Lost in Translation

Arriving at Shinjuku

Can I recommend Aeroflot to fly with? Probably not, though Krysia will say definitely not. Little leg room, inattentive, sometimes plainly rude staff, but all in all it got us to Tokyo. Our luggage got here with us, and we even managed to trade in our Exchange Orders for our Japan Rail passes (find out about it before going to Japan: saves money and time).

What can you say about Tokyo? It's not my virgin experience, so probably Krysia's account will be fresher. It's big, it's loud, it's fast moving. It's a can of condensed polite little people, mixed with a barrage of neons and lights and general weirdness. Love it! It's wet season, so it's unbearably humid at the moment. A wall of water hanging in the air and as soon as you step outside in clean clothes, they are soaked through with sweat. How do the Japanese manage that?'

Living the high life

Checked into the hotel without a hitch. Let the time for pampering begin. This is definitely the highlight (we're starting by hitting the stratosphere) of our stays: Park Hyatt Hotel Tokyo Shinjuku. The hotel so prominently featured in our favorite movie "Lost in Translation". A 5* hotel in the center of the business district that normally runs close to a $800 per night, booked with my promotional nights (hotel points and miles) I'd accumulated over the years exactly for this purpose. And of course they came on a big way with a room upgrade (to a Junior Suite), a bottle of champagne, some sweets (all mine: Krysia hates salty sweets) and a bouquet for the bride. Bill Murray would have been proud. Two hours later we were still in the hotel unable to leave with me having to pull my best KGB manipulation methods to get us going. But more about the first day next time.

Peace out! Time to sleep.