Spring in Japan, part 1
So I went to Japan.
I've been holding off from posting more than one-offs because I wanted to talk about the awesomest vacation of my life first, but I'm not sure what to say now! Maybe just that I had a wonderful time with utenatai, fanartist and elhermano, who was as cool as advertised. I'm not sorry I spent all that money and got laid off halfway through--I'm glad, because who knows when I'd have the next chance?
In some ways, Japan is nothing like what anime prepares you for. In others, it's exactly the same. My first bleary-eyed impression on the train from Narita to Tokyo was "the landscape looks just like Katamari Damacy."
I took a ton of pictures, so I'm gonna break the trip recap into a few posts. The italicized commentary is from a mini-trip log I kept for the first half of the trip. Kinda gave up after that due to busy-ness (or possibly being laid off and not wanting to write that.) Took enough pictures to make up for it, though.
So! Let's get this party started.
Day 1: Plane
Someone just took a picture of the screen displaying where we are, speeds, arrival times etc....that's cute. Someone is nerdier than me when it comes to documenting things through photos.
This ride is like an endurance trial, but not as bad as I expected. Everyone seems to bear it well--I've seen people get pissier at shorter flight times. Right now we're about 4.5 hours away from Narita, and near the dateline. Over halfway!
The service is great. I don't know if it's the Korean or international parts that make the difference, but they do a good job of keeping us entertained. Free wine! Randomly offered freshly made bread & meat buns! Melodramatic Japanese soaps! Panda pillow also makes things much comfier. (Thanks, Megan.)
It's a little weird that we're passing to tomorrow and feeling like it's late at night but never getting dark outside. Just as well the shades are pulled. It's too bright and nothing to see now.
I'm looking forward to the dinner service and expect it to be tasty. Even though I generally don't mind airplane food, that's pretty weird.
As you just read, for a 12-ish hour flight? It really wasn't bad. Korean Air gives great service, and I think the seats had a bit more space. The food was good--the bibimbob even came with instructions for putting it together. Hee.
Day 1.5: Katsutaro
I'm amazed we stayed up until almost 10. I wasn't exhausted so much as convinced I'd entered a half-lit world where sleep no longer existed. First night: rainy food from a 7-11. It was great. The transaction involved plenty of smiling, nodding and words but not much technical understanding.
Our room is awesome--all tatami and futon and a little table with butt pillows. And sliding doors. Very Japanese, VERY comfy.
Time for pics!
Not really part of the trip, but eh. Ashe's boyfriend holding the awesome birthday roll cake she made for him the day before we left. (Y'all have heard my travel stories. I got there an entire day early. I was taking no chances.)
Plane lunch!
Kinda blurry, but the photo quality accurately captures our mental states after enough hours without sleep.
At one point, we noticed another plane alongside us out the window. Man, jet engines are dirty.
Ashe's bro.
Me. On the plane train. Boring, eh.
At last, Japan! Hannah had already arrived at the ryokan and greeted our damp selves. Here she is on one of the omgsocomfy futons in our room.
The other half of the room. A sliding door could separate them, which I suppose was nice.
Yeah, I was pretty wiped after getting there.
Hannah really liked the steamed buns from 7-11. She also had an awesome shirt, which I think she didn't realize was Engrishy until we pointed it out.
Aaaand she made her bun a ninja. Why? Iunno, ask her.
Also at the 7-11, I got dorkily excited at seeing a copy of Shonen Jump in its natural habitat. It had the previous week's chapter. I was hoping to read the next week's chapter maybe slightly before the U.S.- Yeah, that didn't work out. I assume subscribers and the like get it earlier, but I didn't see a new copy at any conbini until...I think Sunday. By which time I'd already cracked and read the scanlation online.
I've been holding off from posting more than one-offs because I wanted to talk about the awesomest vacation of my life first, but I'm not sure what to say now! Maybe just that I had a wonderful time with utenatai, fanartist and elhermano, who was as cool as advertised. I'm not sorry I spent all that money and got laid off halfway through--I'm glad, because who knows when I'd have the next chance?
In some ways, Japan is nothing like what anime prepares you for. In others, it's exactly the same. My first bleary-eyed impression on the train from Narita to Tokyo was "the landscape looks just like Katamari Damacy."
I took a ton of pictures, so I'm gonna break the trip recap into a few posts. The italicized commentary is from a mini-trip log I kept for the first half of the trip. Kinda gave up after that due to busy-ness (or possibly being laid off and not wanting to write that.) Took enough pictures to make up for it, though.
So! Let's get this party started.
Day 1: Plane
Someone just took a picture of the screen displaying where we are, speeds, arrival times etc....that's cute. Someone is nerdier than me when it comes to documenting things through photos.
This ride is like an endurance trial, but not as bad as I expected. Everyone seems to bear it well--I've seen people get pissier at shorter flight times. Right now we're about 4.5 hours away from Narita, and near the dateline. Over halfway!
The service is great. I don't know if it's the Korean or international parts that make the difference, but they do a good job of keeping us entertained. Free wine! Randomly offered freshly made bread & meat buns! Melodramatic Japanese soaps! Panda pillow also makes things much comfier. (Thanks, Megan.)
It's a little weird that we're passing to tomorrow and feeling like it's late at night but never getting dark outside. Just as well the shades are pulled. It's too bright and nothing to see now.
I'm looking forward to the dinner service and expect it to be tasty. Even though I generally don't mind airplane food, that's pretty weird.
As you just read, for a 12-ish hour flight? It really wasn't bad. Korean Air gives great service, and I think the seats had a bit more space. The food was good--the bibimbob even came with instructions for putting it together. Hee.
Day 1.5: Katsutaro
I'm amazed we stayed up until almost 10. I wasn't exhausted so much as convinced I'd entered a half-lit world where sleep no longer existed. First night: rainy food from a 7-11. It was great. The transaction involved plenty of smiling, nodding and words but not much technical understanding.
Our room is awesome--all tatami and futon and a little table with butt pillows. And sliding doors. Very Japanese, VERY comfy.
Time for pics!
Not really part of the trip, but eh. Ashe's boyfriend holding the awesome birthday roll cake she made for him the day before we left. (Y'all have heard my travel stories. I got there an entire day early. I was taking no chances.)
Plane lunch!
Kinda blurry, but the photo quality accurately captures our mental states after enough hours without sleep.
At one point, we noticed another plane alongside us out the window. Man, jet engines are dirty.
Ashe's bro.
Me. On the plane train. Boring, eh.
At last, Japan! Hannah had already arrived at the ryokan and greeted our damp selves. Here she is on one of the omgsocomfy futons in our room.
The other half of the room. A sliding door could separate them, which I suppose was nice.
Yeah, I was pretty wiped after getting there.
Hannah really liked the steamed buns from 7-11. She also had an awesome shirt, which I think she didn't realize was Engrishy until we pointed it out.
Aaaand she made her bun a ninja. Why? Iunno, ask her.
Also at the 7-11, I got dorkily excited at seeing a copy of Shonen Jump in its natural habitat. It had the previous week's chapter. I was hoping to read the next week's chapter maybe slightly before the U.S.- Yeah, that didn't work out. I assume subscribers and the like get it earlier, but I didn't see a new copy at any conbini until...I think Sunday. By which time I'd already cracked and read the scanlation online.