Konichiwa
Hello from Japan! I traded a trip I had this weekend to Brussels for one to Japan. I've never been before, so this is very exciting! The flight from New York to here was long at about 13 and a half hours, but well worth it once here. We left New York at about noon on Friday and arrived in Narita at 2:30pm on Saturday. The time change is killer! 13 hours ahead of New York, 16 hours ahead of the west coast. It's 7:30am Sunday morning here now, but 6:30pm Saturday night in North Carolina.
When we arrived at the hotel yesterday, we hit the ground running, with just enough time for a quick shower. We headed off to Green Street where we were surprised to find the street was closed to vehicle traffic as there is a guitar festival going on this weekend. All down the narrow street various bands were set up playing music. It was really cool. Green Street is popular with crew members because it is loaded with "100 Yen" stores (a dollar store) and great restaurants that are inexpensive to eat at. There are also a few malls in the area flight attendants like to visit. Today, I think I am going to head back to the area since there is a Buddhist Temple there I would like to visit. I've seen pictures of it and it's just beautiful... will be great to see it in person.
I had a lot of fun with the crew members that I went out with last night. I was thankful to have a few tour guides, each knowing the best places to go and two even spoke Japanese... all the better. There was one other "virgin" on the trip (you know, another flight attendant who hadn't been to Japan yet) so she and I had a great time checking it all out and were thankful we had experienced guides.
So, where am I in Japan? Well, the easiest answer is Tokyo, but we're not really there. We flew into Narita, the main international airport that serves Tokyo, although it takes about an hour to get to Tokyo from here (from what I'm told). On the way here, we took a very northern route from New York, flying up through Canada, north of Alaska over the Beaufort and Chuchki Seas and then down the eastern coast of Russia, along the Bering Sea and Pacific Ocean. While flying over Russia, we saw some amazing mountains and an active volcano with steam spewing out of it. That was cool, although a little disconcerting since we practically flew over that one. I spent about an hour up in the cockpit just checking out the landscape. It is so barren out there, but just amazing. I flew over Russia! I was able to take a three hour break on the flight, where I tucked myself in the crew bunks and slept, happily, the entire time. I had gotten up about 4:00am so I could commute from Raleigh to New York. By the time I landed in Narita, I had been up about 21 hours (not including my nap) and then we hit the ground running. Needless to say, I slept like a baby when I finally did fall asleep, despite the bed being barely softer than the floor.
I am so excited to be here! When I get home I'll upload pix from my camera and who you all more. That'll have to wait a few days, however, as I am heading to England Monday and won't be back to North Carolina until Wednesday. Rough, I know!
When we arrived at the hotel yesterday, we hit the ground running, with just enough time for a quick shower. We headed off to Green Street where we were surprised to find the street was closed to vehicle traffic as there is a guitar festival going on this weekend. All down the narrow street various bands were set up playing music. It was really cool. Green Street is popular with crew members because it is loaded with "100 Yen" stores (a dollar store) and great restaurants that are inexpensive to eat at. There are also a few malls in the area flight attendants like to visit. Today, I think I am going to head back to the area since there is a Buddhist Temple there I would like to visit. I've seen pictures of it and it's just beautiful... will be great to see it in person.
I had a lot of fun with the crew members that I went out with last night. I was thankful to have a few tour guides, each knowing the best places to go and two even spoke Japanese... all the better. There was one other "virgin" on the trip (you know, another flight attendant who hadn't been to Japan yet) so she and I had a great time checking it all out and were thankful we had experienced guides.
So, where am I in Japan? Well, the easiest answer is Tokyo, but we're not really there. We flew into Narita, the main international airport that serves Tokyo, although it takes about an hour to get to Tokyo from here (from what I'm told). On the way here, we took a very northern route from New York, flying up through Canada, north of Alaska over the Beaufort and Chuchki Seas and then down the eastern coast of Russia, along the Bering Sea and Pacific Ocean. While flying over Russia, we saw some amazing mountains and an active volcano with steam spewing out of it. That was cool, although a little disconcerting since we practically flew over that one. I spent about an hour up in the cockpit just checking out the landscape. It is so barren out there, but just amazing. I flew over Russia! I was able to take a three hour break on the flight, where I tucked myself in the crew bunks and slept, happily, the entire time. I had gotten up about 4:00am so I could commute from Raleigh to New York. By the time I landed in Narita, I had been up about 21 hours (not including my nap) and then we hit the ground running. Needless to say, I slept like a baby when I finally did fall asleep, despite the bed being barely softer than the floor.
I am so excited to be here! When I get home I'll upload pix from my camera and who you all more. That'll have to wait a few days, however, as I am heading to England Monday and won't be back to North Carolina until Wednesday. Rough, I know!
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