Japan

Our flight boarded on time but then was delayed because of a concern about a backup hydraulic pump--not exactly what one wants to hear before flying over the Pacific Ocean for 10 hours. However, the flight proved to be rather uneventful but very tiring. I do not enjoy being seated for long periods of time, let alone being seated in the middle seat of five in rather cramped surroundings.

When we arrived at Narita International Airport, we went through immigration, picked up our luggage, and then went through customs. The gentleman assisting the line at immigration saw my name tag and said, "Tyson!" while smiling and making boxing gestures.

We were greeted by a steady stream of people directing us to the shuttle buses. The luggage carriers are free at the Narita airport, unlike Hartfield/Jackson in Atlanta. They are rather large. We were encouraged to use them as we had to carry our luggage some distance to the bus. Interestingly, these large metal carriers ride up and down the escalators in the airport. I had to do both. Had it come rolling back down the escalator, it would have killed us all, but the contraption works well actually.

The airport is an hour's drive from town. In route we were given yen for our meals during our stay. A typical informal meal should cost about 2,000 yen.

The Hotel, The New Otani, is very, very, very large (comprised of three enormous buildings and the connecting "malls" between them) and very nice, filled with shops, restaurants, and meeting areas. I'm staying on the 35th floor which has an expansive view of the city. I shot the picture on the left when I arrived. The picture on the right was taken of the exact same location in early morning. As one can easily see, the city is densely populated. (I don't know if the clouds are the product of the typhoon brewing in the Pacific or not.)

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