After travelling to Japan seven times over my life, it has lost it's luster. As much as I enjoy travelling, and juxtaposed in the sense that I want to travel to new places, nothing can compare to Japan for me at this moment. I have no interest, yet, in travelling to Europe (I've been in 2007, though it just wasn't for me at that time). I've travelled a bit in North America, in which I cannot appreciate the minute differences that each city has (Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, St. John's, Seattle [though I really enjoyed this trip back in 2023], and Las Vegas) to offer. I also have no interest in visiting South America, Africa or Australia at the moment as well. Within Asia, I've only been to, besides Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Macau and Hong Kong. With all this said, after a lunch time conversation with a friend, we decided to travel to Japan together.
He travelled a few days earlier since I had some plans on the 2nd and 3rd of August (Camping!). With last minute tickets booked, my girlfriend, who managed to swap some schedules, and I were on our way to Narita Airport. We were blessed to be upgraded to premium economy, though sitting in different rows. We got the middle seat in the middle section, with her being one row in front of me. I had no idea how things operated, such as the tray table, storage space, leg rest, etc. Fortunately, the person sitting to my right was able to explain to me how things worked. We sat on the tarmac for two hours (after boarding), since there was a thunderstorm advisory. Service was top notch though, as the flight attendants offered us sparkling wine and snacks. After we got the all clear, we took off. During take off, I was halfway through watching Joker - which I thought was an interesting take of the origins of Batman's arch nemesis (I believe Joker was Batman's arch nemesis). The film was certainly dark and disturbing, which I credit to Joaquin Phoenix for his excellent portrayal of a mentally insane comedian as he became nihilistic with the social structure of Gotham. After finishing the film, I had to watch something a bit light hearted, so I ended up watching Mickey 17. As a side note, I noticed my girlfriend watching Mickey 17 at almost the same time -- it was definitely not planned! The movie wasn't as good as I hoped, after reading the premise, but it was a nice mood lifter after Joker. Of course, I had to shift back gears by starting Parasite (the Korean movie) after finishing Mickey 17. Metaphorically speaking, I can see the title being named after the protagonist's family. Despite not being my type of film, I can appreciate what the director was going for in terms of class divide and the ignorance that the rich has for the poor (as how I interpreted the film). Finally, I had time for a fourth movie: The Intern. I couldn't finish it all since I was getting sleepy near the halfway point the movie.
But enough about the entertainment. The food served in premium economy was indeed better than economy. Like my meal on flights in Asia, we were able to use metal cutlery. Supper consisted of chicken breast, salad and... cheese cake if I remember correctly. Breakfast was a simpler affair of cucumber on top of a... baked rice dish? Either way, the meals were definitely an upgrade.
Due to starting the flight late, we did end up arriving an hour late into Narita. Luckily, by being in the front, we were one of the first to deboard. I believe it was my first time being inside an aircraft for 12 hours, and I can start feeling a bit anxious. With our QR codes ready, it was a straightforward process through immigrations and customs. Unlike 2023, it was just one QR code this time. Heading down to the baggage carousel, I noticed that there weren't any staff with cushions to soften the blow when bags came out. There were people readjusting the luggage to make it easier for passengers to pick up though. Unlike last time, our luggage were part of the first batch, so we quickly grabbed them and headed to the Keisei platform to catch the Sky Access train to Asakusa station. Everything was timed perfectly incidentally, in that we had 3 minutes to catch the train after getting our luggage. That means I wasn't able to get my routine first tea and onigiri. =(
The ride to Asakusa station was relatively chill, though being part of the last batch of passengers, no seats were available. With a ride time of over an hour, it wasn't too bad standing, especially after sitting down for almost 12 hours on a plane! After getting to the hotel, we dropped off our luggage and quickly headed to a seafood restaurant chain (which I first experienced in Nagoya). Time was of the essence since I had to get up at 4 AM the next day. At the seafood restaurant, I got the same chirashi don, which really hit the spot. Something about the fish in Japan that cannot be compared elsewhere (disclaimer: I may/am really biased). Once we got our fill of food, it was back to Rox Onsen to relax for a few hours. I needed a shower and the ability to kick back and relax. After spending some time in the onsen, we opted for the traditional milk drink. To cap off the night, we went to the nearby Don Quixote to make our first purchases on the trip. Unfortunately, this was the only night my girlfriend and I would have together on this trip since I'll be meeting my friend on the 6th, while she has a friend on the way as well.
If I recall correctly, we got back to the hotel by around 11:30 PM. After getting changed, and repacking, it was time to take a "nap" before waking up at around 4 AM the next day. A jampacked first day that helped me get in as much sleep as possible.
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