Anyone else getting in the crack of dawn and want to join me for a fortifying beverage of pure caffeine?
My flight was at 6am leaving Bali and I didn't get to Japan until 10pm so please someone tell me this ain't silly. I got to the airport by 3am and boarded my flight. I had spent the whole of day 14 getting to Japan.
Upon my arrival at Haneda Airport, Tokyo Ota City, immigration was ridiculously long. I spent 2 hours before I could exit the customs and find my way to my hostel. My tourist visa was stamped after the longest queue(there was a massive group of international boxers), bags collected (to find it half torn through security), custom declaration checked (filling in 2 forms), bags checked again (do I look dodgy though?) - procedure they say, and a million questions answered. 'What are you doing in Japan and why, where were you born?, do you have any guns (really guys, really), did you pack your bags yourself, how long are you staying in Japan, where are you going after'.
I missed the last train because of this! Thanks to the absolutely wonderful tourist information service, I booked the airport limousine bus (1860YEN under £10) for a 90minute drive to Asakusa (Asakusa view hotel). I didn't want to take the taxi (which is so expensive in Japan) as it would have costed me £40. Are you alright?
I arrived the bus stopat 2am but got expectedly lost on the way to the hostel. The streets were so empty and waste-of-electricity lights boomed in every shop. I walked under high roads and bridges, I walked passed restaurants and shops and found myself in the middle of what looked like China town with a lot of corners (I realised where I was the next day). Some people were walking around so I didn't feel so alone. It was late and dark but I wasn't concerned. I needed water so stopped at a convenience store and used this opportunity to ask for directions. Bad luck, the assistant spoke no word of English. Interestingly he helped me but in Japanese as if I understood him. He wasn't even trying to break it down in broken English or anything. He just purely spoke to me like i spoke the language so I watched his fingers and nodded then said thank you. Turned out I walked too far down so had to go backwards. I stopped at a traffic to read my non-translated map and asked a man beside me. He kindly used his phone to find the way and showed me. He too spoke no English but used the traffic lights on the map to guide me. Two traffic lights, right, one traffic light then second street left. He said this in Japanese but I got it with his gesturing. He was flickering his fingers to demonstrate the traffic lights and counted 2 then used his hands to show me right or left. Complicated but I managed. I had noticed in some streets they had evacuation area poles with a lid on the ground. Don't know what to say to that but the Lord is with me.
Just before 3am I finally got to the hostel - thanks to the map (it's really just a 10minute walk). No staff was up to check me in but they left me a door code and my keys in an envelope. See you in the morning it says. Welcome to Japan Tianah. I was cold, tired and unfortunately hungry. But most importantly I had arrived safely so I was happy.
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