"JAPAN" - Tokyo
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...Is a nice country. Up to now I've been there four times. Two times in Tokyo and two times in Nagano. In fact if everything had been ok I would have been in Nagano right at this very moment! Anyway, I still remember my first trip to Japan. It was in 1992 and I had to judge NHK Trophy in Tokyo. It always had been a dream to go to Japan one day and if it would be possible to Tokyo! I guess that dreams do come true... The journey to Tokyo was quite an experience! First I flew to Bangkok (Thailand) to spend a couple of days in the sun. Bangkok was hot in more ways than one..... On my flight to Tokyo I had to make a stopover in Singapore first. That happens when you fly with Singapore Airlines, which is one of the best airlines in the world! The flight from Bangkok to Singapore was two hours south and the from Singapore to Tokyo was 8 hours north! This means that I flew over Bangkok again but people who fly a lot know that things like that can happen. Anyway, on the flight to Tokyo I was sitting next to this fabulous lady from Los Angeles who kept talking all night long. In fact we were the only two people on board who didn't sleep. That's what the steward told us after we made it safe to Narita (Tokyo) airport. We arrived on time which was about 6.30am. By the time I got through customs and picked up my luggage it was 7.00am. This was just in time to get my first surprise.... there was nobody there to pick me up because my Federation forgot to tell the organizing committee the date and time of my arrival. I knew that I was staying at the Keio-Plaza hotel in Shinjuku but where the hell was Shinjuku!? Anyway, I started to ask some people how to get there. One guy was very friendly cause he went with me to the counter to get my train ticket to Shinjuku. He told me not to worry cause I needed to get off the train in the first station. That was easy. I can count to one cause I couldn't and still can't read any Japanese! So, this guy brings me to the station which was in the airport itself and off I went... Since I didn't had any sleep on the plane I had it difficult to stay awake on the train.... And yes... it did happen! I fell asleep! 
As you know Tokyo it has a lot of buildings so when I open my eyes after 45 minutes all I see is those typical Japanese houses on the country site! I was awake right away! LOL There wasn't much I could do except waiting till the train stops at the first station. After another 15 minutes the train stops at a very big station. I grab my suitcases (I brought two) and hand luggage and get of the train. I knew that I had to take a ticket back to get to Shinjuku. It was now that I realize that everything was written in Japanese! There I was... tired, all by myself and far away from home! I could have cried at that moment! I never felt so helpless in my entire life! But as people always say... you can do much if you really have to! And I did. My way down with all my luggage was a fight by itself cause by now it was 8.00am and this means rush hour in Japan! If you think that you have seen rush hour here in Belgium....you haven't seen anything! Japan is crazy!!!!!!! After about 20 minutes I was down just to find out that this WAS Shinjuku-station! I was there! I did arrive! It took one hour by train so can you imagine how big Tokyo is. I felt great cause from now on I could make it to my hotel! This was peace of cake, or wasn't it..... I did manage to get out side and was waiting for a cab. When a cab arrived I just wanted to jump in like we do in Belgium and everywhere else in the world! Well you don't do that in Japan! When I tried to take the cab people started to yell at me! I didn't understand what they were saying but I'm sure that it wasn't a friendly good morning Sir! They were all waiting in line to take a cab. So, embarrassed as I was I waited in line for another 45 minutes before it was my turn to take a cab. I took the cab and was sitting in front next to the driver. He spoke only Japanese but I didn't mind cause Keio-Plaza is Keio-Plaza no matter what language. So I told him Keio-Plaza Hotel please. He looked at me with a very strange look but didn't start the car!? I repeated it once more, Keio-Plaza Hotel please? Still nothing happened!? So maybe Keio-Plaza is different in Japanese than in English so I showed him the papers I had with the hotel name and address on it. Then he took off only to stop after about 300meters! 
There I was at the Keio-Plaza Hotel! From where I was standing for 45 minutes, waiting for the cab and the Hotel was only a 5 minute walk! It coasted me 17 Dollars! Anyway I did arrive but didn't go to bed! Nooooooooo, I went straight to a cd shop to see what they had of Diana Ross cause the Japanese do get more songs released on their Diana cd's than the rest of the world... And this would be my only day off in Japan I thought......
This last photo shows you exactly the distance between the hotel and the station. The big grey building all the way at the end is Shinjuku station. I'm standing at the Hotel.
I went back to Shinjuku and it's Keio-Plaza Hotel last year but this time there was somebody to pick me up at the airport.
.
...Is a nice country. Up to now I've been there four times. Two times in Tokyo and two times in Nagano. In fact if everything had been ok I would have been in Nagano right at this very moment! Anyway, I still remember my first trip to Japan. It was in 1992 and I had to judge NHK Trophy in Tokyo. It always had been a dream to go to Japan one day and if it would be possible to Tokyo! I guess that dreams do come true... The journey to Tokyo was quite an experience! First I flew to Bangkok (Thailand) to spend a couple of days in the sun. Bangkok was hot in more ways than one..... On my flight to Tokyo I had to make a stopover in Singapore first. That happens when you fly with Singapore Airlines, which is one of the best airlines in the world! The flight from Bangkok to Singapore was two hours south and the from Singapore to Tokyo was 8 hours north! This means that I flew over Bangkok again but people who fly a lot know that things like that can happen. Anyway, on the flight to Tokyo I was sitting next to this fabulous lady from Los Angeles who kept talking all night long. In fact we were the only two people on board who didn't sleep. That's what the steward told us after we made it safe to Narita (Tokyo) airport. We arrived on time which was about 6.30am. By the time I got through customs and picked up my luggage it was 7.00am. This was just in time to get my first surprise.... there was nobody there to pick me up because my Federation forgot to tell the organizing committee the date and time of my arrival. I knew that I was staying at the Keio-Plaza hotel in Shinjuku but where the hell was Shinjuku!? Anyway, I started to ask some people how to get there. One guy was very friendly cause he went with me to the counter to get my train ticket to Shinjuku. He told me not to worry cause I needed to get off the train in the first station. That was easy. I can count to one cause I couldn't and still can't read any Japanese! So, this guy brings me to the station which was in the airport itself and off I went... Since I didn't had any sleep on the plane I had it difficult to stay awake on the train.... And yes... it did happen! I fell asleep! 
As you know Tokyo it has a lot of buildings so when I open my eyes after 45 minutes all I see is those typical Japanese houses on the country site! I was awake right away! LOL There wasn't much I could do except waiting till the train stops at the first station. After another 15 minutes the train stops at a very big station. I grab my suitcases (I brought two) and hand luggage and get of the train. I knew that I had to take a ticket back to get to Shinjuku. It was now that I realize that everything was written in Japanese! There I was... tired, all by myself and far away from home! I could have cried at that moment! I never felt so helpless in my entire life! But as people always say... you can do much if you really have to! And I did. My way down with all my luggage was a fight by itself cause by now it was 8.00am and this means rush hour in Japan! If you think that you have seen rush hour here in Belgium....you haven't seen anything! Japan is crazy!!!!!!! After about 20 minutes I was down just to find out that this WAS Shinjuku-station! I was there! I did arrive! It took one hour by train so can you imagine how big Tokyo is. I felt great cause from now on I could make it to my hotel! This was peace of cake, or wasn't it..... I did manage to get out side and was waiting for a cab. When a cab arrived I just wanted to jump in like we do in Belgium and everywhere else in the world! Well you don't do that in Japan! When I tried to take the cab people started to yell at me! I didn't understand what they were saying but I'm sure that it wasn't a friendly good morning Sir! They were all waiting in line to take a cab. So, embarrassed as I was I waited in line for another 45 minutes before it was my turn to take a cab. I took the cab and was sitting in front next to the driver. He spoke only Japanese but I didn't mind cause Keio-Plaza is Keio-Plaza no matter what language. So I told him Keio-Plaza Hotel please. He looked at me with a very strange look but didn't start the car!? I repeated it once more, Keio-Plaza Hotel please? Still nothing happened!? So maybe Keio-Plaza is different in Japanese than in English so I showed him the papers I had with the hotel name and address on it. Then he took off only to stop after about 300meters! 
There I was at the Keio-Plaza Hotel! From where I was standing for 45 minutes, waiting for the cab and the Hotel was only a 5 minute walk! It coasted me 17 Dollars! Anyway I did arrive but didn't go to bed! Nooooooooo, I went straight to a cd shop to see what they had of Diana Ross cause the Japanese do get more songs released on their Diana cd's than the rest of the world... And this would be my only day off in Japan I thought......This last photo shows you exactly the distance between the hotel and the station. The big grey building all the way at the end is Shinjuku station. I'm standing at the Hotel.
I went back to Shinjuku and it's Keio-Plaza Hotel last year but this time there was somebody to pick me up at the airport.
.
posted by Patrick at Wednesday, November 29, 2006
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