After a very long flight from Toronto, arrived in Tokyo, and headed for an overnight at the Narita Comfort Hotel, which was very nice but small,
the next day it was off to Hong Kong onboard ANA business class, an excellent experience sitting in the upper deck of the 747 downing a few sake mini-bottles

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Before heading to the airport, we headed to temple Naritasan Shinsoji which is actually a few temples set on a large park with garden paths, ponds and trees.  Quite relaxing and nice end to the trip.  Stopped over for some ramen at Ramen Bayashi (553-9 Hanasaki-cho) -- while it's a popular spot for tourists, the food was great and reasonably priced.

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This is probably one the shortest (and more high-maintenance) trips I've taken in a while -- quite a departure from basic backpack-and-hostel experience I ususally do.  This time I'm trading in the solo backpacker experience for the family and group tourbus that my parents booked us on.

This six day trip is more like 3.5 days discounting air travel.  After departing LAX Friday afternoon, I arrive in Narita Saturday evening.  In time for a quick dinner with my sister and parents in the hotel.  Tomorrow the actual trip begins with a 6:30 call and boarding the tourbus at 8:15 AM...god, did i just say tourbus??

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So the flight was super long, but not entirely intolerable.  For some reason, there were hardly any people on the flight.  The seats were arranged in rows of 2 - 4 - 2.  I was seated in the 4 seat area all to myself, so when I got tired I just stretched out over four seats.  Needless to say, I appreciated that.

The movie on the plane was 'Dan in Real Life'.  Unfortunately I had just rented this movie the previous night was not so excited to see it again.  Not having much else to do however, I chose to watch it in French.

After a long flight we finally touched down in Narita.  It's pretty funny actually.  Coming from Vancouver, it didn't actually feel that weird to be the only white person in a crowd of Asian people.  However, this time, most of them and I were unable to communicate.

So in the lobby I went and purchased a phone card from a vending machine for $10 and called my friend in Tokyo.  I headed downstairs and waited about 30 minutes to get my Japan Rail Pass validated and purchase a ticket for the Narita Express to Tokyo Station.  My ticket had some English numbers on it but everything was in Japanese, so I had to ask a police officer what I was supposed to do.  He very kindly informed me which number represented my seat number. 

The train ride itself was longer than I expected and not too interesting.  It was dark out and I couldn't see very much of the city or countryside.   When I arrived at Tokyo Station I got a bit lost but found a pay phone and called my friend's cell. When he asked, "Where are you?", I responded, "I'm the white guy,"and we found each other shortly thereafter :). 

That night we went to a Chinese restaurant... I know... and it was really good.  We had some Japanese beer.  I ate the sama and a steak on rice.  Later we went to the convenience store to purchase another beer to bring back to the apartment and unwind.  Now as it was some ungodly hour my time, I thought I should be going to bed.

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Journal Entry:

2007.06.26 [somewhere over the Pacific Ocean]

Date: unknown  Time: unknown  Location: somewhere over the Pacific OPcean, 9800 meters in the air

Hello, my name is caffeine.  My name is airplane.  My name is purple socks.  I smell like hazelnuts.  I taste my consciousness on my lips...my lips, which have the shape of her mouth.  Hello.  My name is Paris.

-

Just walked into a lavatory door.  I had forgotten...just before that, a bright young girl offered me a piece of maple candy.  She asked, "Do you want it?"  All i could come up with was, "I don't know, i don't like maple flavor."  You don't have to eat it," she continued to offer.  "No, no.  I think i'll eat it," i said.  "I've forgotten why i dont like it.  Im curious."  Hello.  My name is maple candy.

Dillan from MASS.ACHUSETTS:  Superman T-Shirt, Rainbow Wristband

-

scene:  its nighttime...boy is walking down the sidewalk; its lined with trees that billow in the night breeze.  The leaves are brilliant shades of red, orange, with a small spattering of yellow.  The air seems refreshing when it blows by, but when it stops, its apparent that the air is hot and humid...and it returns slowly, like a stone heating up.

As the boy nears the crosswalk to corss the sctreet, screeching tires can be heard faintly in the distance.  Across the street is a giant park, so there are more trees and vegetation blowing on the other side.  The whole scene has an off-yellowish tint to it, from the street lighting. [any camera pan, always pans clockwise from the center of the crosswalk.  can zoom in and out as it pleases]

The wind starts to blow in short spurts, a few seconds at a time, instead of a long steady breeze, like the night trees breathing, or blowing out small huffs, like a small child would blow in a pinwheel.

As the boy approaches the crosswalk, the camera pans behind him, looking across the street.  Camera cuts to the edge of the sidewalk, at knee level, looking across to the other side:  the crosswalk straight ahead into the darkness, the street is perfectly perpendicular, running left to right.  Four feet from the edge of the street, the "walk light" turns red...

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Day 1:
After a 13 hour flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo, Arrived at Narita International Airport at around 5PM. Customs/Inspection/Getting a Visa took about an hour. Finally got out to the area where I met up with Alex after not seeing him since August. Found out that Narita isn't actually in Tokyo, pretty damn far from Tokyo actually, took us 2 hours to get to Hotel Accela which is in "Minami-Senju". We both learned that Japan has a very different understanding of "hotel" than we do. We did not have rooms, we had large boxes (you can read more in my review of the hotel). So Minami-Senju was the first place in tokyo that i stepped foot, and it wasn't a good vibe I got... We got to the hotel around 8pm, prepaid for 3 nights before seeing rooms, dropped our stuff off, went to walk around the area and get food. Alex told me that in his 4+ months in Japan, this was the shadiest place he'd ever seen. We walked around to find most food places to be closed as it was a quieter area of Tokyo and it was already 9pm or so. Finally found a place, didn't look very appetizing, but we were hungry. We walked in, it was fairly empty, the place had a karaoke machine and a drunken japanese man was using it. We ordered food, I ordered chicken strips and a salad and alex ordered some fishy food (something i didnt consider before coming to Japan, is that I'm allergic to seafood, so I was kinda screwed for a lot of the trip). They literally took our food out of a freezer, and stuck it in a microwave, atleast in mcdonalds, they dont show you. this guy, did it right in front of our face. and there was a roach on the counter 2 inches from my plate as I was eating. CULTURE SHOCK! (although alex told me Japan isn't normally like that, we were just in a very "dodgey" area (picked that up in London, dodgey=shady=sketchy, etc.) Got back to the hotel around 10-11pm after walking around a bit more and passed out.

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We went to this pretty huge mall in Narita. It was nice and had lots of shops to go to and check out. Me and Kenji mostly just spent our time taking purikuras. Nothing much happened. ^^ I will just share these purikuras with you.

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If you think of Narita, do you only picture the international airport? How about the rest of the city?? Well, you must know about the Gion Matsuri (summer festival)! It was nice to experience this wonderful festival and I definitely recommend it to those who are interested in the summer festivals in Japan.

It was only me, Kenji, my Aunt and Uncle who went and Kenneth was yet again missing in action. He's not dead only rarely home (it's a thing they call work). My Aunt told me that she gets really dizzy inside the car and she claims its the car smell and perfume. I told her that she just probably needs excercise since she doesn't really do much. And then I also started getting carsick. I can't believe it. It's definitely the car smell and perfume!!

The location for the Gion Matsuri is in the Narita-san Shinshoji (Narita Shrine) and throughout the city of Narita.  The shrine atrracts millions of worshippers a year so it's pretty big. There were lots of people when we got there but not that very crowded. The parade hasn't started yet so we walked up to the temples first.

My Uncle and Aunt kept noticing Kenji's falling pants.  My cousin was definitely aware of course and he kept on pulling it up. He intended to have his pants that way for.. ugh i dont know. He just wants to be ugh.. cool I guess?? Must be the latest fashion craze?!  This was how I think to have that style:

1st. Grab a pants thats twice your size.... 2nd. Use a huge belt around your waist but NEVER really use it as a belt to hold your pants up but just to make you look cool.  3rd.  Don't wear your pants too high, make your underwear a bit exposed. 4th. Be alert of your pants. Keep hold on it every 10 seconds when it's already falling down. 5th. Never wear your Pokemon underwear just in case the 4th rule slipped through your mind (oh for goodness' sake Ultraman underwear if you have no idea what Pokemon is!).

After walking around the temple grounds and taking pictures, we finally heard the drums rolling, a sign that the parade has finally started.  The parades consisted of floats and carts, and on these carts were men playing traditional drums and flutes. And there were also some men who stood on top of the float and danced the folk music that were being played.

Well, these carts have to move so there were hundreds of people who pulled them up the steep slope to the temple's main hall and then around the town. People of all ages joined the pulling. Young, young at heart and the old, dressed in their hanten kimono, held the rope and pulled (some only looked like they were pulling). Along with the carts, the parade also incuded groups of little girls hitting steel rods on the road for reasons I do not know.

I was really clueless half of the time on this festival. I would walk with the parade without me really knowing why I was doing so. I just went with the flow and tried to just blend it. I'm not sure if I was successful though or I actually looked like a complete moron like what I felt that time when after walking up the hill I immediately had to walk back down when I realized that the floats are being pulled back down the hill and I was afraid I was going to be run over. ^^

After the parade, Kenji and I walked around the stalls. I bought a keychain as a souvenir and felt a bit grumpy when I found out I was missing my 500yen coin. It sucks when I lose money or even think that I lost money even though I really didn't but couldn't remember. We just walked around again until we were called to go home.

Before we went home we went to the park again near the airport where you can watch airplanes. And then we had dinner at Gusto, hmmmm very yummy Hamburg steaks!!! hehehehe... ^^

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My first summer festival in Japan (Matsuri) and I don't even remember where it was exactly. I've asked my Aunt 3 times for the name of the place but then I also forgot it 3 times. Now, if anyone here recognizes the place it would be great if you tell me where it is! ^^

It was only me, my Aunt and my Uncle who went to that festival. Kenji might have finally realized what a bore I am so he went to see his friends instead! It was a nice summer day and when we were close to our destination, traffic suddenly went really bad. It was also hard to find a parking space but finally we found one.

This festival was located in the middle of the fields. I noticed that a lot of gradeschool kids participated and it's probably a school activity. Some kids worked in keeping the festival clean, and some were carrying the mini-floats for the parade. The place was nice because there were lots of flowers and there was also a small river where you can take some mini cruise.

I don't remember the details of this day because the only thing that I mentioned on my diary was that I ate some corn and barbecue. (x_____x) But I really enjoyed it! We left for lunch and had some seriously good steak in Gusto. It's my favorite restaurant in Japan actually! It's where I have eaten the best Hamburg steak of my life (hamburger steak)!!

My feet were in pain because of the shoes I wore and I even had blisters on both of my toes. We didn't go to Narita shrine because of it but we did go to a park near the airport where you can just sit down and watch airplanes fly over you. I can't imagine having some relaxing time there though because of the noise coming from the airplanes. But still a nice cool place to hang out.

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Two days after I came back from Hong Kong I bought my ticket to Japan and then left 5 days later. I really had no clear plans on what I'm going to do but all I had in mind was I was finally going to the country I've always wanted to visit! The not-so-clear plan was I'm going to stay for three months and if I could then I would extend for three more. If I could get a job then great!  Everyone in my family is looking forward to my 'move' to Japan because everyone's worried about me not settling down.  But I actually think I only have 2% chance of really staying there for good. We'll see then!

The flight from Manila to Narita only took just 4 hours but I just couldn't wait to set my foot on Japan that it felt like my longest flight ever!! I was just so excited! So finally I arrived. Didn't take much effort to find my relatives in the airport who live in Japan. So there was my aunt (my mom's sister), my japanese uncle, and my half-japanese cousin. My other cousin who's same age as me was M.I.A. but it was fine. I'll just see him when we get to their home.

It was a rainy and cool afternoon and I felt so happy that I was officially there. I was expecting to see high-rise buildings on our way home but I didn't see any of them except for fields of crops and houses. So stupid of me to think of that! Haha. Of course there's no such things in the countryside. The airport was a bit far from the city. The house where my relatives live is not that far from the airport and my first impression of the neighborhood was cool. It was soooo quiet and I just thought, "Hmm. I could relax here! Shouldn't be so bad."

We dropped off my luggages, took a little rest and asked my cousin about Purikuras. He showed me his Purikiura with his friends and I was so excited to finally be in a place where I know people who are freakingly insane about it. They are just so cute and it's my top 2 reason why I always wanted to go to Japan (top 1 I dunno, I just made the top 2 thing up).

 Then we left to eat out. My first dinner in Japan isn't so bad too. We had my favorite Tempura and also some Sashimi. They let me try Sashimi and I was really not looking forward to it since I'm not a fan of raw meat but I tried it anyway. And I actually liked it but still wasn't ready to eat them all up or I will puke. That would not be a good memory for my first day here!

After dinner we went to a department store and there I found some Purikura booths. I wil mention Purikura a lot in this blog since I am so fond of them I had to take lots all through my stay in Japan. Me and my cousin took a shot and it was really a bit akward talking to him. But we still managed even though we are having some language barrier difficulties.

We drove to a Pachinko parlor after that (named Tomoe Pearl or Pearl Tomoe. will check the next time how it really is). Do you know what it is? Well, Pachinko is like a video slot machine where you can lose and win huge amount of money.  You will either get rich or get broke when you're into this thing (like any other gambles) but most likely you're gonna get broke. Instead of coins or chips, the Pachinko machines uses small metal balls and it gets really really noisy inside! I found one small metal ball rolling about on the floor and kept it with me as a remembrance (only I dont remember where it is now!). One small metal ball really doesnt have any value, one box will get you about 5000yen (50$). In a box there could be about.... i dunno, 13000 balls??  So that one metal ball is about .0000yen$$$??? I dunno. You do the math, I dont care hehe.

My Aunt was hoping we could find my other cousin there but she didn't find him. I don't think she really mind if her son is hanging around and gambling there since she and her husband are also Pachinko freaks.  My cousin, the one who was with us (I will start using their names next time), was waiting outside because he is still a minor so he is not allowed to go inside the Pachinko parlor. He told me about this 100yen Purikura (they normally cost 400yen.. about 4$) he found nearby at Daiso (100yen shop, most stuff are only a hundred yen) and so we went there and took two purikuras.

When we got home, we found my other cousin standing at the door and I was so shocked with what he looked like. He had this long shaggy hair with highlights, really huge muscles, sharp pointed boots, tight shirt and some fashionable jeans. He and I grew up together and I'm only 12 days older than him. It's been about 3 years since the last time I saw him and he changed a good deal lot. We didn't talk yet because there were a lot of akwardness swarming in the air at that moment but I was hoping it will be gone in days.

The rest of the night was spent on some talks, tv and I dont remember much (this wasn't on my diary so really my memory is quite unreliable).

Glad I finally made it to Japan. =)

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We had horrible jet lag and woke up around 2 am and wandered around the hotel - which was a typical business hotel - nothing extraordinary.  We wasted time reading random newspapers and taking stupid pictures (which are not posted). :)

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My mom and I joined a Signet Tour (which is a chinese-run travel agency which focuses on escorted tours in Japan, Thailand and China). I have to give kudos to the tour group for providing a well-organized tour with great accomodations and food - all offered at an amazing value. Our guide Ellen was the best guide I've ever encountered - she's hilarious, organized, gave great travel tips and really made an effort to make our trip go smoothly. Unlike other tours, we began at a reasonable hour (around 9am) and had plenty of free time to explore on our own.

Day One:

We flew from LAX. I must say I hate long flights - not because I have any fears, but just seating in one spot for any period of time drives me crazy. I also can never sleep on flights for long no matter what pills I take - sigh. Anyways the first day was filled with traveling. We checked into the Hilton Narita Hotel and had a typical "Japanese" meal by western standards. My only concern was in trying to get some rest!

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During your bus ride from the airport, you will enjoy a scenic view of lush forests along deep black roads on your way to the Hilton Narita. Your eyes will widen when you see the half-circle structure that is the hotel. You will breathe warm, humid, clean air as you step off the bus. You will smile as you step through the entrance, and you will sigh with delight once you enter your room. Now, those were my wonderful writing skills, which were all true, but here are the honest facts about the Hilton Narita. When you check in, you will be greeted by a very friendly staff member who probably speaks English very well. You have an option of using a safe to secure your valuables, which is great if you tend to misplace these things. But, there is almost no worry of thieves in this area. After an elevator ride up to your floor, you may have a bit of a walk to your room, depending on where it is in the curved building. But, on your way through the hallways, the friendliest maids always stop what they are doing to say "konichiwa" to you, which made me smile ear to ear. Reply with a gentle bow and return the phrase. They will be so pleased! The layout of the rooms is quite simple, and best of all, clean! Most rooms are equipped with a TV, mini-fridge, and lots of storage space. The bathrooms look very modern and clean. You get quite a few TV channels, most are in Japanese, but there are many in English as well. In the bottom drawer of the spacious dressers, you will even find a Japanese kimono for your use while you stay at the hotel! There are lots of extra activities to enjoy at the Hilton Narita. You will have access to tennis courts, a beautiful lap pool, steam room, lounge, and more. You will have to see for yourself how beautiful all these facilities are... it's too hard to describe! But, I think you should be up and about exploring Japan anyways... not staying at the hotel all day! But, it is a very comfortable place to stay, and I am almost certain that you will love it! If you have any further questions, email me at travel.heartsam@yahoo.com anytime. Thanks so much for reading this review! Happy travels!

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The Mercure Hotel in Narita is what one would expect from a Japanese 5 star hotel (even though it may not be five stars) The staff are not only very professional but also have great English skills. I didnt have a problem communicating and they were very cheerful when asked stupid questions. The rooms are a little small but are exceptionally clean and have all the things you would expect. The mini bar is non existant, however there are vending machines on each floor for anything you could want to drink. Room service is prompt and discrete.

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Daar er niet van die ontzettende gezellige feestjes zijn zoals in Bloemendaal en Den haag, moet je in Narita roeien met de riemen die je hebt. Die riemen ben ik al halverwege de avond kwijt geraakt en de boot was aan het einde niet meer zeewaardig, met andere woorden: Ik was behoorlijk naar de klote!

Ons avondje begon gemoedelijk, eerst n hapje gegeten bij de Mc Donalds (waar anders) waarna wij ons naar het hotel begaven om ons in onze feestkledij te steken en elkaar om half 9 te treffen in de lobby van het hotel.

Op het terras van “The barge inn”, een Engelse pub in de smalle hoofdstraat van Narita, werd er lustig op los gedronken door alles wat er Europees uitzag en affiniteit had met de luchtvaart. Een perfecte plek om ongegeneerd laveloos aan de bar te hangen. Na een paar shooters en hele goedkope champagne was het wachten op “Elvis Presley”, welke deze avond van stal was gehaald… Een kruising van Lee Towers, Andre Hazes en toch wel een beetje Elvis Presley in verre staat van ontbinding waggelde beneden het podium op om zo zijn eerste klanken van “Are you lonesome tonight” ten gehore te brengen. Waar een spectaculaire opening toch wel gepast zou zijn, zong deze Look-a-like Elvis toch voor een lege zaal.

Nu was het de beurt aan DJ Mai om, in de pauze van de Elvis, de tent een beetje swingende te krijgen. Helaas, ook dit mocht niet baten in de timide sfeer die er beneden op de dansvloer hing. Maar ik zou ik niet zijn als ik geen dansje zou wagen. Zo gezegd zo gedaan, in mijn eentje stond ik daar als een spastische mongool met mijn armen en benen in het rond te maaien wat klaarblijkelijk goed in de smaak viel bij een gladde en vooral stinkende Peruaan. De naar knoflookstinkende gladjanus trachtte een ‘move’ in mijn richting te maken door heel erg irritant achter mij te gaan dansen. Na duidelijk gemaakt te hebben dat ik hier toch echt niet van gediend ben is de sukkel langzaam afgedropen. De drank begon nu al echt goed zijn werk te doen, en na de laatste ronde Sambuca shooters “We had left the building”

Volgende stop was het immers zo gezellige karaoke cafe genaamd "The cage" (Klik op de link en jaja.. ik ben die drunken monkey aan de linkerkant )Na een behoorlijke klim van de, 54 treden tellende trap, kwamen wij binnen in een heus Walhalla voor al het vliegend personeel. De kleine ruimte deed zijn naam eer aan, de tafels en het podiumpje werden afgeschermd door gaas. Wij raakten in gesprek met de Qantas crew die inmiddels aan de zelfde tafel waren aan geschoven.
Daar zat ik dan, 12000Km van huis, tegen het laveloze aan, in een karaoke bar te praten met de Australische crew van Qantas,…. Geweldig toch!?!?!
In de oren van buitenlanders schijnt onze Nederlandse taal naar het Duits te klinken (Iets waar ik niet echt trots op was en ben). Voordat ik het wist stond ik in de kooi, 99 luftbalon van Nena te schreeuwen/zingen;

“ Hast du etwas Zeit für mich
Dann singe ich ein Lied für dich
Von 99 Luftballons”

Omdat de avond nog jong was en omdat onze Australische vrienden in hetzelfde hotel vertoefden hebben wij deze mooie avond afgesloten met een verschrikkelijk goor ananas smakend biertje op hun balkon.

De riemen van de lekke boot kwamen los, net zoals ik als nooit tevoren!

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