Thursday, April 23, 2015

Japan 2015 - Day 1 and 2 - Honolulu to Ikebukuro

April 7 and 8, 2015

The day finally came. The start of our trip! Me and Sweetie were so excited. We were supposed to meet at the JAL lobby at 7:30 a.m. We got there at around 7 a.m. And guess what. A lot of the tour group members were already there. Throughout the trip it was pretty much just like that. Me and Sweetie would usually arrive earlier than the designated time and always there would be a lot of other people already there waiting ahead of us.  I liked that.

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Because I want to get my money's worth from this $35 rip-off Airport CPK breakfast, I'm posting the picture again.  We realized afterwards that there had not been any prices posted. I guess in our excitement we never bothered to find out. But then again, we never expected to be so ripped off. YOU SO RIP-OFF, CPK!!! 
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Ok. I feel better now.

The flight was fairly empty, so me and Sweetie scored an empty seat between us! The seats were very comfortable with a lot of leg space.
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And I looooooved that I had my own movie screen in front of me.  I watched three movies!  Actually, I watched one movie twice . . . the latest Hobbit one.  I love the Lord of the Rings movies.
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Unfortunately, I didn't care for the meal or the snack.
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I was surprised that the food tasted blah to me. I loved everything else about the flight. I guess you can't have everything.
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We arrived in JAPAN at around 1:30 p.m. Yee haw!!
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After checking into our hotel, Hotel Metropolitan Ikebukuro, we had a bit of time before our scheduled dinner buffet, so we decided to take a walk despite the chilly rain. I took this photo right outside of our hotel. A lot of places provide these plastic bags for your umbrella so that you don't go dripping water into their establishment.
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I wondered what this was for. A blind person somehow finds the red button and pushes it for some reason?
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After strolling a bit, we ended up at Lawson. Do they only make suits in black in Japan?
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!!!!!!
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Do you remember back in the day when we used to have cigarette vending machines here in Hawaii?
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Back at the hotel, I asked Sweetie to pretend to be on the phone so that I could take this shot.  Right after taking the photo I heard her say, "Oh sorry." She said that somebody answered the phone!  Is this not a pay phone?
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!!!!! OMG! First day shopping only.
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We met for our buffet dinner in our hotel at around 6 p.m.
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My first meal of this trip. !!!!!!! It turned out that we would be eating like this A LOT. 
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11 comments:

Les said...

i'm so excited too see the rest of the pics from your trip!!! :)

Honolulu Aunty said...

Looks so fun and wonderful!

I really don't like to travel but your posts make me want to be there. Japan, Nihon, maybe it is calling to me....

DNakamaru said...

You da best! Thanks for sharing - love your photos! I can't wait to go Japan again.

Anonymous said...

Oh I'm so happy to be following your trip! I stayed at that hotel once. It's super nice and big yah. But because I want to go to Japan at least once a year, I stay at waaaay cheaper hotels!
Can't wait for next post!
Vicki

jalna said...

I'm loving your photos from New Zealand, Les!!

Aunty, I don't like riding the plane. I feel so claustrophobic and antsy. Once I land though, I'm okay. I think I hear Nihon calling you too!

Thanks Dean! You had a great trip recently too!

Vicki, I don't mind staying at cheap hotels, either. I just don't have your coordinating skills, so I have to rely on somebody else to do um for me. Next post is coming up soon.

K and S said...

I agree CPK is a rip! Last time I just brought spam musubi & bought some water at the airport.

jalna said...

That's what we gotta do next time, Kat. I woulda been happy with that.

Nippon Nin said...

Ha ha ha! You're so entertaining!
So fun to see the pics!

Kay said...

Yuuum! That looks fabulous. Aren't those the phones you use with a phone card? I'm loving traveling with you. Thank you for the warning about California Pizza Kitchen. That's what it is, right? I'll stay away at the airport. JAL is a great way to fly. How amazing that you had an empty seat next to you! I haven't seen an empty seat in forever.

SW said...

Finally your Travelogue.. and so many food shots too..Thanks!

jalna said...

Thanks Akemi!

Really yah, Kay . . . empty seats! It's been awhile since I've seen those. And yes . . . it was California Pizza Kitchen.

Thanks, Shun Wah! Glad you're enjoying the photos!