Here is the first of the "daily posts" (well daily in that they will be written about each day, I can't promise I'll put them up daily!)
Day 1 started with an early rise at 5:00am in order to be out the door at 6:00am. We finally hit the road at 6:20am, dad reminding me how much I take after mum in some regards, such as time keeping. In fairness, I had told him 6:00am in order to ensure we would be able to go by 6:20am. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Online check-in failed due to the need to show I had an onwards ticket from Japan - odd, given that ticket is on the same booking as the flight from Auckland, and even more odd when I got to the self check kiosk and it asked me if I had an onward ticket, I pressed yes, and that was that. Oh well, if that's the worst thing that happens, I think I'm doing pretty well!
After quickly passing through customs, I finally got this blog underway, then went to find a present for my cousin's son who I will meet for the first time in Frankfurt. I had my mind set on a Buzzy Bee, that most New Zealand of toys and my favourite gift. Do you think I could find one in Auckland Airport after customs? No. So I decided to turn up empty handed and send it on once I got back to NZ. Then I found out he already had one, so its back to square one.
After a delay caused by the aircraft taking a while to be brought over from engineering, we were on our way. For more about the flight segment, have a look at my post Flight #1. At the other end, Narita was pleasant to navigate through to customs. Once out into the public area, it was rather crowded, but I managed to make my way to the train information, having done a little research before hand in order to have a rough idea of how to get from Narita into Asakusa where I would be staying. Clearly I had not done my research well enough; once I descended from the terminal into the basement area and subway station, it turned out the only way to pay for tickets is cash. Next began a wild goose chase of sorts looking for an ATM. I was directed to go upstairs to another terminal, but the ATM I was directed to only took Japanese cards. At this moment I was regretting not withdrawing yen before leaving. Then I took another escalator and thankfully there was an ATM (branded 7 Eleven Bank, of all things. I was hoping to withdraw just enough to cover the ticket, not being quite in the right frame of mind to think how much I would need for the whole trip. The ATM had other ideas, instructing me the minimum withdrawal was ¥10,000 (equivalent to about NZ$135). Newly cashed up, I returned down to the basement, paid for my ticket, and then on to Tokyo's famous subway, or at least the Keisei Main Line train that runs from Narita into the subway system. Free wi-fi at the station allowed me to call my dad on FaceTime, so we had a nice chat. The train arrived mid-chat, so I boarded and continued talking for a few minutes before saying good bye. Then I saw the sign opposite me instructing phones to be switched to silent and no voice calls. In the country for all of an hour and already committed a social faux pas.
My research had also not extended to understanding the layout of the subway network, and I started to worry maybe I was on the wrong train in spite of being told by the ticket counter to catch this particular one. Thankfully it turns out many Keisei Main Line trains continue to the Asakusa line, including the one I was on. I brief walk from the subway station, and I was at the hotel for my stay in Tokyo. The staff were friendly, although I was met with a blank look when I asked if they were having a good day. A quick bit of translating and they said yes and asked me the same. And you know what, I was having a good day, because I had successfully made it to Tokyo on the start of the grand trip. I considered heading out for a late dinner, before deciding I had eaten enough on the plane and really just needed sleep. That and I had to prepare a statistical report for the Auckland Bahá'í community, which I hadn't managed to do before I left. I started typing, and promptly began to fall asleep. I decided the statistics could wait until morning, and retired for the night, no doubt to dream of all that lay ahead.
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