Japan Blog 1

Upon our arrival to the Narita Airport, I was pretty ecstatic to see where this new experience with some of my closest friends will head. So far the day has been nothing but stress, fatigue, and confusion. We hadn't slept all night attempting to counter the effects of jet lag/time zone change/10 hour flight with sleep deprivation. We all owe Chung a big favor as he drove us all to the airport in the morning. My first taxi ride Japan disposed of all the stress and fatigue replacing them with new-found excitement.as we drove to the Ryoken which is a little hard for me to describe. It's like...a formal hotel for travelers to stay in to experience authentic traditions and culture. Our beds were nothing but layers of firm pillows and mats atop of a unique Japanese style flooring. We plan to spend a night here after exploring the area for some food. The narrow streets hardly allow room for 2 cars to be side by side. What we know as a “sidewalk” is non-existing here in the city of Narita. The air is brisk and makes for perfect weather to sip hot tea—not my favorite weather. I'm not use to walking or taking public transportation because I am indeed a lazy American spoiled with a car and sufficient money for gas. Despite all the negatives, it wasn't too bad compared to what annoyed me most of all. I hated how life was dead here at night. The streets were eerily empty with almost zero sign of life. We ended up eating at a pretty good ramen place and buying beer for kings cup and random drinking games to cap the night.