11/11/2022

 

Preflight

 

Found a good flight from Hawaii to Tokyo.  I paid more for Business Class this time around.  It is just not comfortable in Economy with these long flights. It is not going to be as long of a flight compared to Bali or The Azores Islands.  8 hours compared to 18 or 24.  Leaves at 4pm on the 11th.  8 hour plane ride.  I will actually arrive on the 12th at 8pm because of the time difference.  They are 19 hours ahead of Hawaii.

 

Got a hotel not too far from the airport.  I, on second thought, wish I had got a hotel closer to the center of all the things I am going to try and see, but the prices were outrageous. I have prepared a list again of all the places I want to see.  Of course, there is so much to see and do, that I left some things off.  I could literally spend the whole 10 non-flying days just going around Tokyo.  I will be in Tokyo until the 17th. 

 

From there, I will fly to Osaka.  I got a hotel not too far from the Airport again.  I prepared a list for Osaka and Kyoto.  Again, too many places and things to see, especially since I am splitting the 4 non-flying days between the two.  Going to stay around Osaka on Friday, go to Kyoto on Saturday.  Depending on what I get done or what is higher on the list, I will either stay in Osaka or go to Kyoto Sunday.  That following Monday I bought a ticket for Universal Studios, so that day is full.  Tuesday the 22nd I will fly back to Tokyo and fly out the next day.  I got a rental car for both places.  It’s going to be interesting again, since they drive on the left side of the road like Bali.  I did okay in Bali, but I was on a Moped, so we will soon find out.  I tried to have really good info for the things on my list this time around.  Looked up each thing, and added days and times the place is open.  That way I hopefully will not waste time going to something that may not be open.

 

Flight Day

 

I sold Tucker last night.  Sad to see him go but it just was not working out the way I dreamed.  My body really suffered from the two times he threw me and the one time I had to dive out of the way when he spooked because he was tied up.  Sometimes our dreams are better than reality.  The lady that bought him, picked him up at noon.  She sent me a picture of him getting groomed, which was nice.  Hopefully she will take good care of him and work the heebie-jeebies out of him.  Packed up, took a shower, and called an Uber.  Last night I had called Hawaiian Airlines, because the App wouldn’t let me check in.  It was confusing because I am taking Japan Airlines there, and Hawaiian Airlines back home.  The lady on the phone told me I had to check in at the Hawaiian Kiosks.  Of course, it could not find my flight there either.  Went up to the counter and the lady told me that I need to check in with Japan Airlines.  Had to walk to different terminal building where I checked in with no problem.  I still had some time, so I got a water and snacks and then found where the gate was.  They were not letting anyone sit inside the gate area yet as there was still an hour before boarding and they were probably doing there covid wipe down.  I walked back to the food court and got a soda from Burger King because I really don’t like canned or bottled soda.  By the time I walked back to the gate and sat down, it was starting to board.  Nice setup.  Full reclining seat that lays down to a bed, in its own cubicle.  Melissa had the same setup when I flew her First Class to Hawaii.  Nice 32” TV with plenty of movies to watch.  Decent dinner given while I watched Furious 9.  Then I started doing this journal.  I am probably going to try and catch a few zzzz’s, about half way through the flight, so I will continue this later.  Struggled trying to sleep of course.  I think I may have dozed off here and there, but no luck for a solid 3 or 4 hours sleep I was hoping for.  Landed and made it through customs and everything okay.  I had to catch a shuttle bus over to Terminal 2 where the car rental place was.  Of course, that was after wondering around and then asking the information desk how to get to terminal 2.  The rental desk was not manned, and the hours of operation were from 9am – 8pm.  So great!  I ended up getting a taxi to the hotel.  I will deal with the car in the morning.  Checked in. Room is nice.  Small, sort of, but that is supposed to be the norm in Tokyo.  Not going to sit in the room all day anyway.  Unpacked, took a shower, and then laid down for some well needed sleep.

 

Sunday 11/13/2022

 

I woke up, showered, and caught the free hotel shuttle back to the airport.  Called the number on the phone at their unmanned desk, and they said a shuttle would be there in 20 minutes.  Almost missed it because I was walking around trying to figure out where it was going to be.  The language barrier is killing me haha.  Picked up the car and headed out to the first stop of the day.  It was already 10am, so I skipped a few things on the list and headed to the Meiji Shrine.  First, I had to get used to driving on the left, and how the freeways were setup.  I missed a couple exits because I was confused, and then finally started figuring it out. Google lagging a little bit didn’t help.  Finally made it to the shrine.  Parking on the streets is non-existent here.  You must hunt for parking areas near wherever you want to go.  Found one after driving in circles a few times.  I walked to the Shrine, and it was widespread with different areas, like a garden, etc.  Either I missed something, or it was just not that impressive to me. Drove across the Rainbow Bridge which was touted as something special.  I think it is supposed to be lit up at night with colors.  It was just a bridge.  Not even as fancy as the Golden Gate Bridge, but like I said, it is supposed to look cool at night.  It was getting close to noon, so I searched for a McDonalds nearby.  I found one and got lucky with one of the few street parking spots, right in front of the shopping alley where it was (found out later those spots are for taxis and uber, ooppss). Took a while to order and get food.  I ate and then headed to my next stop, National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation.  Again, ended up circling the block a few times because I kept missing the parking nearby haha.  The museum was on floors 3 and 5 of this pretty big building.  It had some cool things in it, but since everything was in Japanese, of course, it was hard to get involved in it.  Headed from there to Tokyo Sea Life Park.  Several things there that you could do, but I went to the aquarium.  Standard aquarium like I have been to, except they had several exotic fish I have never seen before.  Also took some pictures of the world’s largest Ferris Wheel.  I want to ride it.  Maybe when I am back in Tokyo after Osaka.  From there, I was trying to find the Zojo-ji Shrine, and after driving in circles a few times, I decided to park and go to the Tokyo Tower which was also in the same area.  The elevator to the very top was sold out for the day, so I ended up going to the mid-section. It had a 360-degree view of the city which was pretty cool.  Walked around inside the bottom, bought a souvenir, and decided to head back to the hotel.  I was going to stop at the last McDonalds in line on the way back, but again, I would have had to hunt for a parking place and it was starting to drizzle.  I arrived back at the hotel, and realized the spots right in front of the complex were just for taxis.  How did I know you ask?  I had downloaded an app that interprets Japanese writing by taking a picture with the camera.  It is not completely accurate in a funny way, but close enough.  Called the hotel to ask where I could park.  Of course, the girl did not speak much English, so I finally got enough info to go to the parking place which was right on the other side of the building.  I hope the car is still there in the morning as there was not a ticket.  The gate just opened, but I think there was one of those parking machines outside the gate.  I guess I will find out tomorrow.

 

Monday 11/14/2022

 

I watched a little Netflix last night and went to bed early.  I think it was around 7:30pm or 8pm.  Woke up around 6:30am and got ready to get on the road.  First stop today was the Hachiko Memorial Statue.  Its is a landmark statue of a loyal dog in Shibuya City.  First, I stopped and took pictures and video of the Shibuya Crossing, which is a huge intersection which has crosswalks in every direction and hundreds of people cross at the same time.  It is touted as a famous intersection.  I took pictures of the dog and 3 girls asked me to take their picture for them, which I did, of course.  Next, I headed for the Ueno Zoo.  Arrived and went in circles trying to find where to park.  I know there is a way on Maps to show parking, but I have not figured it out yet.  Gave up.  Headed out to the next stop, Rikugien Gardens.  As always, circled a couple times and found a parking area not too far from the gardens.  Went in and walked on the pathways.  Unfortunately, not impressive to me.  It was either too early or too late for everything to be in bloom.  Decided to head out from there to the Imperial Palace.  As I was heading towards it, I realized my phone was already at 50%.  Looked up a computer store, but on the way, I saw a 7-11 with a street parking spot right near it.  Bought a cord and car charger.  The cord was a 3-way, which would do android and iPhone, but it didn’t work.  Uugghh.  I arrived at the palace and found a parking garage right across the street, after a few trips around the block.  Got a little worried because my phone was at 15%.  Called AT&T to ask why my other phone was not working in Japan.  She was no help.  Said the simm card was the problem and needed to be taken out and cleaned.  I was thinking I needed a needle to get the card out like most phones.  There were some shops above the garage, and I found a Family Mart (much like ABC Store because they are everywhere) and bought a travel sewing kit.  Realized that the back of the phone came off to access the simm card lol.  Still did not work after all that.  Decided to go back to the car and figure out what the hell I was going to do if the phone died.  Without it, I would not be able to get back to hotel.  Now I tell all this because, there is a GPS system in the car.  For some reason I had it in my head that it would be in Japanese.  I typed in the Hotel and it found it and it talked in English.  It was only 3:30pm, but I was already frustrated, so decided to head back and start fresh tomorrow.  Got a little lost near the hotel, because the streets are hard and directions not quite clear to me soon enough.  Finally got into the room, emptied the backpack, and decided to go walk around the shops right outside the hotel.  It is in a big multi-floor complex and there were many shops.  I saw a pub right across from the hotel, so I waited in line for a few minutes to get seated.  Nice guy seated me and I had him pick a beer and ordered some fries.  Everyone is polite here.  Kind of pricey.  I think it was around 15 or 20 dollars.  Finished and headed back to hotel to unwind, write in the log, take a shower, and watch a little Netflix.  Hope I do better tomorrow.  It is definitely stressful driving around on the left and trying to figure out the exits which are on the left side or right side.  Oh, by the way, somewhere during the day around noon, I went to another McDonalds.  For the life of me I can’t remember where I was exactly hahaha.

 

 

Tuesday 11/15/2022

 

Slept good after going to sleep a little early.  Headed out for the first stop today, Kaminarimon Gate and Senso-ji Temple.  Found parking pretty close.  Huge beautiful entry gate and huge Temple. Walked around taking pictures, and then I went up to the temple entry which was cordoned off for entry and took pictures of the inside.  Then I saw a small sign that said No Pictures.  Well, a camera with a slash through it anyway.  Ooppss.  Left there and was trying to go to McDonalds nearby.  I was trying to follow Maps directions and was turning left, but waited for people in the crosswalk.  2 Cops on bicycles stopped and walked over to me.  I rolled down the window and he started yelling at me in Japanese.  I told him no Japanese, and he goes oohh and points to go straight.  Still do not understand what he was upset about.  I believe I could turn left onto that street, oh well.  Anyway, realized Maps was set to walking which is why it was going crazy.  Found the McDonalds and parked in a lot about a 9-minute walk away.  After eating, I headed to Kandanyoujin Shrine.  Very big and colorful shrine. From there, I headed to the Tokyo SkyTree.  Very tall monument.  I got to the ticket desk but the girl told me that there was no visibility in the mid-section or at the top due to the weather.  It had been raining off and on today and very overcast. No wonder there wasn’t any line, haha.  I headed from there to the National Museum of Science.  I could not find any parking lots near it so I headed back to hotel.  I went to a Family Mart near the hotel and got a small ham and cheese sandwich and chips.  I looked up parking for the museum and found the closest was a 10-minute walk away, so I will tackle that tomorrow.

 

Wednesday 11/16/2022

 

Went to bed early again last night.  It is a gorgeous, clear day today.  Headed out a little after 8:00am.  National Museum of Nature and Science does not open until 9am anyway.  Most things do not open until 9am and close around 5pm.  Some things are 24 hours but 9am-5pm seems to be the norm.  Got to the museum no problem.  I did not get lost on the freeways so I am getting better.  Found the parking garage right away.  I had looked it up last night.  However, when I started walking, Maps was getting all confused.  I finally asked a guy for help.  He didn’t speak English but kind of walked me in the right direction.  I had turned right when I left the garage and there were stairs a little ahead that I had passed going back up to the left.  There were walkways all over, hence Maps confusion because it couldn’t think in 3D, lol.  Anyway, I found the museum.  6 floors of cool exhibits from the dinosaur age up to the present.  I had seen a Wendy’s when I was walking in circles, so after the museum, it was lunchtime, so I walked over and ate.  Headed back to the Tokyo Skytree and got my ticket.  The wait was not too long.  Since I wanted to go to the top, I had to buy the combo, midway lookout, and top lookout.  Middle view was 340 meters (1,115 feet) and the top view section is 440 meters (1,443 feet).  The entire tower is 550 meters (1,804 feet).  Pretty nice 360-degree views in both walkways all the way around.  You could see everything, all the way to the mountains.  Perfect day for this visit.  There were stores everywhere on the first 5 floors of the building. Walked through some a little bit and happen to find a Krispy Kreme Donut stand.  Could not resist, so I got 6 donuts. Yummy. It was around 3pm when I finished.  I was going to hit a McDonalds on my way; there are none close to the hotel.  I found it but did not see any parking nearby, so I said the heck with it.  I did not really need it and I had the donuts to munch on later anyway.  Stopped at the same Family Mart near the hotel and got a grape soda and chips.  Figured I would do my laundry tonight.  The machines were one floor up.  It was 500 yen ($3.58) to use the machine, which was unique, as it was a washer and dryer in the same unit.  The TV in the room has a part where you can monitor the machine and you put a personal code number so no one can steal your laundry haha.  Just looked up and realized it was done 4 minutes ago.  Going to head up and get it.  I fly to Osaka tomorrow at 2:30pm.  I am going to go to one area, Odaiba, about 25 minutes away in the morning, because it has a couple of things to see.  I must drop the car off at 1pm, so I will check out and bring my luggage with me.

 

Thursday 11/17/2022 Flight Day to Osaka

 

Woke up early.  Packed everything up, and headed over to Odaiba Park.  Arrived there quickly. 

I found the parking garage right away.  Starting to get a handle on this stuff.  Walked into the area.  There actually was not much there.  A case of advertising over-stating the area.  There was a mini Statue of Liberty, and a good view of the Rainbow Bridge, but that was about it. The Olympic Rings were supposed to be there, but I did not see them in the spot they were supposed to be.  I sat around a little bit, talked on the phone and when it got to be after 11am, I walked a couple blocks to a good ole McDonalds and had an early lunch. Left there and found the gas station back near the car rental drop-off point.  There were three gas stations that I had to use.  They probably own them or have some sort of deal with them.  I could not figure out how to do the pump, so a nice lady from inside helped me out.  Kind of tough when instructions are in Japanese. Dropped the car off and they had a shuttle van take me and 3 others to the airport.  Flight was in around an hour or so.  I was given an isle seat which was nice. Landed, got baggage and with a little help from one of the airport girls, I found the next car rental place. They did not speak English so the guy had to keep calling an interpreter on the phone.  Finally got the car and ran back into the airport to do a currency exchange so I had enough.  Left the airport and found, yes, you guessed it, a McDonalds about 8 minutes away.  I arrived to be shocked that they had a driveway and a drive-thru.  Big change from Tokyo.  Left there to the Hotel.  Had difficulty finding how to get into it.  I could see it from the road but no real obvious entrance, After about 20 minutes circling the block many times, I saw this little alley way which headed towards it.  That was it.  They had their own above ground multi-level parking structure.  Checked in slowly, as again, no English.  I thought it was automatic that they learned English in school, but maybe it was the Chinese, because I have not run into anyone yet that knew more then a couple words…. Not that they must.  Had to pay for parking.  2500 yen total for the 5 days, which is $17.88.  Far cry from Hawaii hotels that charge 35.00 a day.  Room on the 11th floor.  Small but with king bed as I requested.    Going to unpack shower and get ready for tomorrow.  This is definitely a 2-star hotel as google puts it but, it seems clean, so it should do.  The price was right!

 

Friday 11/18/2022

 

First stop today, heading to the Iwatayama Monkey Park.  I found a parking spot near it.  At first, I went in this entry and there were some statues and shrines.  It did not look like the entrance to the park.  I asked an older lady if she knew where it was and she understood what I wanted, so she pointed me down the street.  I walked about a block and found the entrance.  Walked up some stairs and there was a little shrine.  I did not see the entrance off the bat, so I walked a short distance along the canal that was right there.  The I asked a young guy at a ticket booth for boat rides, and he said it was where I was.  Realized the ticket counter was off to the side.  Got my ticket and headed up the hill.  The sign said a 20-minute walk.  Got to the top and it was a flat area with a bunch of monkeys walking around and a building you could go inside and feed them through the fence.  I was expecting something more like Bali, Indonesia’s Monkey Park, which was very big, but this was cozy and there were monkeys.  I got lunch at a McDonalds on the way to Arashiyama Village.  Super crowded area with locals, and parking areas were full.  After driving around a bit to search for a lot, I just pulled into one right near the center and waited for someone to leave.  I was about the 4th car in line, and it didn’t take too long… maybe 20 minutes.  Walked through the busy streets to the Tenryu-Ji Temple.  I walked around through it and the Garden.  Walked back, browsing in several stores that lined the streets.  Stopped for a soft-serve ice cream cone and sat on some steps to take a break and figure out where to go next.  I took some pictures of the bridge.  The Togetsukyo Bridge.  A lot of people crossing it in both directions. I located another temple nearby, but off course there was no parking available, so I headed to my last stop for the day, Kyoto Tower.  I arrived near the tower and ended up circling the block a few times because maps was not being helpful.  I could see it from the street, jeez.  Finally, just took some streets myself towards the tower and found the parking.  Off course, like most sights, the tower had several floors of shopping and food haha.  I laugh because one of my insights so far is that the Japanese like eating and shopping.  That of course is a humorous generalization, but if you were seeing what I have seen, you might agree.  It was nearing sundown, so I decided to hang around until dark to see the city lights.  About an hour and a half, it was dark and I took some night pictures.  Headed back to the hotel to call it a night.

 

Saturday 11/19/2022

 

I decided last night that I needed to get away from the city, so I found some waterfalls. One was a two-hour drive north from the hotel, and the other was an hour back towards the hotel.  It was around 9:00am when I left, so I plugged in a McDonalds 18 minutes away, in the other direction.  I thought it was the one I stopped at when I first arrived, but it was not.  I couldn’t even find it, but it was right in the middle of the city, so no parking anyway.  I headed north towards the first waterfall 2 hours away, Kanabiki Waterfall. I was still a little hungry, and spotted a McDonalds from the road about halfway there.  Maps didn’t show any in the area on the way so luck was with me.  Stopped and ate lunch.  Back on the road and about an hour later, drove up a thin road a ways to a parking area.  Walked to the entrance steps where they had a metal box to put in 100 yen for entrance.  The honor system.  Yes, I put in my 100, as did the two people that were ahead of me.  Walked just a short distance to the falls, which was good, because I didn’t have my hiking shoes with me.  The waterfall was nice, not quite running at full force, I assume.  After pictures and video, I headed back south to the second waterfall, Koto Falls, about an hour away.  I was getting kind of low on gas, so I kept looking down at the few towns I was passing and did not see a gas station.  Luckily, the exit from the freeway towards the falls went through a town that had several stations.  Filled up and headed up towards the falls.  It was another thin road all the way up to the entrance to the falls.  Walked down some rock steps and then it turned into a steep downward dirt path, with some small logs in the dirt to help with footing and some wood railings in parts.  It was a short walk like the other falls but steeper.  Nice falls.  Took a bunch of pictures and video and then headed back to the hotel to call it a night, and figure out what I wanted to do tomorrow.

 

Sunday 11/20/2022

 

Overcast today.  Thankfully it did not rain.  Left around 10am.  Thought about stopping for breakfast, so I went 15 minutes the other direction and ended up not stopping, because again, no parking.  Headed back towards my first stop today, which is Osaka Tenmangu Shrine.  I put parking into my route today, and when I arrived, I noticed the turn in a little too late, so I could not back up a little because of a line of cars behind me.  They asked me to go around the block, which I did.  After parking,  I walked around the shrine.  A lot of people in line to go inside, which since you can not take pictures inside the shrine, I decided not to do it.  After taking a lot of pictures, I headed to my next stop.  By the way, parking was free there for visitors, which was nice.  Next stop is Osaka Castle.  Found the parking lot with ease and walked into the bottom area where they had a small train that would take you all the way up to the castle for 400 yen ($2.85), so I rode the train up. Huge castle with an actual moat all the way around it.  Just like in the movies.  Walked all around the outside and then paid to go inside it.  They did mask check and temperature check in a small building before going up the steps.  Very interesting inside and out.  I found my way back to the train stop, but it was 20 minutes before the next one and then another 20 or so minutes to get back, because it stops at a couple locations.  I decided to walk back down which didn’t take too long.  Went to leave and the ticket for the pay machine for the parking lot would not work.  After several tries and now someone behind me, I used the call phone to get help.  Of course, the person had to find someone that spoke English.  After explaining to the guy that it wasn’t working, he opened gate remotely for me.  Did not have to pay parking, which was cool.  Afterwards, I thought maybe it was an old hotel ticket and I had lost the real one.  Ooppss.  Next, I was going to get lunch and found a Subway Sandwiches 6 miles away.  I decided after getting close that I did not feel like walking 5 minutes after parking, especially if it might rain.  I headed for my last stop of the day, the Osaka Museum of Housing & Living, which is an indoor and outdoor museum with the history of the area and a mock setup outside of an old village.  Pretty interesting.  I left there and decided to get dinner on my way back to the hotel.  Stopped and ate.  This McDonalds had a parking lot, but it was a paid parking lot… jeez.  Had the same things that come up in front of your rear wheels so you can’t leave without paying.  Got back to the hotel and showered up.  I must get everything ready for tomorrow which is Universal Studios Japan.  It is about 42 minutes away and opens at 9am so I will probably leave around 7:45am to get there when it opens.

 

Monday 11/21/2022

 

Universal Studios Japan day.  Got breakfast on the way and arrived a little after 9am when it opened.  I asked at the gate where to get an Express Pass and she told me they were all sold out.  Oh well.  Saved some money anyway because most rides had single rider line which was a lot quicker, sometimes only 5 minutes.  The longest was around 30 minutes.  Only two rides didn’t have the single rider line.  One was Minions, and it was a two hour wait so I passed on that one.  Went on most other rides.  Harry Potter ride 3 times since only had to wait 5-10 minutes each time.   Went to go to the WaterWorld Show, which started in about 2 hours so I stood in line nearby to get some churros and coke.  That line was about and hour and 40 minutes lol, but I had time to kill.  Show was great, but funny to watch because, of course, everything was spoken in Japanese, but literally the same show as in California.  Went on the Jaws Ride to finish the day and walked around in some stores.  Sun was setting, so decided to head back to the hotel and grab a bite to eat on the way.  Tomorrow it is flight back to Tokyo.

 

 

 

 

Tuesday 11/22/2022

 

Got up after 8am and took my time getting ready.  Showered and finished packing. Checkout is at 10am, so I headed out around 9:30am.  Put map code in car GPS for gas station they want me to go to, and I didn’t do it right.  Took me in the wrong direction so ended up going about 10 miles the wrong way.  The GPS is all in Japanese so it is useless.  Finally gave up and used my phone to head towards the airport, and from there, go get something to eat and then get gas.  Have to return the car around 1pm.  Flight is at 2:30pm.  When I was going through security, my backpack was pulled.  Girl called me over and it was my water, which I had just bought in the airport.  She said it was not open, so it was okay.  She asked where I was from and told her Hawaii and she got all excited, saying she wanted to visit there one day.  I gave her my website card, and she said she would check it out and follow me on Instagram.  I told her if she ever made it here, to contact me and I would show her around.  I found the gate, sat down and I was working on my laptop when they called my name.  I went up to the gate counter and they said my suitcase got pulled because I had lithium batteries in it.  The girl walked me back down to the check-in area and I took the batteries out of the camera, which I had packed, and my two spares and put them in my backpack.  All was good.  Walked back through security again, got back to the gate and worked some more on my journal.  Boarded the plane and landed no problem.  Called the car rental place and they told me where to wait outside for the shuttle.  It ended up being about 20-30 minutes before one got there.  A couple of their shuttle vans had arrived but were already full with people they were supposed to pick up.  Finally, a shuttle bus arrived and took me to the rental place outside the airport.  The guy at the counter turned out to be Chinese, but spoke good English.  I left there and headed towards the hotel, stopping at the same Family Mart nearby.  I got another little sandwich, chips and grape soda.  I got to the Hotel, checked in and ate.  Organized my suitcase a little bit and went up to do wash again.  The machine only took coins, so I went into the vending machine room and there was a little machine there, that I though was a change machine.  Turned out it was a VOD Card (video on demand) card for the TV in the room, to be able to watch movies.  I had already put in a 1000 yen bill.  Uugghh.  I went down to the check-in counter to get change for the machine.  I tried to explain to the girl what happened, to try and get my 1000 yen back, but she wasn’t understanding.  Oh well, it was only $7.22 so I just figured I would watch a movie or two.  I started the laundry and put on a movie.  Took a shower and organized my luggage.  After the movie and laundry done, I packed up my suitcase and went to sleep.

 

 

Wednesday 11/23/2022 Flight Home

 

I woke up around 8am and it was raining outside.  I checked out right before 10am and decided I would just return the car and walk around the airport until time to board.  Even with an umbrella, It would just me miserable.  I turned in the car and they drove me to the airport.  I asked one of the girls where Hawaiian Airlines was, and she told me, but also said they won’t start checking in until 5pm.  I had over 4 hours to kill.  There was supposed to be a Subway Sandwich spot at the airport, so I asked at the Information Desk where it was.  She said it was in Terminal 1.  I was in Terminal 3, so I took the free shuttle over to it.  Walked through he different floors of shops and restaurants, and didn’t see it.  Maps, was no help, again, because the whole 3D issue, so I asked a lady in a store and she told me it was in the basement floor B1.  I had visited floors 1 thru 5.  I went down to B1 and still didn’t find it, so I ended up at McDonalds down there.  I ate, walked around the floors some more, and headed back to Terminal 3.  Walked around all the floors and then sat down near the check out counter and watched Netflix while waiting to check-in.  In hind sight, the lady I had first asked where the check-in counter was, told me about the lounge upstairs that I could go to since I was Business Class.  It didn’t really sink in as to what it was.  Check-in started a half hour early, so I checked in and went to the gate.  I watched some more Netflix while waiting; boarding was in a little over two hours.  Boarded the aircraft and my seat was front row aisle on the right side of the plane.  They were not cubicles as before, but spacious anyway.  A Japanese man had the window seat and spoke perfect English.  He introduced himself to me and we got into a long conversation before and after takeoff.  He lives in Hawaii.  His Mother-in law and another relative were in the center seats next to us, and he said his wife was back in row 34, which I think was economy.  I thought that was weird but didn’t ask why.  I tried to sleep on the flight, as the seats to go down flat but just dozed in and out.  They fed us dinner and a light breakfast before landing.  Landed, went through Customs, and got my suitcase.  Grabbed an Uber for Home.

 

Comments & Observations

 

Minimum wage currently in Japan is $7.68 USD.

 

Average Salary currently in Japan is $41,000.00 USD.

 

Didn’t hear anyone playing music from cars.

 

Basically told not to have conversations while on all three Japan Airlines flights.

 

Signs in Taxis and Shuttles saying not to have conversations.

 

Most girls all dress similar and have similar haircuts.

 

People, especially women, very polite.

 

Large portion of males all walking around with black suits and ties.

 

I think people stay so thin here because they walk or ride bicycles everywhere.

 

They seem to love shopping.  Stores everywhere.

 

A lot of people, especially women, on bicycles are as crazy as the moped rides in Indonesia.

They ride fast through the crowds on sidewalks and dart across the road right in front of cars.

I almost hit a couple.

 

Laundry machine at the first hotel was cool.  Washer and dryer in the same machine.  You don’t

take clothes out.  It automatically turns into a dryer.

 

Drinking age is 20. 

 

Age of consent is 13, but currently they are trying to change to 16.  You can still get in trouble if you are more than 5 years older.  The age of 13 is a law over 200 years ago, when people didn’t live quite as long, and it never got changed.

 

They seem to keep stores, restaurants, airport, etc., very clean.

 

Most Freeways had Tolls, anywhere from 270 yen ($1.95) to 2000 yen ($14.45), depending on what freeway and how long you were on it.