I am pinching myself!! No not because Japan is awesome, which it is, but because I am exhausted! :) What a trip it was!! Daddy, Mama, and Isaac took me to the Dulles airport at 10:30 am on Saturday the 24th. After I checked my two suitcases in, I said my goodbyes and was off to the Business class lounge to wait for my ANA plane. I didn't really know what to expect but as soon as I walked in I was offered free sushi!! I hadn't even gotten on the plane yet and I felt pampered. I grabbed a soda, a granola bar, two fruit roll ups and found a comfy seat. I waited for an hour then the plane started boarding. Thank you Daddy for picking the best seat on the plane!! I definitely felt spoiled...although not as much as the rich Japanese business man next to me. The flight attendants made sure he had everything possible that he needed! We (me and my new friend) sat in the very first row on the right side. As I sat down on my seat I couldn't help thinking that even a seven foot man would feel so comfortable. I had about two feet in front of me to stretch out. If I wasn't sitting next to a Japanese business man I would have definitely played with my seat the whole time!! It was so cool! I could move my seat any way I wanted to. About two hours into my flight a flight attendant handed me a menu to look at. I decided to go for the European dish since Daddy told me not to get the Japanese food. The menu said it would be a sesame crusted sea bream and I decided it sounded pretty decent. Before the flight attendant brought out my meal she asked me if I would like something to drink. Keep in mind this is an ANA flight...she wasn't very good at speaking English. I told her I would like a Diet Coke. About five minutes later she brought me three glasses; one was filled with Diet Coke, one was filled with Sapporo (Japanese beer) and the last one was Diet Coke and Sapporo mixed. Anyone who knows me knows I hate beer therefore I am pretty sure that I would hate beer mixed with Diet Coke. I didn't really know what to do because I didn't want to hurt her feelings. I thought I better at least take a sip of the mixture while she was still standing there; bad idea! I quickly decided that it was NOT worth gagging down the rest, so I picked up my book "The Shack" and drank my Diet Coke. After she walked away I couldn't help but laughing hysterically. She came back later and took the other two drinks away.
My meal...well....it was interesting. I have NO idea what the first course was. I don't think I could even describe it. I do know there was some tasty bread and something that looked like meat loaf but wasn't cooked the whole way. haha I had a couple bites of it and I can't say it was awful. I think it was some type of fish...maybe?? The second course was the sesame covered fish and some vegetables. I didn't finish the first course or the second course but I definitely finished the dessert! In a glass was raspberries and blueberries covered with corn flakes. On top of the corn flakes were two scoops of ice cream and two cream puffs.
After I finished eating I decided to watch "The Proposal" and fall asleep. I didn't sleep well so I read half of my book and listened to some music. At 10 pm I decided I better get some sleep before we landed and I wouldn't be able to sleep at all. The flight attendants turned the lights off on the plane so it was easier for people to sleep. I turned my chair into a bed, put my eye covers on and passed out into a deep sleep. Two hours later, I woke up momentarily and then shut my eyes again. Then I realized I saw some light coming out the bottom of my eye covers and sat straight up really quickly. I pulled off my eye covers and saw the man next to me putting his shoes on so I started to freak out because I thought we were about to land. Haha I am pretty sure I startled the man next to me because my chair went from flat to sitting straight up! He asked me a question but I still had my ear plugs in and was scrambling to put on my shoes. I looked at the time and realized that I had an hour and a half before we landed in Tokyo! I felt so stupid! I tilted my chair back a little bit and tried to pretend I knew what I was doing.
It was 3:30pm (2:30am our time) when I landed in Narita airport. Obachama, Ojichama, Uncle Takaoki, Aunt Kazuyo, and Mimi were there to pick me up. We drove two hours to a restaurant in Tokyo; they were starving I was exhausted. I barely remember anything because I was so tired and I felt sick to my stomach. We got back to Obachama's house around 6:30 but she wouldn't let me go to bed. She said I had to stay up for two more hours so I wouldn't wake up early. I wasn't the happiest and I'm sure I looked a wreck but I decided to unpack my small suitcase anyway. After I finished unpacking I realized that my laptop wasn't in my suitcase. I distinctly remember my father packing in my small suitcase because it was a nuisance to put in my carry on purse. I was almost in tears because I was so tired but Obachama told me to call Daddy. It was 5:30 in the morning and I didn't think my family would be awake yet but we tried anyway. No one answered but Daddy called me back right away so I told him what happened. He told me someone either stole it or when security went through my bags they forgot to put it back in. I decided I couldn't do anything about it anyway and went to take a shower. I slept wonderfully that night!!
Today Obachama woke me up around 8am and made me a salad for breakfast! All morning she explained to me about yen and the train station. By explain I mean she talked really fast in Japanese and I had no idea what she was saying. I could understand her half of the time but the other half I just sat there nodding my head. When she didn't know an English word...which is every other word...she got out her electronic dictionary and would look the word up. Ojichama just laughed at her the whole time. When she got sick of speaking in English she just babbled to me in Japanese. Oh boy, this is going to be an experience for sure!!
It was raining all day today because it is typhoon season (yes, I am thinking exactly what you are thinking), I feel so safe! Obachama and I walked ten minutes to the grocery store and got about eight things for thirty-five dollars. Everything here is so expensive!! We dried off at the house and warmed up with some Japanese tea. She showed me some pictures albums from when she was little. She told me about her life and I felt so blessed to be there in that moment. It made me think about how grateful I am for the opportunity to come to Tokyo. If I never had taken the chance of coming here, I wouldn't know these personal things about her.
Okay I have to go because Obachama is talking to me in Japanese and it is a full time job trying to decode! :)