Guest article #: How I went to Japan

After some time has passed since my adventure in Japan, I finally got time to write some entries about my experiences in such a great country which I definitely miss since my return.

My journey started in Hamburg where I first drove to Berlin by car and then flew to Moscow by plane. Our connecting flight was actually very close because the first flight was already delayed and we had to go through a second security check before we could board the second plane. Unfortunately this control took quite a long time because the staff in Moscow seemed to have only little enthusiasm at work and almost boredly screened the luggage. To make matters worse my luggage didn’t follow to Tokyo due to the short transfer time… but it was delivered to my hotel the next day. Luckily the hotel is completely equipped so that I did not miss anything except new clothes. The total travel time from my front door to the hotel was over 25 hours. I didn’t get much sleep during this time because the flight including the narrowness in the cabin do not contribute to a relaxed journey.

During the long 10 hour flight from Moscow to Tokio we dedicate ourselves to the culinary delicacies. On both the outward and return flights there were two meals which were quite saturated. However one could not expect too much from the food but it tasted quite good 🙂

Of course entertainment should be important during a long flight. However, the touch screen was broken on the flight and the remote control is rather bad than right to operate. There are also games as well as various movies and music. However those who expected good games will be disappointed. The same goes for the movies and the music which are rather bad than right. But you can at least survive the flight easily. I downloaded and watched films from Netflix and Amazon Prime and therefore time passed quickly. There is also a 3D map where you can interactively see the flight route and a camera from the front of the plane which is switched on during take-off. Unfortunately not during the flight and during the landing. Too bad :/

To start with an unusual topic right after landing in Tokyo: the toilets at the airport are very unusual. At least if you have never seen them before. First of all: there are no old school toilets like they had earlier but a luxury in my eyes that I find funny here. Besides the fact that the toilets are filled with fresh water by default and are emptied after the session there are additional buttons on the side for cleaning, music (a kind of water noise) and a heated seat. It feels like a chair that has already been warmly seated so someone has been sitting on it for a while. This is extremely irritating for me but quite a different experience 😀

After a half hour train journey we almost arrived at our hotel. Anyway it is only a small way from the Ueno Station to our hotel. Just 1,5 kilometres. We could have also taken the subway but we wanted to take advantage of the good weather and the opportunity to get to know our surroundings better.

Arrived at the hotel and finally checked in. So it is time to take a closer look at my hotel room. For two people it was quite tight but overall it was a good fit. Only for sleeping and to freshen up there is enough space. The cleanliness was also given. At least at first sight. Behind the television the dust collected without end and also other corners were less cleaned. But the important things were clean so I didn’t had to worry about lack of hygiene.

At the end of my today’s blog entry I want to show you different banknotes which I photographed for fun. However the money feels more like plain paper and not like our well known Euro banknotes. 1,000 yen is about 8 euros.