We've all safely arrived at our first night's lodging outside of the airport after a long, but uneventful 13-hour flight. (When students were encouraged to "stay awake" during the long flight so they can adjust quickly to the new time in Japan and fall asleep the first evening, they all did! Amazingly, they were all awake throughout the flight except for about an hour.) Once at Narita Airport, it took a long time for us to get our rail passes validated and arrange several of our seat reservations for our long train rides across the country. For dinner, the Trippers indulged in their first meal on Japanese soil at a "konbini," or "convenience store" in the airport. Onigiri (filled rice triangles with seaweed), obento (all different sorts), sando (sandwiches), and many discovered a taste for Japanese "milk tea." We took a short shuttle bus to our hotel, and many got ready for bed early for a good night's sleep. A few tried out their first "ofuro," or bath, at the hotel's public facility. I believe it was proclaimed "a great way to end the day." Wasting no time, tomorrow is a 5:40 wake up call for a 6:00am breakfast, shuttle back to the airport for our first express train and shinkansen (bullet train) as we head for Kyoto.
Intrepid Trippers at O'Hare
Trippers and family members before heading to security
Flying into the new day:
Arrival into Narita airport:
Being interviewed for a Japanese television show called, "Why did you come to Japan?"
A night shot of a garden at our hotel, just for some atmosphere, showing reflections in the water:
