Arrival
The following items on my life list can now be updated:
Visit all 7 continents.
Visit 20 countries.
Eat sushi in Japan.
Hooray!
I was dreading the 9 hour flight from Seattle. I of course I convinced myself that I would get deep vein thrombosis and the plane would have to make an emergency stop on some remote Aleutian island and it would all be very embarrassing and terrible. Chris recommended not sleeping on the plane so that by the time I was settled in Japan I would be exhausted and would be able to sleep. No problem! I cannot sleep on planes or anywhere else where I am not lying parallel to the floor and I envied the passengers I saw who conked out the second the flight hit a cruising altitude.
The flight actually went by faster than I thought. The flight had movies on demand (best invention EVER!) and I watched Whip It, The Invention of Lying, and Adam. I sat next to a very friendly and talkative guy named Reggie who was on his way to the Philippines to meet up with his online girlfriend. I left that flight knowing more about him than I know about people I see on a daily basis, but I’m not complaining! He made the time zoom by.
The flight arrived over an hour early, so my fantasy of seeing Chris after two weeks and having a sappy reunion involving us running towards each other, arms open, like a sappy RomCom, was crushed when he wasn’t there to meet me yet. When he did arrive I realized that it was a blessing we decided to take this vacation after he was finished working, and not before. By the time I got there he had figured out the subway system and getting to our hotel was easy and stress-free. The iPhone was a godsend during this trip–yes, we had to pay extra for an international data plan, but having the ability to type in our location and have a map at our fingertips was worth every penny.
Anyway, after settling into the hotel (a great place, Citadines Shinjuku, which I would definitely stay at again), we met up with Chris Jackson, Chris’s coworker who was going to be traveling with us. One of the best things about Japan was of course the food. Most nights we would wander around the city until we found a place that looked good. The first meal I had was just a basic beef and vegetable dish, but it was better than anything similar I’ve had in Salt Lake.
By the time we were done eating, it was around 9pm, or 5am Salt Lake time, meaning I hadn’t slept in about 24 hours. No jet lag problems for me! I was out cold in about 2 seconds, and woke up freakishly early the next day, but who wants to sleep in when you’re in Tokyo?!




















