After my balikbayan trip to Manila, it was time to bid farewell and board the flight to the next destination on my Asia Solo adventure. This is my first visit to Japan where I’m also meeting my sister, nieces, and nephew who are flying in from the USA.
For this itinerary, I’ll be joining my sister, nieces, and nephew in Tokyo as we travel together to Osaka, Nara, and Kyoto. Then, I fly out of Narita airport for the last city on my itinerary – Singapore.
My flight from Manila departed 10:50 a.m. with a lay-over in Hong Kong and arrived in Narita at 8:25 p.m. Thankfully, the timing worked out precisely for me to clear customs and pick up my Japan Railway (JR) pass and then also buy my ticket for the Narita Express train for Shinjuku leaving at 9:47 p.m. and arriving at 11:15 p.m. at Shinjuku station.
My nieces found me amidst a very large train station and we walked about 12-mins. to the Airbnb my nephew found and booked for us. After a 12-hour travel day it was nice to be with family and finally rest and go to bed.
Day 1 – I decided to sleep in a little bit and join the family for lunch. But it was raining and this didn’t motivate me to try and find my way around the neighborhood. So I just rested and waited for the family to come back so that I can walk around and explore the neighborhood with them. Unfortunately, it rained the whole day and I didn’t get to see much of the Shinjuku. When we went up to Shibuya Sky it was limited visibility.
Day 2 – We thought of going to Mt. Fuji for 1/2 day. But it didn’t work out logistically for us to do this. We also weren’t sure if it would be another rainy day. So, we agreed to take our time to check out of the Airbnb and get to Shinjuku station leisurely. Instead of starting the day very early to allow enough time to store our luggage at the station and then travel to and from Mt. Fuji, then be back at the station in time to catch the 12:40 train for Osaka.
Day 9 – I travel back to Tokyo alone. (Osaka, Nara, and Kyoto posts to follow) It was another sunny day to enjoy the countryside and enjoy Mt. Fuji once again. This is when my Tokyo solo adventure begins! I’ll need to find my way back to Narita and then see if I can navigate between Narita and Tokyo on my last day in Japan.
During my 1st graduate course in Information Systems, I read a case study on how IT was leveraged to modernize 7-Eleven stores in Japan. I must say these convenience stores are like no other! I loved them! They were clean, well kept, and well stocked with a great variety of food and drinks for breakfast, lunch, dinner, as well as desserts and snacks that were fresh, healthy, and delicious!
While standing in line for the Narita Airport information window, I was studying the Japan train map to prepare for the challenge of finding my way to Tokyo Skytree from Narita. Of course, I still got lost but I found Tokyo Skytree and it was a nice day for viewing Tokyo on my last full day in Japan.
I was back in Narita just in time to freshen up and meet Miki for dinner. It was great to reconnect and catch up after decades since we were both graduate students in Boston attending Park Street Church.
Traveling with Joy 