March 25, 7:00 AM - Knoxville
It's times like this that I start wondering why the airlines tell you to get to the airport two hours before your scheduled departure. I can see why it would be important if you were flying out of JFK or DFW, but Knoxville McGhee-Tyson Airport is too small to warrant it. I mean, there are 12 gates here and maybe 10 or 12 departures per hour. They really don't need two hours to get your bags to a plane that won't be here for another hour.
I'd been under the impression that I'd have to give up my Bic lighter to get on the plane. When I tried to hand it over to the TSA guys, they waved me off. That rule doesn't go into effect until April 14, six days after I'll be back home. I'll chalk that up as my first small victory of the trip.
Time to break out the book Dad gave me a while ago - The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. It tells the story of a serial killer in Chicago, set against the backdrop of the 1893 Columbian Exposition. A great way to pass time that doesn't eat up computer batteries. Back in about four hours from my stopover in Minneapolis.
March 25, 10:45 AM - Minneapolis
Nice flight up from Knoxville on a 50-seat Canadair Regional Jet. I even got a few minutes of sleep. It was cloudy almost the whole way, but we broke into the clear about 100 miles south of Minneapolis. It was a bit of a surprise to see snow on the ground. Nice airport here, and exceedingly friendly TSA screeners. It helped that the security checkpoint wasn't busy.
I have roughly 2 hours until boarding, so it'll be a few more chapters of the book and a little bit of people watching. Judging from the crowd here at the gate, it's going to be a pretty full flight. I have a window seat, which means not a lot of getting up and walking around. That's okay - I'd just as soon stay put. We'll be in daylight all the way to Tokyo, which means lots of snow and ice to look at all the way. I'm hoping that they'll have a GPS display on the video system so I know when we're coming up on Hokkaido. I'll try to get a little more sleep, but I'm not counting on doing anything more than dozing. Back in about 18 hours, from the hotel in Tokyo.
March 26, 9:50 PM, Tokyo
Incredibly, I made it! After an interminable flight from Minneapolis to Tokyo Narita Airport, I cleared customs, changed dollars for yen, grabbed a subway map, took the bus to downtown Tokyo, and took a taxi to the hotel. All with a minimum of charades and/or histrionics. Everyone I talked to at the airport spoke serviceable English. My only hitch was the taxi driver who didn't speak English at all, and wasn't too clear on the location of the hotel. I drew a map that showed him the location of the hotel in relation to the two closest major subway stations. After that, we were there in two minutes. It certainly paid to know the names of the stations, and the Japanese word for "station" (eki). There's a lot to be said for doing one's homework.
On the bus ride from the airport to downtown, I saw two things I recognized. The huge Ferris Wheel in Tokyo's Odaiba neighborhood, and Tokyo Tower. Neither of them are really earthshaking landmarks, but having traveled halfway around the world to visit a city, it's pretty nice to see something and know what it is. No pictures from the bus - I'll take some another time.
The first thing I did when I got to the hotel was call my penpal, Rieko. Her conversational English is remarkably good! She's very self-conscious about it, but by the time I' leave I think she'll be a bit more confident. We'll meet up on Monday to have a look at some of the sights in close to central Tokyo. It'll be easy in terms of transportation, and it'll give us a chance to get used to talking instead of sending emails back and forth.
So now I'm comfortably ensconced in my palatial digs for the next two weeks. This is one of those places where you don't want to walk through the door too fast, lest you run into the back wall of the room. To all of my colleagues back at the office, these are good examples of *lousy* indoor pictures. I didn't use a tripod (um, didn't pack one), and I used my flash. Bad for posting on MLS, but good enough for you sorry lot! ;-)
TV in Tokyo..... first thing I saw was highlights of the current Sumo tournament. Hit the channel up button and saw... a naked woman! Then I realized I was on the "pay" channels. Quick change to the free channels........ where I saw a beautiful HD documentary on sea life near a coral reef - on my room's 13-inch non-HD TV. Next up was a televised match of Go - a Japanese game from which the American board game "Othello" was stolen. A square board with a grid on it, black and white discs. Surround your opponent's opposite color discs with your discs, and they change to your color. The broadcast was complete with expert analysis, though I think they saw the wisdom of not having instant replay. I've heard that Japanese TV is absolutely nuts, and I'm beginning to believe it.
So... it's time for me to try to get a few hours of sleep. Tomorrow I'll put up some trip pictures and then have leisurely stroll around the Imperial Palace, maybe Shiba Park to its immediate south. If I'm feeling really brave, I might venture down to Harajuku, where the kids come out on Sundays in wierd costumes for some reason. Rieko will be working from noon to 9:00 PM, so I'll spend my time on acclimatization and recon. And I might take a picture or two. Off to bed....
