Sunny but cool early on, raining and a little snowy at night.
I realized part-way through the day that today was the twelfth anniversary of the day that I arrived in Japan. I didn't make it up to Tsuruoka that day, mostly due to my company's strange plan for me, but it was an interesting experience.
When I arrived in Japan, I think our flight was a little late. Plus, as I was coming in for the first time, it took about 2 hours to go through Immigration at the airport. When I got through that, and cleared Customs, I put my bags into the delivery service. There was also a long line for that. I waited in line with two other women who had come over with our company. Finally I got the bags sent and went to buy the bus ticket to go over to the Haneda airport. The woman told me that as my plane was leaving in two hours I might not make it. Oh my gosh. What should I do?
I called the company office in Sapporo (yes, I was organized enough to bring all the phone numbers with me) and asked what to do. They told me to go over to Haneda, change my plane ticket and get a hotel. No problem, right? Made it over to Haneda without trouble, changed my ticket easily, but...the hotel? I was so tired after 9 hours on the plane I asked my company if I could just sleep in the airport. They were horrified and said no. The person in Sapporo told me that they would find me a hotel and I should phone back in 15 minutes.
15 minutes later, they had found a hotel. I made my way over there and checked in. It was horrendously expensive. It was well over 20, 000 yen, probably close to 30, 000 yen per night and was gorgeous. The taxi was 4000 yen, so I was getting nervous about money. I was shown to my room, which was gorgeous, by a bellman that only spoke Japanese. It was now close to 10 pm and I hadn't eaten since 2 or 3 pm on the airplane. The restaurants were closed in the hotel, and I didn't really understand that I could go out and get something in a convenience store if I wanted. I was exhausted too.
I went to use the toilet, sat down, and immediately stood back up again. The toilet seat was HOT. What the devil?
I worked out with the desk clerk when I checked in that to make my plane I'd have to leave the hotel around 6:30 am. Early. I was so jetlagged I didn't know if I'd wake up properly. Of course, even though the room was gorgeous and I was terribly tired, I couldn't sleep very well. I did try, but I worried too much about getting up.
I was wide awake at 5:00 something and decided to go out. In the lobby I found an entrance to the Japanese Garden, and I went out there. It was truly lovely and peaceful. A little haven of tranquility. I centered myself, steeling myself for the day.
I checked with the front desk about the restaurant, but it didn't open until 6:30 am, the time when I had to leave. Sigh. I checked out, took a taxi to the airport, and caught my flight to Sapporo.
In Sapporo, I was met by a trainer and he took me to a restaurant for breakfast, after we checked my bag back in for another flight. This one was to Niigata. I was starving, it had been so long since my last decent meal.
I flew to Niigata and was met by the teacher that I was replacing. From Niigata, we had a 2 hour train ride north to Tsuruoka. What a rigamarole. I'm honestly not sure why I had to fly to Sapporo. It would have been so much easier to fly to Tsuruoka from Haneda.
Anyhoo, that's how my first two days in Japan went. I honestly never thought that I would stay here so long.
*******
I had a good day. I did a little laundry in the early afternoon, had a class, made dinner (fettucine carbonara) and enjoyed myself.
Tomorrow I'm rather busy, so I had better get some sleep. Night night!
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