Ohayo!

SO much to tell...

It's about 6:30 am and I just woke up. Michael is on the futon watching a Japanese television program about toilet seat options (?!) and I'm sitting cross legged on the tatami mat in front of a low table blogging to you, dear readers.

Japanese television is insane. You might have seen Japanese competition shows on that cable man's channel or remember that part of "Lost in Translation" and thought there is no way it could possibly really be that insane. Well, it is is. Everything is candy colored, there's lot of weird sound effects, nothing makes sense, and it's extremely fascinating.

Anyways. We're here. We made it! It was a long and crazy journey but we did it. I'll tell you about it from the beginning.

Our trip began rather inauspiciously. We attempted to catch a bus to O'Hare at 6:20 am but the bus wasn't there! We aren't sure why. Perhaps the snow? Perhaps the driver just didn't feel like showing up? It's a mystery. We didn't have much time and had to catch an 11 am flight so we drove the Honda to the airport instead. On our way down we got caught in a few frustrating traffic jams but we eventually made it to the airport around 9:30 am.

We got through security and boarded our plane without a problem. Our plane's passengers were a mix of Japanese people, American tourists, and a lot of American military men I assume are stationed at Okinawa. The flight was 13 hours and as you'd expect, it was unpleasant but bearable. Our seats had little television sets installed in the them and we watched "Bee Movie" (awful- insects and humans in love?!,) "Michael Clayton," "The King of California" and a digital representation of our flight pattern, temperatures, and times from Chicago to Tokyo. It was weird to watch the plane fly over Flin Flon and various Russian places I can't pronounce. We both tried to doze but it's not easy when you're crammed in sardine can conditions. We may do a lot of yoga, but we are not that flexible.

We finally landed at 3:30 pm Japan time. We were both so dazed and out of it. I felt like we were in some bizarre dream. We got off the plane- where do we got next? The bathroom. The weirdness was starting already. The women's bathroom had the hole in the floor deal and the toilet deal. My choice was obvious. Even the hand dryer was different. It was a wall mounted box you stuck your hands in. But that was just the beginning.

I assume not many people speak English here since white gloved men in uniform directed us around using a lot of hand gestures. We were directed to immigrations where they digitally fingerprinted and photographed us. We had to fill out the first of many forms. The Japanese seem form crazy. We had to fill out forms for our luggage, forms for our rail pass, forms for exchanging money.

One of my worst fears...the airport escalator to the Narita Express train platform was staffed by a white gloved lady. You know how I feel about escalators going down. I did it though. The Japanese politely queue up for trains in a neat little line. Their subway stations are immaculately clean. I didn't see the rats and graffiti of NYC. When the train doors open and close a pleasant little chiming song plays.

Our train ride from Narita to Tokyo seems like a dream to me now. I fought off the conflicting feelings of sleep's pull and not wanting to miss a second of the countryside slipping by.

We got off at Tokyo station to transfer to the Yamanote line. This would eventually take us to Ueno station- the neighborhood of where we were staying at Ryokan Katsutaro. We had a little drama when we tried to board a train. The cars were packed. He was able to get on but I wasn't. I will never forget the look on his face as I stood on the platform while his train pulled away.

We met at the next station and eventually got off at Ueno. I think we made a few Japanese laugh when Michael's luggage fell open and we couldn't puzzle our ways out of the exit gates. We were both so tired that everything was quite comical.

Ryokan Katsutaro is near Ueno Park which seems to be like New York's Central Park. I will tell you more about it later. I've gotta shower and we need to find some food. Sushi for breakfast?