It definitely seems like my blog has been converted into a travel blog instead of my previous content. Instead of making false promises of blogging more often, let's get started reminiscing about my summer break. It has been a long time coming, despite flying to Las Vegas and Ottawa last year. (Vancouver this January... though I don't think I've blogged about my experiences.) Planes aren't my favorite mode of transportation, but I've been itching to go somewhere that was not considered North America. The last time I've been overseas was in 2019, just before the pandemic.
Long story short, my girlfriend and I started planning a trip to Asia ever since March. I should clarify that I've been blessed that my girlfriend took the main role in planning 99% of the trip (I had one section, but I'll elaborate when I reach that day). It was probably the first time I traveled, not including my childhood, where I didn't play an active role in planning and booking activities/sights. Also, this trip would be my longest trip outside of Calgary, with it eclipsing even the Epic 2015 Japan trip. With much of the planning done middle of June, I just had to finish the last couple weeks of school.
Essentially one week after the end of school, it was time to leave Calgary. My dad gave us a ride to the airport; it was a relatively warm day with a lot of sun. We had two checked-in bags, which were quickly dropped off at the WestJet side of the terminal. Getting through security took a while, for it seemed like everyone was traveling that Sunday. After getting through though, we still had a solid... 90 minutes if my memory served me correctly. We stopped at the Starbucks in the international terminal to grab some food and kill time by watching the fourth Harry Potter movie. About halfway through the movie, we decided to head towards the gate early.
Boarding was smooth and I believe we took off on time. The direct flight from YYC to NRT was nearly full. My girlfriend and I were sitting in aisle seats, across from one another. I was sitting beside a middle-aged couple who had their two children sitting in front of them. She on the other hand was sitting beside some young adults. As always, I find it extremely difficult to fall asleep on the plane so I ended up watching a couple of movies on the flight. (I believe she was able to catch some sleep!) To my excitement, I found a Galileo (a Japanese drama that I think I wrote a review way back) movie titled Silent Parade. I always enjoyed watching Yukawa sensei and Utsumi working to solve cases. After that, I finally got the chance to watch John Wick 4; a fitting end to a great series (assuming that's the last time we see Keanu Reeves in that role). Besides the movie, the food served by WestJet was fine, though not as good as Air Canada from what I remembered.
Near the end of the flight, I found myself conversing with the middle-aged couple beside me, who were asking me for advice on Japan since it was their first time traveling to the country. It was great imparting what knowledge I had about the country which I visited quite often. Once the plane landed, we exchanged farewells before my girlfriend and I got our luggage and proceeded to enter the airport.
Immigration was a smooth process since my girlfriend and I got our QR code ahead of time. Grabbing our luggage took a while, but I'm not sure if I haven't noticed it before, but there were staff members ensuring that the luggage on the carousel was all facing the same way (handle towards the bottom to make it easier to grab) and cushioned some of the luggage as they fell from the conveyor belt. Talk about Omentenashi!
At that time, we left through customs and activated our Suica cards via Apple Pay. I was a bit anxious since I didn't know what to expect due to always using a physical IC card in the past. Setting up was a breeze though and it was off to the Keisei line! Before boarding the train, I got my traditional onigiri - ume plum (though from a vending machine instead of a konbini) and green tea. In the past with my brother and friends, we always took the Narita Express (NEX), but this time, my girlfriend suggested we take the Keisei line to Tokyo. It was a fraction of the cost of the NEX, though no specific spot for luggage. Fortunately, it didn't seem too busy on the train as we made our way to Tokyo initially. It did become busier, but not as bad as I've seen the trains before in Japan.
Instead of a hotel near or in Shinjuku, we were in Asakusa. Unlike Shinjuku, it was not teeming with tourists, which made it a pleasant walk to our hotel (APA Asakusa Kuramae - so many APA hotels in Asakusa). After checking in and dropping off our luggage, we ventured out to get dinner. Like I mentioned before, the streets were relatively quiet, reminding me of downtown Calgary that's away from 8th Ave or 17th. We stopped by Ichiran to grab a meal. The last time I went was in 2017 in... Shinjuku if I recall correctly. Perhaps it was in the Ichiran restaurant I went to last time, but this one had tables for groups. I always thought Ichiran had private solo booths! After a delicious tonkotsu ramen, we headed to walk around Sensoji temple, which was bustling with tourists still despite many of the shops being closed. Walk around, we found a Taito. Unfortunately, we didn't have much luck with the crane games so we left to continue walking around the temple. We got a 500 yen candied strawberry stick, which was quite good. As an apparent complement to Japanese sweets, it was not too sweet. A Don Quijote was nearby, so we stopped there to purchase sunscreen and other goods before calling it a night.
All in all, a great start to the trip!
Tried the long exposure feature with the live shot taken on my phone. Don't mind the blurriness! That's the Skytree in the background.
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