CASTLE!!!
Check in went smoothly, and security had the shortest line ever. JAL had these robo-check-in machines, but they weren't saving a lot of labor, cuz as soon as we approached one, a nice employee came over to help us use it.
So THAT's where Tokyo's recycling containers all are!
Once you get beyond security, there's miniature mall to browse while you wait for your flight. When we spotted our pal Anita's two favorite stores—Hermés and Tiffany—right next to each other, we had to get a shot.
There was also a mini-Akhiabara hawking electronic goods, plus the usual assortment of gift-wrapped foodstuffs, most of which we'd never actually encountered in Tokyo.
Wait a minute—how'd this picture get in the camera? Paaaaaatrick!!!
Because eel bones only tide you over so long, we decided to have a second lunch at a café—which took Pasmo/Suica for payment! I merrily depleted the remaining balance on my subway card to buy our lunch.
Then we loaded up on snacks for the plane at a convenience store, including a jumbo box of Patrick's favorite Meiji strawberry candies, which I saved as a surprise.
Our plane
Hooray!
And then we got on the plane! It was an uneventful flight, about 9 hours. The only drag was that the seatback TVs cut out a few times for about 20 minutes. But I still managed to catch “Up in the Air” and the truly awful “Did You Hear About the Morgans?” plus 1/3 of “Kinky Boots.”
The people in the row ahead of us got moved to premium economy cuz their TVs never worked at all, so Patrick got to stretch out and nap in that row. Oh, and the dinner included more delicious egg salad, and Patrick let me have his! (These are the highlights listed in my journal, so you know the trip must've been uneventful.)
When we got into SFO, we staggered to passport control and waited in line to the strains of Disney’s IllumiNations soundtrack, which plays over the US State Dept.’s “Welcome to America” video. The line was only 10 or 15 minutes long, and we just answered some questions about our trip and got passed to baggage. We eventually found all our luggage and then dragged it to the last stop, customs, where they glanced at us and sent us on our way.
Patrick's dad picked us up and whisked us to his parents house, where they fed us split pea soup and sourdough bread that tasted like manna, I tells ya! I think we took about a 2-hour nap, but we were pretty much fully recovered the next day, so jetlag wasn't even an issue.
We gave Môma & P-Daddy their
omiyage, which they LOVED! They were so excited about the fake food we brought them. Patrick was right – it was the highlight of their own trip to Japan, and they couldn’t believe they finally owned some.
I'll post this one again…
Omiyage in action!
Then we dumped out our suitcases in the spare room and separated the
omiyage from our loot.
Our Loot
Uncle Not-Traveling Matt's Birthday Present
Hotel Heist
I can't resist showing you a few shots from Uncle Matt's house, where we went to deliver the birthday goods the next day. It looks like a Disneyana Convention exhibitors' hall!
And that's it! I am so glad we were finally "forced" to go to Tokyo instead of keeping it a far-off, someday dream. I really hope that I've been able to make a trip to Japan seem slightly more accessible to US Disney fans (I just wish I could make it cheaper too!
).
We're hoping to go back in April, so stay tuned…. In the meantime, we're off to Walt Disney World and Disneyland for Halloweentime, and I hope to finally resume
A Very Lurkyloo Christmas: Holiday at Bay Lake Tower of TERROR.