Our long travel day didn’t start as we’d planned. In fact, it started prematurely at 3 AM when
the airline called to say the flight had been canceled due to weather. The
original flight consisted of a stop-over in Chicago.
Don’t worry, they had rebooked
us. However, they had split us up - one group
on a direct flight arriving around the same time as the original, but leaving
from a different airport; and the second group arriving 24 hours later than
scheduled, with a stop-over in London, England.
Needless to say, we immediately got on the phone to try to put everyone back
on a flight together. Fortunately, we
were able to get everyone on the direct flight. The problem now was that our seats were not
confirmed and we were departing from a different airport, an hour further away (without
traffic, construction and poor weather…). Worrisome.
We had arranged for a car service to take us to the airport
and he was thankfully able to accommodate our change of plans on the very short
notice. Amazingly, everything was too
our advantage – the weather had abated, the traffic was light, and because of
the rain, the construction was on hold. Our
driver was shocked at how quickly and effortlessly we made it to the airport -
the likes he’d not seen in at least 6 years of shuttling people to this airport!
We were able to get to the airport with plenty of time to secure our
seats. Phew!
This sudden change had thwarted our arrangements to fly out
together with Henry and his family. They too had been booked on separate flights. Yuriko and kids managed to get out on a
direct flight earlier this morning and Henry was on stand-by for ours. In the end, he made
it on to our flight.
Once we were all settled on the plane, the rest of the trip was smooth
sailing. And the bonus was that we now had a direct flight instead of a
stop-over!
After a 14 hour flight and a 13 hour time change we arrived
in Tokyo.
Henry helped us sort out the rest of our route to our apartment
in Asakusa by train. And we were off again.
The train from the airport into
Tokyo was an hour, but uneventful.
Everyone, including the locals, took naps, lulled by the sway of the
train.
We wheeled our luggage through the streets and narrow alleys
of Asakusa to find our apartment. Our host was waiting to welcome us and show
us how to work all the gadgets that make our tiny apartment convenient and practical.
Our apartment is right next to the Sansoji Temple. The
oldest temple in Tokyo said to have originally been built in 628 (yes, just 3
digits), but rebuilt due to fire as a result of World War II. It is famous for its giant lantern hanging at
the main gate.
We wandered through temple grounds on our way to find a restaurant for dinner.
Our first meal was
ordered by pointing to photos, since nothing was in English. It sounds daunting
and we were a little uncertain about the quantity we had ordered, but it was delicious
and the perfect amount.
Afterwards, we headed back to apartment to get some sleep for the weary
travelers.
No comments:
Post a Comment