We boarded our flight to Tokyo, and before take off, the pilot told us it would be a bumpy ride and because of headwinds, our arrival would be delayed. We put our seatbelts on but on this United flight, we also had to strap in with shoulder straps, and they came around to make sure we were all safely secured. The plane started to taxi, and we just kept going, and going, and going, and going. I’m thinking if we don’t find the runway soon, we’re going to have to refuel! Finally, after taxiing for about a half hour, we were 3rd in line for takeoff!
It was a fabulous flight. The food on United was excellent, and they fed us often. (Although, disappointingly, they did not have ramen for a snack. They told me that they used to do that, but since covid, things have changed, but they are hoping to offer it again in the near future.) One of the crew was balancing a glass on his head in the galley for the amusement of his fellow crew members, and when he came to ask me what I’d like for dessert I told him I was impressed with his balancing act. He laughed saying, “Oh, you saw that?” I said, “Yes, very impressive during a bumpy ride!” And then he offered me two desserts! 😂

The headwinds added another hour and 17 minutes to the already 13 plus hour flight, and we arrived to what I will refer to as Haneda Airport Hell. It was bedlam, and we had to go through probably 15 queue lines weaving back and forth the length of the huge room, to finally arrive at customs. We were fingerprinted, had our photos taken, and then we finally picked up our luggage and met our driver. We rode to our hotel with two other ladies who are on the trip and we enjoyed sharing our travel stories with each other along the way.

We met our guide Hiro who hugged us warmly, helped us check in, and then gave a mini briefing. Everyday, he will give us a sheet with the day’s itinerary, the weather for the day, what to bring with us, etc. which will be very helpful. Our room is actually larger than I thought it would be and comes replete with tub, shower, and bidet.

Even though we slept fairly well on the plane, the aftermath of the airport fun really did us in. We asked Hiro for places to eat dinner and he told us Hooters was across the street. Say what now? Allan and I actually went to Hooters whenever we would visit South Carolina when we lived down south. That particular one has the best burgers… but other ones we tried, not so much. We really weren’t very hungry, so we just walked around and since I was still craving ramen, we stopped in one place and asked if they served it. The guy emphatically took umbrage and said “No!!!! This is…!!!!!!! (lost in translation), but he did take us outside and explained where we could get ramen, and so we found a small (very small…sat maybe 12 people) and ordered it. Everything was in Japanese and English on the menu along with pictures, so it was easy to find our choice. The ramen was delicious and very satisfying. We ate with chopsticks and soup spoons , savoring each bite.

We walked back to our hotel, Ginza Grand Hotel, and called it a night.
Tomorrow we have to get up early to be at breakfast before 7am as Hiro said the hotel is filled to capacity. There are two breakfast restaurants in the hotel: one for the Western guests and one for the Japanese guests, and Hiro said the western side fills quickly. No problem for me, because I’m looking forward to having congee with pickled veggies on the Japanese side. I’m in Japan…why would I eat a western breakfast that I can have any day of the week, when I can sample Japanese cuisine?