After 30+ hours of airports and airplanes, I have arrived in Tokyo. My journey started in Lansing, MI, where I then flew to Chicago and Toronto before finally getting onto a 13-hour flight to Tokyo. This was by far the most pleasant extended flying experience I have ever had. The plane was around 70% capacity, allowing there to be an open spot between my aisle seat and another patron's window seat -- freeing up additional legroom and space to sleep. Additionally, there was an outlet *AND* USB charging portal at each seat, and the flight attendants were also quite generous on alcohol. The 13 hours just flew right by.
After arriving, going through customs, picking up my overloaded Osprey from baggage claim, and getting a JR Rail Pass (highly recommend for anyone going to Japan), I immediately went to the closest convenience kiosk.
These kiosks are BALLER. From bento boxes to beer to cigarettes to newspapers, they have everything a hungry traveler could want. I picked up some sushi and water for my train ride into Tokyo via the Narita Express, for a grand sum of about $5.
My final destination was Hachioji, where my uncle lives. Getting to Hachioji required a transfer at Tokyo station, but with some confidence and broken Japanese the transition was smooth.
I was so excited to finally see my uncle when he picked me up from the station. It's been at least 7-8 years since I've seen him, and we have both changed a lot. He immediately took me to a restaurant with incredible tonkatsu, setting the bar high for this next week of food exploration!
- JZ
