Asia Trip Day 6: Go to Tokyo (12/24/17)

In-flight Tetris

We woke up around 5:30 am and her dad drove us to the airport for our 9 am flight to Tokyo (or rather, Narita Airport). The process went without complication, and when we boarded we began our experience in Japanese etiquette. They have a deeply respectful attitude towards customer service; they usually bow their head deeply and say "arigatou gozaimasu" several times. Their pitch is very high when they say it to express gratuity and respect.

Teriyaki chicken with noodles

Beef with mashed potatoes

Once we arrived at Narita Airport (~2pm), it was time to put all of our research to use. Unlike in China, where I have hosts who know everything about the region (transportation, itinerary, language), I shared responsibility with Xuezhu for getting around. This was the first time I was without guidance in a foreign country. Added risks that I didn't have any cellular service, so if I were separated from Xuezhu, it would be difficult to get in communication. The back-up plan was to find somewhere with WiFi (fairly abundant in Japan) and call her through WeChat.

Within Narita Airport, we had a checklist to get: 1. Exchange currency, 2. Suica card, and 3. JR Pass.

Ironically, most transactions in Japan are done in cash, despite their preference towards electronic methods. At the same time, China is more and more digital: each restaurant has a sign with a QR code that people can scan and pay through WeChat. The process to exchange was very easy; fill out a form for the currency type and how much is being exchanged. They'll do the math and I just hand other the wad of cash, and they return the yen. To convert from yen to USD, just remove the last two digits and subtract a little bit to get a rough estimate (for example, 10,000 yen is $8.99 USD).

Nicknamed the "watermelon card" in Chinese (xi gua)

The Suica card is like a debit card, where you charge money into it and it can be swiped in a variety of places, such as the Tokyo Metro, convenience stores, and vending machines. Like for Charlie cards in Boston, there are similar Suica card machines. Thankfully, there are English menus to make everything easier. There is a 500 yen deposit, and we put in around 5000 yen each.

Voucher (above) that we exchanged for the JR pass (below)

The JR pass was something that Xuezhu ordered a month before. In the US, we received the JR voucher, which we turn in at the JR office in the airport. It cost about $250 each; but after crunching the numbers we decided it was a good deal. The primary purpose was for traveling between Tokyo to Osaka using the JR Shinkansen, which would be around $125 per ride. An added bonus is that includes unlimited access to all JR lines within Tokyo. 

Wikipedia did a better job than any travel guide for summarizing the different lines

Transportation in Japan has a fast learning curve, and we needed to get to everywhere we needed to go using only the Suica card and JR pass. The railways and subways in Japan are operated by different companies, so their payment methods are different. Within stations, there are many signs that are in English and color-coded. It will also show the company that each line belongs to; for non-JR lines we use Suica card and JR lines we use the JR pass. For the non-JR lines, you tap the card when entering and when exiting the gates. This calculates the number of stops used and the amount to charge the card. For the JR lines, on the the sides of the gates are special booths with an attendant. We just had to flash them our JR pass and they'd let us through (do this both entering and exiting).

???

Yamanote line

All the different lines in Tokyo were far more complicated than what I was used to in Boston. The most important line is the Yamanote, which goes through Tokyo, Ginza, Shinagawa, and Shinjuku; all points of interest on our schedule. The line in the JR office took about an hour. In addition to getting our JR pass, we also reserved seats for the Narita Express and the Shinkansen to Osaka for 12/26. 

We barely caught the 5pm Narita Express line to Tokyo, which is an hour-long ride. From Tokyo station, we took the Marunouchi line (Suica) to the Ginza station, which was a short walk its shopping district. This is where the famous Tsukiji fish market is.

 

Our first meal in Japan was at the Ippudo ramen in Ginza. The staff was very welcoming and accommodated us non-Japanese speakers. In fact, it was immediately noticeable the increased number of tourists (non-Japanese people) within the restaurant and walking around the city. This was another contrast with Chengdu, where the I saw a handful in the Narrow Alley (which was a tourist attraction). I suppose the fact that it was the holiday season also increased the proportions. 

I ordered a bowl of tonkotsu, while Xuezhu ordered the spicy version. It was very satisfying after our flight, line waiting, and months of planning. The broth was rich and savory, and the firm noodles were tasty. The biggest mistake for noodles or any type of pasta is to overcook them so they become mushy. Possibly the worst thing to ever happen to someone is to have overcooked noodles.

Something similar I noticed between ramen and the Chinese noodle soup is the minimal amount of sides. For ramen, they serve it with an egg, one nori, and three slices of pork. As mentioned before, the Chinese noodles other have several cubes of beef and a couple of bok choy. So they’re both mostly carbs in a rich oily broth. For the ramen, it is much more accepted to finish the broth, but its very filling due to the high fat content. The Chinese noodle broth is never finished, due to the heavy amount of chili oil used. A spoon isn’t even given with the bowl of noodles, making it more like a sauce for the noodles.

The hallway exiting from the locker, leading to the lounge area
Toiletries (left) and sliding doors to bathrooms and showers (right) 

We ended the night at Tokyo Bay Ginza Hotel, which was a capsule hotel. I initially found the process to be a little convoluted, but it turned out to work like a gym. The capsule floors were separated by gender, so we had to separate. The first thing is to off shoes, put on slippers, and then store the shoes in the locker. There were additional lockers to fit larger items like backpacks or coats.

 There were no locks or anything from each capsule, only a wooden curtain that would be drawn down. Because of this, they heavily suggest storing all important stuff in the lockers. Along the halls were sliding doors to the bathrooms and shower rooms, however I missed them several times because there weren’t any door handles. Inside were individual stalls for showers, which was a relief because I was expecting a public shower like then gyms. 

Lounge area 

Ninja pajamas

They provided Japanese robes which were comfortable, and made the experience even more novel. I would definitely wear something like this at home if I knew where to find them.  

 

The capsule room itself was a little over 6’ long, and roughly 3.5’ high and 3.5’ wide. The capsules are arranged like shelves, with fairly thin walls between lateral neighbors, and two-layer “bunk beds”. It was easy to hear noises made by neighbors, so they provide ear plugs. Thankfully, there wasn't too much noise and I was able to fall asleep quickly for the early morning tomorrow.

Gallery