Finally, after many months/weeks of preparation and waiting we are at last in Japan. We arrived at Narita airport earlier this afternoon after a grueling 13 hour flight from Washington D.C. Not only did we have to endure a 13 hour flight in a very uncomfortable Boeing 777 but when we finally touched down in Narita and were all ready to get off they sent in a medical team (in full haz-mat gear) to find out if anyone on the plane had contracted Swine Flu recently. This led to another hour of waiting and doing nothing. Luckily, we all escaped quarantine.
Finally off the plane we got our bags and changed our money and got out of the airport. The hotel for the night was close to the airport and right next to the train station. After check in we went to our rooms to shower and get ready for dinner. The rooms at this hotel (as with many hotels in Japan) are tiny. Like barely-able-to-walk-in tiny.
For dinner I went to a Japanese ramen chain restaurant with Suzuki-sensei and some of my classmates. Here I found something they I didn't even know I was looking for: kimchee ramen. That's right: two of the greatest edibles together as one in a symphony of hot and spicy delicious deliciousness.
On the way home from dinner I stopped at the convenient store (コンビに) and got a few staples of Japanese convenient store food.
Haichu (ハイチュウ), Bulgaria Yogurt (ブルガリア) and the superbly named beverage Calpis (say it aloud). Haichu is a candy, kind of like Starburst in the US except it starts soft and chewy (kinda of like a Starburst that has been in the sun too long). Bulgaria Yogurt was a recommendation from Suzuki-sensei, and was delicious. Yogurt in Japan is a lot sweeter than in the US. Calpis is one of the single greatest beverages I have ever had. It looks awful, has a horrible name and comes in a square shaped bottle but somehow it works. It kind of tastes like a light citrus water with a slightly smooth texture like low-fat milk.
After some tasty treats it was finally time for some sleep. Tomorrow we travel to
Tokyo.
