Jet Lag is Awesome

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on tuesday, while all of my friends in america slept, I was riding a random train, bound for tokyo at 2:45 am pacific standard time. The 60 minute ride from Narita to Ueno station in the middle of Asakusa seemed unbearble as the jet lag made it nearly impossible for me to stand. Standing in the middle of a crowded subway-style train, my spirits were drained. it had been nearly 20 hours since i had last slept and I was too exhasuted to care about anything else. as the train inched towards tokyo... i would, every so often, catch glimpses of the outside world. things such as 7elevens, driving ranges, subaru dealerships, trees, and funny looking houses filled my vision. I was much to tired to take any pictures, start any conversation, or otherwise show any enthusiasm. I had sat on a plane for 10 hours, and pretty much done nothing at all.

three day earlier (i think), I had arrived at LAX. after the usual baggage claim, shuttle, and bullshit L.A. traffic (i forgot how far 4 miles is in LA), I found my room at the days inn and met up with Matt, we talked for a bit, but because my flight was delayed an hour or so (i arrived a little after 10) I went to sleep rather quickly. The next day brought excitement and after a mexican breakfast across the way I was off to LAX. At LAX, after check-in and security, we met up with sylvia at the gate. slyvia had decided to go with us to japan a few months ago and since her and i had never met, we all decided to break the ice with a few rounds at the airport bar. After a few drinks, it was time to board singapore air flight 11. we were flying in an older 747 that still had the movie screen at the front. however, with the new in-seat entertainment systems, it was not used. About two hours into the flight, after lunch was served, it occured to me that there would be light for the entire flight. Since we were going against darkness, monday was the longest day of my life. 20 or so hours of continous daylight!!! because of this, and since the cabin lights were never dimmed, it was nearly impossible to sleep...also take into the nonstop chatter in various language and crying babies. the two meals we were served we good for airline food, as were the drinks, snacks, and other assortments. I also thought the service on the plane was very good, as i recieved everything i requested in a timely manner. One highlight of the trip was when i asked for orange juice and recieved a scotch. I was thirsty so I drank it anyway.

the arrival at Narita was quite different than what i had expected. the airport was pretty much a ghost town and it took me about thirty minutes to get from the plane through processing and customs to the curb. the airport was strangely quiet the entire time, and i swear that i have been in museums louder. the processes of getting our tickets, finding the right train, and going in the right direction took little effort. I think we asked for directions twice. However, while at Narita, we were stopped by the police who asked us for identification. I think they just wanted to talk to us because of our amazing hight. After the grueling train ride, we transfered at Ueno on the Ginza line and got off at a few stations down. the hike to the hostel took about 10 minutes and we got slightly lost once. Overall, the area seemed quite small so it was not hard to find our way. We arrived at our hostel at like 5 am (pst time), 9pm tokyo time. needless to say, i went straight to bed. right now it is 522 wednesday morning and i am off to explore tokyo...i promise pictures on my next post.


later,
jason

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Comments

[Dave]

you made it!
I've felt the way you have, believe me. Not a fun commute! The train ride from Narita to Tokyo takes forever it seems.