Customs and Immigration was really fast and easy. Provide fingerprints (both index fingers) and a photograph. I guess they want to be able to track you down and expel you if you overstay your welcome.
I expected the Customs guy to go through our luggage. We had nothing to declare, so he looked at our passports, and waived us through. Easy.
The, we went outside to the public area and got our NE'X tickets. We decided to pay a bit extra and take the Narita Express train, as it had a fairly direct route to Shinjuku station with no transfers. Other options (cheaper) would have required a transfer from the train at another station, and then getting onto a local train or subway. We would be doing this at rush hour, and it was recommended that travellers with luggage should not do that. The trains are already crowded, and it would not be pleasant experience. And, you generally piss off the locals.
The train ride was quick and efficient. Took approx 90 minutes on a comfortable train with great seats. Since Narita airport is approx. 50 miles away from Tokyo, the countryside started out being rather rural. As we got closer to Tokyo, the landscape changed to suburbia, then to the urban sprawl. A lot of the housing reminded me of London suburbs - closely packed flats that went vertical, and no significant yard or distance between the houses (mostly, no distance in between).
At Shinjuku station, we were met by Art, our amateur radio friend who suggested this trip to us. He helped us get out of Shinjuku station (a maze like structure combined with a bunch of shopping centers), and made our way to a subway line that would take us approx 10 block to our hotel. We purhcased our Suica transportation cards (used to "tap in, tap out" of the transit systems), and made our way. Fortunately, this train wasn't full, like the rush hour trains are supposed to be.
About two blocks from the train station was our hotel, the APA Shinjuku Gyoen-mae. This hotel is a budget hotel, mainly for business travellers who just want a place to crash. It's very nice looking from the front - and very vertical, much like a lot of the buildings in Tokyo.
Check in was easy. Three clerks at the counter, and the one we got spoke some english. He took our passports, issued a receipt, and gave us our room keys - standard credit card sized pieces of plastic with a chip inside. It accessed the elevator and room.
Our room was, as expected, small. Typical for Tokyo hotels, unless you spend big bucks on the "western" branded hotels with large rooms and large prices.
The bed filled up most of the room, and did not have any room around it for movement. Not so covenient for the person sleeping next to the wall if they have to get up in the middle of the night. But it was very clean, had it's own bathroom, and the price (for Tokyo area lodging) was good. We just need a crash pad, and this place was convenient to both transit and attractions.
By this time, the local time was around 6:30 pm - but our Seattle clock was after midnight. So, Art took us around the neighborhood. He showed us the way back to the train station if we wanted to walk there, some of his favored (cheap) eateries, some of the massive stores, and the Kabukicho red light district. I already knew about Kabukicho, with it's sex industry and strip clubs. He did warn us that certain gangs would try to get us to go into a club or establishment. He was right. As we walked down one of the streets we were approached by a rather agressive man, wanting us to go with him. We just kept walking, and he eventually stopped attempting to get us interested.
By this time, I was getting pretty tired. But, we still needed some dinner, so Art chose some random ramen/noodle place. Donna and I shared a noodle dish - soda (buckweat) noodle and broth, with other veggies and spices. It was pretty good, and not too expensive (a couple hundred yen, or a few dollars). This was a place with limited seating and the expectation that you eat and go. They also expected you to clean up your own area after eating. Cleaing rags were provided. But there was no paper towles in the restroom to dry your hands after washing them.
So, we trudged on until around 9pm, and figured we could now go to sleep. We agreed that tomorrow would be a sleep in day, and we would just get started whenever we got up.
Day one down.....
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