Third time is the charm?

 

Monday November 11 2024

SeaTac Washington, hotel

There is a saying that the 3rd time is the charm. I hope it is true.

2020 I was looking at booking a trip to Japan, but it was the spring before the Tokyo Olympics and it was going to be crazy with tourists. The one item on my must see list (a red floating Tori Gate) was under refurbishment and would be wrapped in construction scaffolding and Tyvek for the part of time I expected to be there. So I’ll put the 2020 trip off until 2021 and go to Italy instead. That trip ended early because of the pandemic that was starting to creep around the world.

2023, I did make it to Tokyo for 20 hours due to a snow storm in Seattle. Got off a plane, caught a bus to a hotel, slept and got on a plane for Laos.

May 2024. A trip across the ocean from Seattle to Japan, by way of Alaska. The plan was to get off in Tokyo and spend 2 weeks in Japan. Even with the latest vaccine I still caught COVID on the ship. By the time we arrived in Tokyo I was over the symptoms but didn’t have the energy I wanted to continue on. So this time a taxi, hotel, a trip to an amusement park and a bus back to a plane and home.

So, I got Japanese stamps in my passport twice and have seen two hotels and one amusement park for a total of less that 48 hours.

I am now on my official 3rd try to visit the country.

The ship leaves Seoul Korea after one stop at an island in Korea, then the ship stops in 8 or 9 ports on the way to Tokyo, where I am planning on spending a further 11 days exploring.

Over the past year I have spent more hours watching YouTube about Japan than I will probably spend in the country, and I am still intimidated. The writing is funny. No way my brain can convert boxes with X’s in them or K’s over written by a T into sounds. I might not speak Italian or Spanish, but at least I can look at written symbols and come close to making the sound the are supposed to mean.Then there is the transportation system, efficient and even more confusing that their writing. Train stations so big that they are basically actual cities underground.

And let’s not forget the culture. Sumemasen (excuse me is the first word foreigners need to learn) - Excuse me - You want a waiter, sumemasen. You touch someone on the subway, sumemasen. Someone gives to their business care, you don’t just stick it in your pocket. Nooo, to take it with 2 hands like it as a frozen flower petal. Study the front and back carefully. Bow and then put it gently away, preferably in a special business card case. You go to a store and buy a bottle of water. You put the cash on a tray, no handing cash, it has to go on the flipping tray, no matter how inefficient, so they can count out your change back in the same tray. AArrrgghhh !! That is just the first hour in Japan. There are so many don’ts it’s a wonder they get anything done.

This is going to be fun.

Today I finished packing and thanks to a friend, got a ride to the bus for the first leg of my trip. A three hour ride to Seattle’s airport. I have done this so many times I could do it in my sleep.

The bus popped me out at the Delta counter and I got to wondering how much more it would cost to upgrade my flight to business class. The counter person, said that cash and credit transactions can no longer be done at the counter or check-in. Well fiddle. I was told that I could check-in for tomorrow’s flight now and not need to do it in the morning. I could get a bag tag, but couldn’t check it until tomorrow.

I am a pretty savvy traveler, but Eileen decided that I needed help with the automated kiosk and did the entire thing for me, and then put the tags on the luggage and told me I was all set and that I just had to drop off my luggage and it was easier to do that now than it would be in the morning. She made things really easy. Thank you Eileen with Delta.

Next the hotel. I always (unless I don’t) stay at the Raddison at SeaTac. For some reason I couldn’t find it when trying to book it for this trip. I did find a picture of it with a different name. Okay, names change, companies change. I booked it.

Walking to the hotel I see that they still have the Raddison on the building. Now I’m confused. I ask the desk clerk, “Did the hotel change their name to the Coast Gateway?” — No, that is a cross the street and down 2 blocks. Well, shit ! It’s dark, it’s misting, I just walked 2 blocks out of my way across six lanes of 50mph traffic to find out I have to Frogger it back to a different hotel?

The desk clerk tells the shuttle bus driver to show me what direction the hotel is. He grabs my bags and tosses them into the back and says “I have to go pick up so people at the airport, I can take you to the hotel” WHAT !?!?!? Yes, please. Sumemasen ??

I got the ride and a nice story of how the woman at the desk was dealing with a woman who had be car towed from their parking lot “after only 2 hours”, that the staff had noted it’s licensed plate for the previous three days. I guess time really is relative.

Now in the room. It’s fine, not the Raddison, but it is warm, dry and has plumbing. It will do.

That is the first six hours. I guess I’ll see how the rest of the trip goes