25.11.14 - 25.11.15

It's been 15 years since I've been to Japan. Fifteen! I can't believe it's been that long and yet it feels like it's been forever. [Edit: Mom corrected me, I visited a second time in the 2010s so okay, it's only been 10-ish years...lol] Strange how time works. For Mom and Dad this'll be totally new for them, they were last in Japan many...many decades ago.

The fun thing about flying to Narita - honu plane! And an A380 to boot. Gotta love the custom livery.

The picture makes the plane look small...it is not.

The ANA lounge at HNL is quite nice. And the cool thing is - you board the plane from the lounge! I never experienced that before.

The new technology? No scanning boarding passes to get on the plane. Just a scan of your face. I've no idea how that works or how it's so accurate. Kinda scary, but pretty cool too.

Skipping over most of the flight, it was a good flight overall. I had a headache for most of it so wasn't at tip-top levels of enjoyment, but no complaints. Food was tasty, service was as expected of the Japanese and the plane was a smooth ride. Regardless, I am definitely happy to have my feet back on terra firma.

After we disembark and pass the point of no return, Dad asks to stop and check something - he can't find his passport. To save a lot of anxiety I'll skip to the part where he found it on the second pass of checking his backpack. Definitely not what you want to hear after you've left the plane, past the "no return entry" signs and yet haven't made it to customs. Good times. Now on to immigration and customs!

More QR code technology for immigration and customs. Immigration was a very easy process, aside from the fingerprint scanner not wanting to register my finger...or Mom's. But once that's done we think we're all set since we scanned our customs QR code and go to find the exits which was a bit of a fail. So turning around we realize that nope, we're not done. We only went thru immigration, now on to customs. Out comes the QR code - and passport - again. Another quick process done and out we go! For real this time.

Finding the hotel shuttle bus stop was very easy as the exit from customs pops you right out to the shuttle bus area. Convenient, no? We're staying at Hotel Nikko for a one-night layover and their shuttle runs every 20-30 minutes so we figure we're in for a little wait. Not so! I doubt we waited even five minutes before the bus comes around the corner. Bags are loaded, people are loaded, and off we go.

Arriving at the hotel, I don't think I've ever experienced so many hotel staff ready and waiting in the lobby to help. Not only do you have the front desk staff, there's others directing guests to the check-in and others asking if guests need assistance, and so on. Just wow. Impressive.

We get ourselves checked in and separate to our respective rooms - the 4th floor and 10th floor. The first observation - STUFFY. There is zippo air circulation in the room and apparently the "air conditioner" thingy on the wall we find out later is ONLY a heater. Fun times. Thankfully they have a placard on the window to call house keeping and they'll crack open the window for you. They were quick about it and got both our rooms situated with some fresh cool air. Also road noise, but we'll put up with that for some cool air.

Dinner was at their "casual dining" restaurant. I think everyone except for us was doing the buffet and we could see why, there were so many options! But we just aren't buffet people and weren't very hungry so a la carte menu for us. Salad for Dad and I, tendon for Mom (and no, that's not "tendon" as in cartilage but ten-don as in tempura donburi, aka tempura bowl). We were very pleasantly surprised! Having low expectations of airport hotel food, it was quite tasty.

The glob of white on the side was a very tasty potato salad.

The tempura included sweet potato, eggplant, kabocha, shishito, okra, shrimp, mushroom and lotus root.

After a satisfying dinner, off to bed for the three of us before we head down to Kyoto tomorrow via the shinkansen. Another long day of travel ahead.

Sayonara!