TODAY IS THE DAY!

Having multiple run-throughs of my luggage and packing list, and trying to figure out what’ll be the most comfortable thing to wear in the 24 hours of traveling I do before I can check in. I never really took that into consideration. Here’s the rundown:

Fly out of LAX at 12:40 AM 

—-12 hour flight—-

Arrive at Haneda airport at 5:00 AM Tokyo time//12:00 PM L.A. time.

Take the Tokyo Monorail or Keikyu airport line to Hamamatsu-cho station, turn in my voucher for my Japan Rail pass, and buy a Suica card for the Tokyo Metro. Take the subway to my hostel.

Give my hostel my luggage to hold around 8:00 AM Tokyo time//3:00 PM L.A. time

Explore surrounding areas until I can check in at 3.

Check in at 3:00 PM Tokyo time //Midnight L.A. time

It’s all going to be a blur, but it’s a blur I’ve been waiting years for. My next post will be from Japan, so wish me luck errrrrbody! 

25 March 4 Permalink

Seven days.

Seven Days! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

19 March 1 Permalink

16 days.

It’s so weird for me to think that I’ll be roaming the streets of Tokyo soon. It’s an even weirder feeling, the closer I get to my departure, the more surreal it feels. At the moment, I’m studying the infamous spiderweb that is the Tokyo subway route. I figure, if elementary school kids can navigate it with ease, so can I. Especially since the stops are also romanized/in English.  I feel like I’m exhibiting characteristics of a compulsive-obsessive. I’m constantly reading, thinking, and searching things related to Japan, although I’m trying not to do too much research into things, because I look forward to getting a little lost along the way. 

10 March 2 Permalink

Look what I found in the mail! This was the last thing I needed to purchase for my trip, and although it was costly, it’s essential to my trip. It came out to $562 for two weeks, but in the long run, it will definitely save me tons of money, seeing as how just a roundtrip ticket alone from Tokyo to Kyoto without the pass is around $300. With this, I’ll be going all around Tokyo on the Yamanote line (local subway) with it, and take the Shinkansen/bullet train down to Nagoya, Kyoto, Himeji, Hiroshima, and back. For a Japanese citizen, that would equal more than $1,200 dollars and I get to do it for half the price. 

4 March 2 Permalink

It seriously feels like yesterday when I bought my tickets. Can’t believe it’s only a month away now! Time seems to be moving very, very fast, and I’m not complaining. Can’t wait. 

4 March Permalink

Counting down…

50 days//exactly 8 weeks. Be here naoooo.

6 February Permalink

I’m back!

After the events surrounding the March 11th earthquake, I was left in a state of uncertainty. My trip to Japan was put on hold indefinitely. When would it be “safe” to visit, and when would family and friends be ok with me going? Although their opinions didn’t really matter to me, their worrying and incessant pestering definitely played a factor in my decision to cancel my trip. After seeing the big picture, it would have be selfish of me to go, while they watched anxiously and scared at all of the graphic and overly-sensationalized media coverage at the time. I didn’t want to cause my parents any more anxiety than they had already been experiencing at that time, and in the end, it truly did feel wrong to go, while so many people were suffering. I just couldn’t and wouldn’t have had fun. I would be mourning with them, and I already was. But more than five months have  passed, and although there is plenty of work ahead of them, the Japanese are persevering. With all of the fear mongering that went on during and after the earthquake though, mostly due to international media, a lot of people cancelled plans to visit Japan and tourism has since suffered. So many families that rely on local tourism are still feeling the effects of March 11th, and I want to do my part to help their recovering economy. I’m now planning to visit on  March 5th, and possibly stay until the end of the month, traveling up and down the country. Something has reignited in me, and now, more than ever, I’m motivated and set on making this happen. Third Second time’s a charm.

25 August Permalink

My reading list.

Started digging out my collection from the closet today. Sadly, this is merely just a quarter of the books I own on Japan. 45 days until I leave for Tokyo!

5 February Permalink