Japan - 24hrs in transit

You know you never really realize JUST how long 16hrs is until you do it non-stop on a plane. I've been through it before, true, going to Bali but you just never quite remember it. I do have to say though, being 60lbs lighter on a plane does have its advantages. No more being wedged between armrests and being unable to cross legs. Its pretty sweet in that respect. So getting here wasn't all that bad. I managed to fill my time with: Revolutionary road (made me want to slit my wrists with the complementary plastic utensils that came with my lunch, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Hotel for Dogs (WHY is Don Cheadle in this shitty shitty movie?), and something else that's so awesome I cant even remember the name of it - that's how awesomely awesome. Thank god for personal TV's on flights.

And the weirdest shit. Before we could get off the plane - we were asked to pull down the blinds while a medical team came on board to take our temperatures and declare us swine flu free. We were each given surgical masks and this guy came around with a thermal camera (no individual probing necessary).

So, after a 1.5 hr stopover at Narita Airport we boarded our second plane to Osaka where I was served a cold green tea that smelt faintly of urine or fish...or both. Now I'm a lover of green tea in all its forms but I basically took a sip and gave a blank stare to the attendant who was all like: arigato gozimas! And I was all like: I SAID GREEN TEA BITCH NOT FISH PEE! But it was actually all just said in my head and not actually out loud. At how many hours of not sleeping do you start to hallucinate? hmm.


AAAnyway. Now, we had it all preplanned that after we arrived at Osaka Kansai airport we simply find the JR rail route and take one train into Kyoto station. Easy Peasy. Yea, easy peasy IF you have the right destination to start out with. Turns out that we weren't actually at Kansai airport but Osaka International...which is basically on the other side of the city. So, all that preplanning was washed straight down the drain and we had to race to find an info booth before the last train left. This lead Ben to a woman who proceeded to pull out map after map after map...probably about 6 while she kept pointing to places on it and had Ben shaking his head in general confusion. All she really had to do was say: take a left, go down the escalator and get on the bus!

We ended up on this airport limo bus that would take us right into Kyoto station, and we get on and the guy in front of me takes the very last seat so Ben and I are like, okay looks like we have to stand. A minute later the same Japanese man is pulling at my sleeve and pulls down a seat that folds out from a chair and seats you in the aisle. It was so weird! And I think its a fire hazard. But at least I got to sit (not enough of that on the plane!) and had this older Japanese businessman snoring into my ear. Good times.

We finally arrive at our hotel - now before I talk about my hotel let me just say that Ben and I put very little emphasis into accommodations...and I think this just about proves it. Two single beds, a small balcony, an even smaller bathroom. So small in fact that I couldn't get a proper picture of it! But whatever. If anything it is distinctly Japanese, that's for sure!

Okay off to bed while Ben watches Batman Begins in Japanese. Is it possible that Bale sounds even MORE angry in Japanese!? YES!