Japan Trip - Day 1

My oldest sister and her husband picked me up at 5:30am and we arrived at the airport around 10am. The only parking available was really far from the main entrance of the train to the airport. The train cabins were spacious and the ride to the airport only lasted for about 5 minutes.

The airport was huge, really busy, and extremely confusing. We boarded the plane at around 12:30pm and I got the window seat, which I regretted quickly because I couldn’t get out when I wanted to.

The economy seats were really tight and cramped. I didn’t feel nauseous (motion sickness), only hot because of so many bodies crammed in a confined space. I watched some movies during the 13 hour flight. The scenery from the plane was very nice and my brother-in-law took some photos of them.

Our plane arrived in Tokyo, Japan around 2:30pm (Narita Airport). We thought our luggage will automatically be transferred to the connecting stop which was Osaka, but it turned out that we had to pick them up and go through the luggage claims again. We went through customs and got our two index fingerprints and photograph taken. The connecting flight to Osaka (from 5:35pm to 7:10pm to the Itami airport) was really smooth and the staff was extremely friendly and courteous. The ANA plane had a quick take-off and a hard landing. The view of the land below was gorgeous.

We boarded the airport bus at Terminal 12 for Swissotel Namba Nankai after an employee showed us how to purchase the airport bus tickets. When the bus stopped at the drop-off point, I didn’t know whether it was the correct location or not since it was dark outside so I couldn’t see properly. I asked a stranger sitting next to me and he confirmed the location of the hotel.

Navigating through the intersection was amazing because the green light for pedestrian walk was simultaneous in all directions. There were so many people even at around 8:30pm. We located the hotel easily and the staff spoke English extremely well. They are so very polite and helpful.

After settling into our comfortable rooms, which are very spacious, clean, and air-conditioned, we went walking around the area for a good place to eat. My brother-in-law spotted a rice restaurant named “Sukiya”. They had an English menu and the prices were really cheap. My curry beef rice bowl was so delicious!

After the late dinner, we walked around a bit and saw a lot of pachinko parlors, convenience stores, and bars. The alleys were paved and no vehicles drove on it as well as they were brightly lit up so it didn’t feel like it was 10pm. You walk for a while and forget that the sky above you is pitch dark.

Around 10:30pm we went back to the hotel and I gave a call to my sister back home with a prepaid phone card. It took a while for me to figure out how to use it but it eventually worked. Well, it’s now 12:50am and I got to go to sleep now. I haven’t slept at all on the plane because of the time difference. I will comment about what went on for the second day in Osaka later.