out on the stoop for the eventual pickup. We tried them all.
Had some awesome sushi. Oh, yes. And I understand there is even better sushi elsewhere, but we didn't have an opportunity to go there.
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no subject
Date: 2004-07-16 01:58 pm (UTC)I'm so jealous. I want to go on vacation to Japan. :(
Nice to see you using this thing, at last.
Well now
Date: 2004-10-22 07:05 pm (UTC)Re: Regards
Date: 2004-10-24 08:40 am (UTC)saminz
Re: Regards
Date: 2004-10-27 01:51 pm (UTC)Now that you're not there, there's no reason for me to keep visiting. The board has been eviscerated and emasculated (no pun intended). I loved your wit, your fierce defense of logic and grammar, and your thwacking of people who deserved it.
I am glad you have a LiveJournal.
correcting an ambiguity
Date: 2004-10-27 01:53 pm (UTC)Er, thanks, whomever.
Date: 2004-10-27 02:31 pm (UTC)And thanks for the nice words!
BTW, I made an entry just for this latest (and last) disabling, if you want to use that instead.
Re: Er, thanks, whomever.
Date: 2004-10-27 09:57 pm (UTC)I had it set to Friends only.
Date: 2004-10-28 07:08 am (UTC)