Day 1: En route to Japan

9/28/05 (and 9/29/05, courtesy of the International Date Line)

Trip and day started off right, a nice Pakistani cab driver insisted on talking all the way to the airport about cooking, Denver, and culture. In case it wasn’t obvious, he informed me that all there is to do in Denver is ski and drink. If you don’t do that, it isn’t a good place.

The flights were good. Uneventful, the way I like it, and sat in the upper deck of the 747 from San Francisco to Tokyo with no on in the seat next to me. That flight was gravy. I watched “All the President’s Men” and “Clerks”. I read a little about Japan, napped a little, and listed to some tunes.

As expected, my arrival at Tokyo-Narita is where the adventure began. Getting off of the plane, through immigration, and through customs was no problem at all. However, carrying only about $190 in cash my plan was to use the ATM to get Yen. So, I asked the cop/security guard where I could find one. He directed me to a Citibank ATM. Nice, Citibank, what could go wrong…right? Right. My ATM card didn’t work at that ATM. So, I tried another. At this point, my guess is that the card is not enabled for international usage. That’s a problem. I’ll have to call Compass and get the situation rectified. That’s probably worth $2/minute, so I pulled out my trusty cell phone. No service. In fact, I can’t even find the option to enable the damn thing to work on international frequencies. Oh well, I’ll deal with that once I get settled at the hotel.

So, now it’s getting a ride to the hotel that will accept a credit card. Miyako, the area manager for Sato in this part of Japan, recommended that I take a “limousine” from the airport to the hotel. I headed to the taxi stand and found a car that would take a credit card. No English from this fellow, but he understands that I want to pay by credit card and that I’m going to the Shinagawa Prince hotel. Not a bad start, it seems.

Well, just over $200 later I arrive at the hotel. So, I give him my AmEx and away he goes with his mobile credit card machine. No dice. The machine won’t read the strip on my brand new AmEx card. Very nice. Well, I’ve got a Mastercard so it’s no big deal. Or, is it? Yep, you guessed it, my Mastercard isn’t enabled for international use either. I’m doing well. So, I explain this to the hotel dude who translates…I think…to the cabbie. Having no other choice, I give him back the AmEx and tell him to punch in the numbers manually. He doesn’t get it and goes on swiping. Luckily, it takes it. Whew…I can now get out of the cab.

So, the hotel guy unloads my bags and asks where I’m staying. Unusual question, I thought, since he works for the hotel and I’ve just arrived. But, I say, “At the Prince.” He says they have 4 different towers and check-in locations. That helps a ton. So, he runs off to figure out where I should go. The main check-in desk, it turns out, is the place for me. So, off I go. Finally, I’m getting somewhere.

I get to the counter and a nice Japanese woman is helping me. Obviously, English isn’t her first language. I’m not sure it was her second, either. She was very nice and polite, but communication was a problem. I give her my AmEx and passport, she looks in the computer and gives them back to me with a form to fill out. Basic address info and check-in/check-out dates. Then, we debate my check-out date…only she knows that this is the topic of conversation. Finally, I get it and agree…10/2 it is. Now, she asks for my passport again. Very efficient. So, I ask if she needs my card again. She says, “Is this the card you are going to use to pay?” Well, that shouldn’t be in quotes…I’m paraphrasing. I say yes and now she needs the card again. I’m impressed. So, she takes care of that, gives me my room key and coupons good for breakfast throughout my stay. I look over my left shoulder and there is an awesome site…”24hr Spaghetti and Pizza”. Wow, did I really just take a 10 hour plane ride for this? Moving on I head for the elevator. I get in with no one that seems to speak English. “Could someone press 12 for me, please?” No response. A floor above 12 was pressed, so I figure I’ll ride up and press 12 when people get out and I can actually get to the number pad. About this time, a Japanese girl presses 12. How lucky for me. Turns out, that wasn’t even her floor. She overheard me…from the lobby, it seems…and felt sorry for the big, dumb, white guy. My lucky day.

Now the doors open on 12 and away I go. I’m in 1-1258. The place looks old, but who cares. I get to my room and turn the key. Yes, turn the key…no electronic card readers here. Opening the door, I turn on the light. Where in the hell am I? This place is half the size of my dorm room at IU. What’s up with that? $100+ for this? Apparently so. Oh well, I can deal with it. So, I start unloading my pockets and the like and realize that there’s no bathroom. You must be kidding, I think. Then, I find the door. The bathroom is actually elevated about 6” and is about the size of the airline bathroom. Somehow, though, it’s equipped with a heated toilet seat and bidet. A little less anal attention and some breathing room, please. My suitcase barely even fits past the bed…and the bed is sitting with its long side up against the wall. Yikes.

So, I change clothes and look around and see that the television has unlimited pay TV for 1,370 Yen. I have no clue what that means, but I’m going to leave the TV turned off.

It was at this point that I decided the blog had become a necessity. This trip is bound to be a disaster and my arrival back in the States (Guam counts) cannot happen soon enough. Tomorrow will be less painful, I would imagine, but I’m still sleeping in this dump. This dump does appear to be clean, though…which is nice. However, when I return to this area, I will NOT be staying at this hotel. I don’t know where I’ll be staying, but this tiny, musty, smoke smelling closet isn’t going to get it done.

That’s all I’ve got for now. This covers departure and arrival. Since it’s just after 7pm here, there may be more to come…but that will be in blog number 2. Stay tuned…