Adventure - Day 1

Whew.  Well, I'm here in Japan, and I actually made it in one piece.  Since this is my first time out of the country (a little while in Canada doesn't count), getting here was quite the adventure.

I got up at the ungodly hour of 4:15 AM to get to DIA by 6.  Getting through baggage check-in and security was simple and I got onto the plane to Los Angeles without any trouble.  I would have taken pictures of the flight over the mountains, but I was asleep almost immediately after boarding.

The real problems started when I got off in LA.  I knew I had to go from the terminal I was in to the international terminal, but I am amazingly talented at getting lost.  I spent 45 minutes wandering around before getting directions and walking a long ways to where I needed to be.  Thankfully, everything went quickly after that.  I got through security and made it to my 11 hour flight to Narita Airport in Tokyo.

The flight was pretty uneventful outside of being really long.  At least I got my own choice of in-flight movies.  When I got to Narita Airport, I was really surprised at how quickly I got through.  They didn't even check my stuff at customs.  I didn't have anything to report to them, but I figured that they would at least go through it.  How do they catch anyone actually bringing in illegal stuff?

Next, I got my money exchanged, got the cell phone I'm renting, and got the bus ticket to the Machida Station, where Mrs. Mehn would meet me.  I was really dehydrated by then, so I decided to get something from the vending machines (and what I learned in class is true: there are vending machines EVERYWHERE here).  I had the choice of Coke, water, and cold green tea.  I figured that I should be like the locals, so I got the green tea in a bottle.

It smelled like an old sock and tasted even worse.  You know how Southern tea is ridiculously sweet?  Well, this was like the inverse.  This was so bitter that it actually sucked the sugar out of me.  I ended up accidentally leaving it on the bus (it seriously was an accident, I was really tired by then), and I don't regret it.

By the time I was on the three-hour bus ride to Machida, the jet-lag caught up to me.  I remember waking up a lot, but never actually falling asleep.  Finally, though, I got off the bus and met Mrs. Mehn.  We took a second bus to their home where I basically went to bed immediately.

And now here I am.  I've wanted to come here to Japan for so long that it's kind of surreal to actually be here.  Right now, Dr. Mehn and another guest named Phil are up north helping repair a damaged family-run hotel.  He'll be back later this week.  Until then, I just have to sit tight and wait.  I'll give an update a little later this week.  Bye!