Airport Adventure: Japan, Here I Come!

I made a decision to book a non-buget (read: Not Cebupacific) airline for my trip to Japan. I was quite hesitant to book at non-refundable fare from a budget airline because of the Japan visa. The budget airlines have the nicer airport. The not so budget-airlines have the old NAIA Terminal 1.

Time to fly out of NAIA Terminal 1 again.

NAIA Terminal 1 Lobby

This was my longest encounter with an IO:

Immigration Officer: Mam, kayo lang po magtatravel?

Me: Yes

Immigration Officer: Wala po kayong kasama?

Me: Wala (isang tanong, isang sagot mode)

Immigration Officer: Bakit po di nyo kasama friends nyo?

Me: Kasi ako lang may budget at time

IO: Ok mam. *stamps passport*

Minsan, kelangan ng yabang factor. Korek? Okey. Hokey.

My excited and grumbling tummy was sated by a dose of Bo’s Coffee (Php 165) and an overpriced Puttanesca serving (Php 140).

NAIA Terminal restrooms are not that bad. Not world-class, but clean and decent enough.

NAIA Terminal 1 Restroom

I amused myself with the in-flight entertainment. Since I made a conscious decision to book CX instead of a budget airline, susulitin ko to! I didn’t get enough sleep on the HKG-NRT flight because of this.

I was pleasantly surprised may OPM sa Infortainment.

The plane finally landed in Narita Airport. I was groggy and had low energy. Seeing these bamboo-ed wall fixing thingie, I whipped out my camera. Mababaw lang ang dahilan ng adrenaline ko.

Had to ride this unmanned train to reach the airport proper.

Coolness

No immigration questions on this end. The IO just stamped my passport.

I am in the land of my teenage dreams. *insert music background*

My tasks: Exchange my JPR and find maps.

I didn’t find the nice big and colored maps that I wanted (those type that scream “I am a tourist!”) so I had to use my own maps that I printed. It was just around 06:30 am so the JPR counter that was open was the one on the basement level.

There was a manageable line on the JPR exchange counter. I filled out the form and they gave me the real Japan Railpass. 

My name, passport and the covered dates were reflected here. I plan to use this from Day 4 to Day 10.

 

Japan Rail Pass

Now time to navigate the railways of Tokyo. I chose a dormitory hostel in the Asakusa station. This is requires taking the Keisei Line. I was still cheapskate at this stage so I chose the train will LOTS of stops vs. taking the Limited Express. The difference is just around ¥ 200. 

Wrong decision. I should've chosen the direct express train. There were a lot of stops and I had to change lines. It took me around 1 hour and 30 minutes to reach Asakusa Station.

Don't be daunted with the the Kanji and Japanese characters. Just take note of the Alphanumeric combination of your station, and you'll be fine. 

I was able to get a comfy seat because the train's first stop is the airport. The train gets filled up with kids and workers as it nears Tokyo.

Hello land of my teenage dreams. 

Finally, I reached my destination.

Khaosan Tokyo Kabuki. My home for 4 nights.