I left for Japan on Monday and arrived Tuesday evening. The directions on the hotel website when I signed up said to call if you can’t make it by 6PM.
Really? By 6 PM? Why call? But hey, it’s Japan, and you’re supposed to follow the rules to a T. However, I would have an American phone and wouldn’t be able to call, so I asked my friend Goto if I could let him know when leaving Narita airport (since I’d have wireless to text) and he call the hotel for me.
That’s what happened. So funny enough, I asked Goto to call and he called, and then tried to call me on Line phone, which is an app. It was ringing just as it was my turn to see the Japanese immigration officer, and then elderly security guard yelled at me in English, “WHY!?!? WHY!?!” and pointed at the “no phone” sign. I KNOW THAT, this is an emergency lol. But I had to hang up on Goto and did my thing with the immigration officer, and then called him back. It turns out my hotel closes it’s front desk at 6!! WHAT?! “But,” Goto-san explained, “You have to enter a code into the autolock door to get in and then call the night staff on the phone to check in.”
Wait, how is that going to work with me getting a key?! GAH. So my Narita express was supposed to pull into Muzashi Kosugi at 5:45PM, and it takes like 12 minutes to get to Kawasaki, so if I really hurried, I might make it a few minutes after 6. In America, people would probably still be there, but I had no doubt that the second the clock struck 6, those metal doors would come down and the staff would be gonzo. ;_;
Still, I hustled my bustle, dragging my suitcase and heavy bookbag, made it to Kawaski, and thankfully found the hotel with no problem since I had printed out a map ahead of time because my planning skillz are top notch. 😀 6:10 I found the hotel. I was just starting to examine the key panel when A STAFF MEMBER OPENED THE DOOR FOR ME! What?!? Weee! And checked me in. OH THANK GOODNESS I called. I had asked Goto to tell them that I’d probably arrive like ten minutes after 6, so he decided to wait. yaaaay following the rules.
It was so small…the walking space was the size of a normal American bathroom. Bed, mini fridge, bathroom so small I could barely turn around in it without bumping my elbows. Sink so small I splashed water on the floor trying to wash my face. It suited my needs for $60 a night. 🙂
I decided to meet Goto-san and hang out over a light dinner. Super jet-lagged but I didn’t want to waste any time! I knew I’d wake up at a weird time when nobody would be awake, so yeah. We went to Jonathans and I ate kaiso seaweed salad, a mini pizza with a weener hot dog on top (LOL), and pumpkin soup. 😀 It was so nice to chat with him face to face rather than Skype!
Went to bed around 8:30 zombie-like and woke up around 3. I took a walk around the deserted Kawasaki and went into JeansMate, a 24 hour clothing store, looking for anime clothes, just like last year. And just like last year I found something! Last year I got a Goku T-shirt. This year I found a Luffy T-shirt from One Piece! Now I have jeans and the hat, so I can successfully cosplay him someday. ;D
I love onigiri rice balls.
Wednesday morning I enjoyed meeting Tsuru-chan and playing scratch tickets.
I won $2! The cost of a ticket. Hah they were One Piece designs, which amuses me greatly. Then I went shopping for various things, then met another friend Shu Inagaki from my college days at a cafe in Nippori. We chatted, ate Oyakodon, and bought socks. Hah. Then I went to Itadaki jiu-jitsu with Mizuho, my training partner from Keishukai!
It started late and ended late and I was so jetlagged that I was literally losing consciousness when Isono-san was explaining a move. LOL but I had fun and it was nice to train. My back was so sore after that class, though. It never got unsore so I suffered for the rest of my trip. ;_;