Narita to Seattle August 6th to August 6th

We finally got to the gate around a half an hour prior to boarding. During boarding I thought I heard something close to my name over the intercom. I didn't go check, should have. So when they started boarding priority 1 seating I went in and got my bag settled in the overhead. There was exactly one empty seat on the flight. So everyone gets on board the doors are shut and I see one seat in Business class that doesn't have anyone in it. I think that is odd because if anything that seat should be mine.

Well ... one of the flight attendantes came back to Economy Plus and looked at the different seats. Saw me handed me another ticket stub that had the empty seat in business class on it. So I got my stuff sans the overhead bag and went up to Business. A little awkward to get up in front of all those people. Then all the people in Business class where like, who is this guy. Johnny come lately just sitting down. It was a Great thing though. I had Filet Mignon and Strawberry Ice Cream before they started serving dinner in Economy. I was asleep before they finished. I was in the middle so I had to navigate around people to get up, but it was well worth the 12,500 miles to upgrade. The only downside is that at SEATAC my bag did not have the prioirty labels from being Business from the beginning, so I had to wait. Although that was better than the Delta flight from Tokyo, they were waiting for their luggage when I got through customs and still waiting when I left.

One funny note is that leaving Japan I had to show my other ID because the guy was questioning if my Passport was me. Then at SEATAC I had to smile and take off my hat before the guy would let me go through. Oh good times.

Good to be back home, but Yuzu and Dark Mocha Chip Frappucino's I will miss thee.

Narita August 6th

Back to Narita - August 6th

The time has arrived once more to make the journey back across the Pacific to Washington State. I woke up around the same time as always, always seems to happen. For breakfast I went of the Yokosuka Chuo Starbucks and had a delicious Hojicha latte. After getting back to my room and finishing up packing it was downstairs. The hotel took me to where the bus picks us up from. Traffic was very heavy and it took probably twice as long as if I had walked it. On the other hand it was air conditioned and that is just great.

My coworker arrived shortly after I did and we both got checked in. I went over to Starbucks on base and got a Yuzu Green Tea Frappuccino, as it always is, very good. There were a total of 20 people on the bus today, so everyone got their own seat. The other nice thing was that everyone was going to the same Terminal so it was a straight shot. The route we took today was different than I had taken before we went on the Tokyo Wan Aqua-Line expressway. We must have been traveling for around 6 minutes in a tunnel under Tokyo Bay. It was very close to Narita that we got onto the same road we normally take.

At the airport we walked around for a while and then went to check in. I am get to wait until I go to the counter to see if I get upgraded to Business. I do not have my hopes set too highly at this point. Immigration took around 20 minutes to get through, the line was to where the escalators come down. I made a sad discovery when I got through that Starbucks was closed on the other side. My next Dark Mocha Chip Frappuccino will have to wait.

After making that sour discovery it was off to the Red Carpet club. After taking a relaxing shower it is just time to wait until boarding is closer.

Back to Narita August 6th

Thursday - August 5th

Another trip almost in the bag. Tonight we met up with a mixture of Japanese and American coworkers and had pizza. Of course this lead to a second dinner at PepperLunch, which is good because I almost missed it this trip. Packed up and ready to get going in the morning.

Thursday August 5th

Wednesday - August 4th

Took it easy tonight. Dinner at Nirvana, shopping at Uniqlo and then packing. Oh, and of course catching up on Psych.

Wednesday August 4th

Yokohama Once More - August 3rd

One last trip up to Yokohama during this trip. Caught the 5:12 Red Train up to Yokohama. Had a seat the entire way up. Once at Yokohama station I promptly left the wrong exit and had to walk around the station, but it was the first time that I had done that. New experiences are fun.

Tokyu Hands was the first location. I find it interesting that each store has a slightly different inventory. It is good to check out a few if you are looking for something in particular. After shopping it was back on the train to MinotoMirai for another walk around Landmark. The view from the top was pretty good. You could barely make out Fuji's shape. After walking around the Sky Garden it was time for dinner. Ramen is always a good choice on a nice hot day.

The ride back to Yokosuka was fun. Every time one is in Japan they need a packed train experience. It is not for the claustrophobic but it can be fun being pushed inside of a train for someones fear of missing this particular train.

Yokohama Again August 3rd

Monday August 2nd

After work I headed out to Homes. I have it figured how to quickly get to Home's. If is always interesting to see what they have at Homes. All the animals they had for sale looked like they were on the verge of expiring as they were really hot. I finished up the evening by going to the 100 Yen store at the Prime.

Monday August 2nd

Great Tokyo Tour - August 1st

After sleeping in, it was off to Tokyo one last time on this trip. I met Bryan at the Yokosuka Chuo station at 9:57 and we were off. The first stop was Akihabara, so after arriving at Shinagawa we transferred to the Yamanote line. We noticed that there were a lot of school age children riding the line. At each station they have a Pocket Monster (Pokimon) stamp for a book that they hand out for free. This is an interesting way to drum up business, as you have to get out at each station to collect each stamp. To travel from one stop to the next it is around $1.50 and there are around 20 stops on the Yamanote line.

At Akihabara we tried to get into the Gundam cafe but There looked to be a 45 minute to a hour wait to get inside. It was off to Yodabashi for another Black-Out doughnut from Doughnut Plant. This time we stopped by the camera section which is on the third floor. It can be a place that one could be separated from money quickly. The nice thing is that they have almost every camera currently on the market, so you can try it out for yourself.

From Akihabara it was off to Shibuya, which happens to be 28 minutes on the Yamanote line. A benefit of being on the opposite side of Tokyo. On the way to Tokyu hands I noted that there was a store called "Three Coins" or a 300 Yen store. After Tokyu hands we went back to the UT store. The T-Shirts were still on sale for 990 Yen. During that walk we saw a Perrier Stretch Hummer Limo twice. From there it was off to Roppongi, but it was getting rather warm. I lead the way to the nearest metro station. After two transfers in air conditioned tunnels we arrived at Roppongi.

The sole purpose of this stop was to get lunch at the Hard Rock. I had chicken and steak fajitas, the tortillas were branded with the Tokyo Hard Rock logo. After lunch it was time for some coffee, as I am only able to savor the Dark Mocha Chip Frappacino for a few more days that was my selection. After this refreshing beverage it was off to Yokohama.

One of the oldest tricks that I employ every time coming back from Tokyo is to get on the Asakusa Toei line. This subway line turns into the KeiKyu line at Shinagawa. This results is being able to set for the train ride back. When we got to Yokohama we switched to the JR line and went to Sakuragicho (Cherry Tree Town) station. It was packed, there was a big fireworks display held tonight in Yokohama and everyone was out. It was the only time I had seen security directing traffic inside of a train station. After walking to World Porter's it was time for another trip to Montbell and then through the Nissan building back to Yokohama station.

Everyone must have been in Yokohama because we were able to sit down on the way back to Yokosuka. This is the first time I have ever been able to get a seat right away at Yokohama. After we got back I headed on base for a little bit and then met up with Jean for dinner at Nirvana, always good.

Overall physical condition I am doing pretty well. I have a few blisters on my hands and feet. Other than every stair feeling terrible things are going well. It was interesting going into some of the outdoor shops today and seeing people gear up for Fuji.

Great Tokyo Tour August 1st