Transit Stint

So I’m currently stuck at Narita Airport and still have 3 hours before my flight to Chicago. As I wait here tasting exorbitantly priced Japanese rice ball and bottled green tea, I reflect back to the day when winter break just started. It started out great as I got an upgrade to business class for the long haul flight from Chicago to Narita. Being the travel freak, I braved myself to take the bus into Tokyo city. Actually, I reserved a cheap hotel in the sub-city of Ikebukuro prior to my journey. I thought I could take a glimpse of fast paced city life once more. But fast paced really surprised me as I did not expect human traffic to be potentially dangerous! The Japanese mass zip away in hordes making it impossible for me to cross a pedestrian path! However, transportation is pretty good, even though it takes awhile to figure out what I think more than 30 different rail lines! Then again, isn't it exciting to get lost?!

I reached my hotel at about 8pm after searching for about an hour. Who’d expect that the hotel be labeled in Japanese! Luckily I remembered how the façade of the hotel looks like; if not who would guess where the bloody hotel is! The hotel was pretty cheap and good. When I say cheap, it is with reference to Tokyo standards of course…

I later called Chiaki, my ex-classmate when I was still majoring in Aeronautical Engineering, who guided me to one of the biggest cities in Tokyo, Shibuya. The youth and entertainment (not to mention red-light) district reminiscent to New York’s Times Square except that it is so much cleaner and high tech. Chiaki took me to dinner with her twin sister and her friend. They were such wonderful hosts as they introduced me to quaint Japanese dining which I thought was very nice.







From left: Shibuya City; Japanese wine - Sake (it has a specific name which i forgot); from right, Chiaki, Me, Chiaki's friend, Chiaki's twin sister; I think Chiaki is on my left and her sis on my right @ Shibuya.

The next morning I took off to the airport by the Airport Express train. Couldn’t get tickets so I had to buy first class which was 200 yen more I think. At the airport, I remember Juliet recommending me to go to Narita station to try some good Tokoyaki (fried squid balls). So after checking in, I took the Keisei Line to Narita station. Narita town was in fact a very small town. After exiting the station, I immediately saw the Takoyaki stall Juliet was mentioning. It smelled good, and it tasted better! I bought 2 boxes of different things. Walked around town for awhile and headed back to the airport.

The flight back was pretty pleasant as I had front row seats in Economy, so I didn’t have problems with cramped legs. However, I fear my next flight as the one from Singapore to Narita was what you call packed like sardines! I swore I couldn’t feel my legs for a moment!

So that’s the beginning, written at the end of winter break.