Japan - Getting There

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Pre-trip busy-ness on the day before our flight to Japan. 

Steve called to say that someone was interested in buying the RV. We did a video conference. Maybe it will be sold while we are away.

We went to get boarding passes and couldn't. We had to update passport information at American Airlines, then we got boarding passes. We were a but stressed about it but it all worked out.

We realized that our flight had a 6 am arrival in LA and that we wouldn't be able to check in until 3 pm. Bobbi spent an hour getting an early check-in only to discover it wasn't an early check-in, it was only a reservation at a hotel the agent was pushing.

Tim did some work for the union in the afternoon. 

Keith dropped by.

Roy dropped by.

Busy day.

Thursday, September 11, 2025

Arose at 4:40 am. Arrived at airport at 6:45 am. The flight was delayed 30 minutes. The flight was not full. No one next to us in the exit row. Tim has a new carry-on bag that fits under the seat perfectly. Tim started the Truman book on the flight. The flight went quickly.

Landed at LAX on time. Took a shuttle to the Uber lot, then Uber to hotel. We had to wait until 1 pm (or pay $100 for early check-in). This is when we learned that the early check-in was not early at all. 

Judy and Dave from Minneapolis were in the same situation. We chatted in the lobby. They were on a train excursion. They just finished a 43 hour leg with a sleeper berth.

Walked to Santa Monica Pier. 

Saw the start/end of route 66.

Talked to Larry and Randi from the pier. We learned that Randi knew some Japanese and had spent some time there in high school.

We ate Tacos at Albright's on the pier. Walked towards Venice Beach but turned back. Maybe tomorrow.

Friday, September 12, 2025

Stayed on Miami time. To bed at 9:30 and up at 5:30.

Walked a mile and a half to Schoop's restaurant. We each had 2 pancakes and 2 eggs. Good food. Next to gelato shop and vegan sushi and Thai restaurant.

Walked to Venice Beach. Reminds us of South Beach and Key West. Took bus home. One bus never arrived so we walked through an alley to another stop. We used out TAP app on phone. Saw a Waymo as we waited for the bus.

Did some yoga and took a short nap. Bought over-priced Gatorade from the convenient store in the hotel. 

Took the bus to Whole Foods for lunch. Tim lost Bobbi's water bottle. We went back to look for it. No luck. We bought M&M's in consolation. We took the bus home. While waiting for the bus, we saw a Waymo.

Saturday - Sunday, September 13 - 14, 2025

Up at 5:30.

Uber to airport at 7 am.

The flight was delayed for 45 minutes.

Time for breakfast at grab-n-go place in airport. We had a burrito wrap. Talked with Larry and Randi again. Talked to Roy. Bought extra food for flight. A Japanese family sat next to us at the long table. Lot's of inquisitive glances.

Problem with plane. Eventually, we could see mechanics working on one engine.

More delays. We had to change gates. I guess it was easier to disrupt a late flight than to disrupt a flight that could be on-time. It took us 15 minutes to walk through the terminal to the new gate, going up and down several escalators of stairs. No plane at the new gate.

We finally left after a delay of 2:15. We did not have a connecting flight and were staying at the airport in Japan, so it didn't matter how late we left.

Bobbi was confident we had a different plane. We learned upon landing that it was the same plane that had been repaired. I would rather be on this flight with this plane than the same plane that had arrived in Miami with a problem.

We had upgraded to exit row. Good choice. We were in the seats near the big door in the middle of the plane, next to the bathrooms. The crew jump-seat was across from Tim. Plenty of space.

We had a food service right away. Plenty of movie choices for our 10 hour flight. Only watched one movie all the way through, Amateur. Dark cabin. Dozed a little. Another food service before we landed.

Landed on Sunday. The sun never set and we lost a day. 

Our trip leader is Remi. She gave us excellent advise before the trip about customs and Japan mass transit. We were well prepared. We used a QR code to get through customs quickly. Bobbi could not take fingerprints, so we had a small delay for that.

We walked five minutes in the terminal to the hotel

Check-in is automated, with attendants to help. The rooms in Japan are small (and the floor is crooked). 

Tim looked for Gatorade. No luck. Walked around small portion of airport that had fast-food restaurants. Changed $20 to yen at kiosk by front desk. Tim went out again for water. Went further through the terminal to a store that sold lots of trinkets and convenience items. Saw an outdoor observation deck that smelled like jet fuel. The first floor of the terminal is the ticketing area that is open to the roof. The second floor can view the entire ticketing area. The second floor has restaurants and stores and vending machines. The second floor wall looks like a castle wall. The third floor has even more restaurants and shops.

Monday, September 15, 2025

Happy birthday, Mike. 

Western breakfast in the hotel was good. Eggs, tiny waffles, many small servings in tic-tac-toe plates. Walked around the terminal and checked the gacha vending machines. They dispense small collectibles. The more you spend, the more valuable the collectables. Tim tried one and got a pin with a medieval dude nest to a unicorn.

Checked out and took the train to the Vista hotel. We used our Pasmo transit card that was recommended by Remi. We followed Remi's instructions to take the express train, but had to debark at a nearby station and switch to a local for one stop. It was confusing. First, we got on the same train back to the airport going in the other direction. We went one stop and then returned from the station we just left. Then we found the local and took it one stop to the Higashi-Ginza station near our hotel.

The stations are vast underground cities. We wandered around a bit to locate the closes exit to our hotel. We were a little early, so we left our bags in the lobby. We walked back to the Ginza to change money.

We went to the basement of a big department store on the Ginza to eat a sushi lunch. We ordered 10 pieces of sushi, without any English. We went to the 9th floor to eat. On our walk, we passed the Kabuki Theater.

We took a bus to the Harumi district, where Tim performed 30 years ago. We walked by the old hotel, which wasn't so old back then. It used to be the big building in the neighborhood. Now it is dwarfed by 40-story buildings. We walked to the site of the Yume Kojo fesitval. The old site was demolished for Special Olympics housing. There is a monument that shows the layout of the old site. 

We returned to the hotel and checked into our room. We thought the room at the airport was small. This one was like the bedroom in Green Acres.

Returned to hotel by bus. The transit system in Tokyo is very good. 

Remi dropped by to say hi. She is very friendly.

We ate dinner at a sushi restaurant around the corner. We ordered by pointing at things on the menu.

Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Good breakfast. Automatic waffle maker, but small waffles. Something like a toaster over that toasts on a moving belt. Wave your hand to start it.

The breakfast room was clean with stations for all kinds of food, including fish. The room was long, with a row of stools at a counter against a sheet glass window.

Orientation walk around the neighborhood. We walked by the Kabukji Theater again and to the Ginza. Remi said that typical Japanese do not understand the language used in Kabuki, as it is an old form of the language. Maybe it would be like English speakers hearing anglo-saxon.

We took a bus to the sumo arena. A statue across the street from the arena commemorating past sumo champions.

Three or four times a year, there is a sumo competition in a city in Japan. The tournament was in progress in Tokyo. We went to the suma arena and saw an example of a sumo ring. 

We met a sumo wrestler and had a picture taken with him. Remi likes being with a group of tourists. She would never dare to ask a sumo wrestler for a photo. Sumo wrestlers are superstars in Japan.

We went to a school for sumo wrestling run by a retired sumo wrestler. We were given an understanding of the basic rules for sumo and how to wrestle. Sumo wrestling from the Tokyo tournament was on television every day. After our sumo lesson, we appreciated the competition and looked for every day to watch the matches.

The retired wrestler prepared a hearty soup for us for lunch, like a soup that sumo wrestlers would eat. In addition to soup, the sumo wrestlers in training consume 10000 calories a day, including a lot of rice.

We were given a chance to try to push a wrestler backwards. Impossible.

Next stop was the Shinto Meiji Shrine, located in a beautiful park. 

This is the shrine that Remi visited most often. Many offerings were displayed with sake and wine.

We could also purchase offerings.

We were introduced to the proper way to pass under a Torii gate, never directly in the middle, but off-center, closer to the pillars. We also learned how to clap before and after making our offering at the shrine. I was touched deeply be the reverence shown at the shrine. No pictures are allowed in the shrine.

We left the group and walked to a local yoga school. We were invited into the studio and talked with the Iyengar teacher for 15 minutes. We took the train back to the hotel. We only missed our stop by one, then got back on at the next station.

We had a delicious welcome dinner at a hotel on the Ginza. We were allowed onto the roof for a quick view. Only a few people were allowed up at a time, as there was a bar up there and a limit to the maximum people allowed.

Short walk back to the hotel. Home by 9

Wednesday, September 17

Good breakfast again. Discovered some granola. Looked like rice crispies. Not bad.

Hot day. Took cabs, instead of subway, to Asakusa. This is Tim's third time here. We saw an overview from a building near the entrance. This was our first glimpse of Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy.

The entrance had two guardians on either side.

The pagoda by the temple used to be the tallest building in Tokyo. Remi pointed out a symbol on a nearby monument and emphasized it is not a swastika.

We walked to a drumming school and learned all about Taiko drums. We were shown many kinds of drums, from small to big to huge. 

We ate lunch at a local restaurant with Matt and Shelby at a noodle shop. We had a delicious bowl of rice and unagi. It is difficult to order food. Basically, we point at the menu. We took a taxi home for $21. We did laundry at the hotel. The machine is a washer and a drier, all in one. It didn't dry so well. We needed an extra hour to dry.

We barely caught up with the Ginza walking tour with Remi. We went to an observation deck overlooking the Ginza. It has changed in 30 years. It is not as overwhelming with neon signs. We shopped for T-shirts at Uniqlo, where Remi buys some of her shirts. We bought peace shirts. The window display was interesting. Imagine these shirts swinging like pendulums.

On the way to the Ginza, Remi remarked that Japanese men do not wear beards, just as a Japanese man with a beard walked by. At the observation deck, she commented that they do not hear many sirens in Japan. When we left the building, a police car was outside with its siren blaring.

Back at the hotel, we bought egg salad sandwiches at the 7-eleven. Many people at home told us we had to get egg salad sandwiches. They were good. White bread with no crust. Homemade is better. The 7-eleven are very popular. They have many convenience items, including socks.

We packed a small bag for a two day overnight and took the bag to the lobby.