New Country, Same Crew: Our First Day in Japan

We made it to Tokyo! By the time we got to our Airbnb we had been traveling for 19 hours. The flight was long, but didn’t feel un-manageable. None of us were able to sleep much on the plane, so by the time we landed we were exhausted. We had travel leading up to this flight, which was not super smooth. Our flight from Costa Rica to Houston turned into a 6 hour flight (normally 3) due to weather and being rerouted to New Orleans to refuel. This all added to our exhaustion.

Planes, Trains, and a Ten-Minute Walk

It took awhile to get through customs and once we emerged into the main area of the airport we were all a little overwhelmed. Dave did extensive research on how to get to our Airbnb from the airport using the local train system, so we knew the steps we needed to take. We would take the Skyliner train, then two separate Japan Rail trains, and then walk a few blocks to our Airbnb. 

We had a list of things we needed to do before we left the airport. First on the list, getting local currency. We found an ATM fairly quickly. Next on the list was finding Suica cards. This is a prepaid smart card used for the Japan East Railway system. Next, we had to purchase Skyliner train tickets. We had to ask the information desk for help to locate the Suica cards. They spoke excellent English and were extremely helpful! 

Once we got onto the Skyliner, the kids fell asleep immediately. The ride was about 40 minutes, and I had to shake Braxton several times to wake him up. As we were searching for the JR Rail station, Braxton asked why we couldn’t just take an Uber or shuttle like in Costa Rica. We could have done this, but we plan to use the public transportation system while we are here and wanted to figure it out. Plus, it was much more cost effective. Once again we had to ask for help finding the JR Rail station, but once we found it we were able to find both separate lines we needed pretty easily. We had about a 10 minute walk to our Airbnb and although nothing was familiar, the instructions to get in were very detailed and easy to follow!

Jet Lag and Noodle Sandwiches – Welcome to Japan

We ate the leftover snacks we had brought for the plane and forced ourselves to stay up until 8pm. Everything from the bathroom to the trash system needs instructions to figure out. We figured out the bathroom so we could take showers and all went to bed. Everyone but Dave was able to sleep most of the night, but we all still woke up feeling weird. I have felt like I just got off a boat for parts of the day.

We walked to the convenience store this morning to get coffee and breakfast. Convenience stores in Japan are known for their gourmet style offerings and health conscious options. When researching about Japan, most people commented on how they had just about everything. This one did not disappoint. The options were not things we are familiar with, but everything we got was delicious. The kids declared it the weirdest breakfast yet. They got these odd noodle sandwiches and yogurt, while Dave and I opted for salads as we were craving fresh food.

Our First Tokyo Walk

We walked around for awhile before lunch. Both because we wanted to see the area, but also to help combat the jet lag. Here is a picture of Dave and the kids in front of our Aribnb. We are on the 8th floor of the condo complex and just a block away from the Sumida River. The Sumida River is one of Tokyo’s most iconic waterways and flows for 27 kilometers through central Tokyo. We went walking along the river today and enjoyed watching the water taxis. This will be a fantastic place for running.

For lunch we decided to go with the ease of the convenience store again. Our brains are pretty foggy and we weren’t ready to navigate menus. While in Costa Rica, we cooked at home the majority of the time. Here in Japan, our plan is a little different. We spent less on our Airbnb by getting a pretty small place, and plan to use the cost difference to eat out for most of our lunch/dinner meals. The food in Japan is something we are all excited to experience (especially Alexis)! The kids had fun picking out different things to try.

Still Can’t Believe We Are Here

The weather is extremely hot in Tokyo right now. As I’m typing this, it is 100 degrees. We used the afternoon to figure out some more of the technology in our condo. I successfully did a load of laundry. Google translate and AI helped me navigate the washing machine. There’s not a dryer here, but with the heat outside everything dried quickly. Dave spent a lot of time figuring out how to connect all our devices to Wi-Fi. We are only allowed a certain number of devices on the Airbnb’s router (not something we knew about ahead of time). I still can’t believe we are here. We are all beyond excited to explore this new country!