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The day to leave Seattle had finally come and our flight was set to leave at 5:00AM. May’s last job had us waking up at 4:30 regularly, but international flights recommend arriving 2-3 hours early: we’d have to leave the house at 2am. This early morning turned into an all nighter – something we were definitely not used to anymore.
Our friend Jessica came over around midnight so we could carpool to SeaTac. Although we typically have awesome perks like lounge access and TSA Pre-Check, they weren’t open early enough! We had to take our liquids out just like any other regular Joe Schmo.
We met our other friend Chris at the airport and settled into the calm atmosphere of the early morning. 24 hour McDonalds and cheap coffee were our friend. 4:20AM boarding came around the corner and we were on our way to LAX!
LAX, we found, is a very user unfriendly airport. We hiked our butts through dim passageways and through odd junctions, headed for the confusingly named “TBIT” terminal. Although we managed fine, non English speakers or those with mobility challenges would have a hard time here. Thankful for a decent length layover.
After a couple hours of waiting, we boarded our Singapore Airlines flight to Tokyo! The staff, as with any Asian airline we’ve flown, were attractive and courteous. It was like having the cast of Crazy Rich Asians serve us free alcohol and sandwiches. We were well fed with meals and snacks. Pro tip – the Asian entree choice is usually the tastier option.
Besides some waiting in a crowded line, customers and immigration were a breeze. We had to pick up our JR Passes and Pocket Wifi at the airport before heading into Tokyo, and ran into one minor snag along the way. We had to find Terminal 1. A large sign proudly displayed the number 6. We found a shuttle bus, only to be met by confused stares from the driver. After some explaining, turns out we were already in Terminal 1!
After getting our essentials in place, we took the Narita Express to Shinjuku Station to meet up with Kuniko-san, who would be hosting us for our time in Tokyo. Not only is Shinjuku the busiest station in Tokyo, only James had ever met the family before. The rest of us only knew to look for a nice Japanese woman. Super helpful.
Luckily, Kuniko-san found us with little trouble and showed us how to transfer to the station that would be our home base for the next 4 days.
We were welcomed by Kuniko-san and her husband, and their son Hajime-san. We had a wonderful and thoughtfully prepared home-cooked meal of various katsu, curry, rice, miso, boiled vegetables, Japanese pickles, sashimi, umeboshi, salad, stir fry, and seasonal fall beer. It was a feast that displayed the Japanese preference for a wide variety of smaller dishes.
The jet lag and long travel day was hitting us hard, so after dinner we bid the family good night and slept for our first night in Japan!
Watch our adventures on YouTube!
