The journey starts with a train ride to the Denver International Airport and ends with a train ride into the bustling heart of Tokyo. It’s been a long travel day, it’s currently 4pm on Saturday in Tokyo, but I think it’s closer to midnight in Denver. We’ve been traveling since 5:30am Denver time. I choose to think days like these keep me young, rather than thinking of the potential days that are being shaved off the end of my life due to the lack of sleep and proper nutrition.
We had a layover in Vancouver, which now means Asa and I have now officially been across the Canadian border together. – a place neither of us have travelled to since we were under the age 5. With a stop in Canada, I made sure to try a maple syrup treat and picked up a candy called Wine Gums – these do not contain any wine but do have a more complex flavor than the American Life Saver Gummies.
The flight from Vancouver to Tokyo was 10 hours and honestly was bearable. Did we sleep? Maybe for 20 minutes. Was there some crying babies? Yes, but at least we weren’t their parents. With some in-flight entertainment of movies, average airline food, and the constant effort of finding a comfortable position in an economy seat, the time eventually passed and we landed safe and sound.
Whenever we enter a new country and go through customs and immigration, I always get a tad nervous that I will get rejected for not looking like my passport photo. Most of the time we’re walking off an eight hour plane ride, running on four hours of sleep, and are dazed, hangry, and jetlagged. I look at the passport photo of myself and look at myself in the bathroom mirror, I can barely see a resemblance. But luckily, those customs employees are quite nice and therefore, we have made it into Japan!
Our first stop is the convenience store market right inside the Narita airport to pick up a Japan staple – onigiri. A rice ball filled with something like red salmon or tuna and mayonnaise. They’re the best treat, snack, and meal all rolled into one. See Asa in the ultimate state of bliss below enjoying his first onigiri of the trip. Current onigiri count: 3
After leaving the Narita airport, we take about an hour and some train ride into the city of Tokyo itself and get off at the Shinjuku station. Shinjuku is known for its nightlife, premier entertainment and dining scene. As we’re rolling our suitcases, we can’t help but look up and just say the names of the foods we’re seeing as we pass by. “Sushi!” “Ramen!” “Ooooh – unagi!” Are we blending in with the locals? Not at all, but Sean and I don’t have a chance at that really.
We find our Airbnb (on the first try!), claim our rooms, and freshen up and head out to find some dinner as we’re now pushing hour 21 of our travel day. We find a second wind as we enter a yakitori izakaya, where the smell of a charcoal grill and roasted chicken consumes us and we’re practically drooling on the counter. Yakitori are roasted meat skewers – we opt for the chef’s choice, providing us each with a skewer of chicken thigh, chicken heart, chicken breast, and chicken neck. These combined with a nice draft beer just gets your tastebuds rolling after a long day of travel. Unfortunately, I was so enamored with the food, I forgot to take a photo. Note for future self.
After one more stop at another bar for a nightcap, we head back to the airbnb – I think we have now been up for about 24 hours at this point. One more quick bite from the convenience store. I opt for a pancake with red bean paste, and Asa grabs another onigiri. (Onigiri count: 4) We land back at our Airbnb and finally can get some much needed sleep. Zzzzz…
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