Misadventure Chronicles: Japan 2007 and how it all began
Among the things that made my first time out of the country memorable was that, for once, I went with something I loved, and chose to go to Japan where most would opt for the U.S. Another was the presence of my husband (then, boyfriend), Paul. It was fun because, while we weren't strangers to traveling, doing so without tour guides and just one other person for company was new, especially for me. We found that the first 24 hours was already a wealth of experiences.
Our flight was delayed leaving, which is normal for the Philippines, I think, despite the plane being Cathay Pacific. Naturally, we had to disembark and take a connecting plane in Hong Kong, but since we were late, by the time we got there, it was about to leave and we were two of the few people it was waiting for. The ground stewardesses at HK International hurried us to our next boarding gate. Paul and I headed directly for the sign that read ECONOMY PASSENGERS. As we ran through the jetway, we looked at the windows outside and wondered why the plane was moving. Paul was thinking it was about to leave. When we got to the end, it was closed! Turns out the jetway was retracting. That and our quick footsteps made it seem as if the plane was leaving. The Chinese guy manning the controls was surprised when he saw us and started gesturing to use the FIRST CLASS/BUSINESS CLASS entrance.
Then, upon arriving at Narita International at 11pm, Paul remembered to contact the hotel where we were booked. He tried calling the number, but kept getting a pre-recorded Japanese voice message. Fortunately, one of the ground stewardesses at Information knew English. Paul explained his dilemma, that he needed help with the call but kept "getting the answering machine". The girl listened to the message, smiled and told us, "It says the line is not available." It turns out we missed inputting the area code.
We took the train below the airport. The ride to the city itself was pretty uneventful. I kept looking out the window marveling at how new and foreign everything was, and wondering how they would all look like in the daytime.
When we got off at the city station, underneath one of their bigger parks, I noticed the drop in temperature. I kept looking around for airconditioning units, because it was FREAKING COLD. To this day, I still remember how it felt walking up those stairs that led outside the Keisei station and staring up at the night sky and just squinting, thinking that maybe if I narrow my eyes enough, I'm going to see a BIG AIR VENT suspended among the clouds.
Take note my outfit: Pants. Sneakers. Socks. Baby tee. Maong jacket.
Take note Paul's outfit: Pants. Sneakers. Socks. Shirt.
Usually my husband revels in the cold, but, for once, I saw it getting to him. Haha. It definitely got to me! Lesson: Maong jackets are only good for light cool tropical weather.
Oh, and we had to look for our hotel, too! We almost went the wrong way. We did stop once at a koban (police box) to ask for directions. The officer didn't speak a word of English, but we were all able to get our points across at least.
View Larger Map
The walk from Keisei Ueno Station to Ueno First City Hotel... not counting the parts where we got lost and made a few wrong turns.
Also another first for me: Indoor heating! Something that greeted us when we arrived in our hotel room. I pointedly looked at Paul before plopping, exhausted and relieved to be warm, onto bed and said, "Tomorrow we're buying thicker jackets."
Our flight was delayed leaving, which is normal for the Philippines, I think, despite the plane being Cathay Pacific. Naturally, we had to disembark and take a connecting plane in Hong Kong, but since we were late, by the time we got there, it was about to leave and we were two of the few people it was waiting for. The ground stewardesses at HK International hurried us to our next boarding gate. Paul and I headed directly for the sign that read ECONOMY PASSENGERS. As we ran through the jetway, we looked at the windows outside and wondered why the plane was moving. Paul was thinking it was about to leave. When we got to the end, it was closed! Turns out the jetway was retracting. That and our quick footsteps made it seem as if the plane was leaving. The Chinese guy manning the controls was surprised when he saw us and started gesturing to use the FIRST CLASS/BUSINESS CLASS entrance.
Then, upon arriving at Narita International at 11pm, Paul remembered to contact the hotel where we were booked. He tried calling the number, but kept getting a pre-recorded Japanese voice message. Fortunately, one of the ground stewardesses at Information knew English. Paul explained his dilemma, that he needed help with the call but kept "getting the answering machine". The girl listened to the message, smiled and told us, "It says the line is not available." It turns out we missed inputting the area code.
We took the train below the airport. The ride to the city itself was pretty uneventful. I kept looking out the window marveling at how new and foreign everything was, and wondering how they would all look like in the daytime.When we got off at the city station, underneath one of their bigger parks, I noticed the drop in temperature. I kept looking around for airconditioning units, because it was FREAKING COLD. To this day, I still remember how it felt walking up those stairs that led outside the Keisei station and staring up at the night sky and just squinting, thinking that maybe if I narrow my eyes enough, I'm going to see a BIG AIR VENT suspended among the clouds.
Take note my outfit: Pants. Sneakers. Socks. Baby tee. Maong jacket.
Take note Paul's outfit: Pants. Sneakers. Socks. Shirt.
 |
| See what we're wearing compared to the coat-clad people around us? |
Oh, and we had to look for our hotel, too! We almost went the wrong way. We did stop once at a koban (police box) to ask for directions. The officer didn't speak a word of English, but we were all able to get our points across at least.
View Larger Map
The walk from Keisei Ueno Station to Ueno First City Hotel... not counting the parts where we got lost and made a few wrong turns.
Also another first for me: Indoor heating! Something that greeted us when we arrived in our hotel room. I pointedly looked at Paul before plopping, exhausted and relieved to be warm, onto bed and said, "Tomorrow we're buying thicker jackets."
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