Tiger beer and a Japanese Angel

Our journey to the East began with seeing a flight deal on secretflying.com for a $397 round trip ticket to Tokyo from LAX through Singapore airlines. I must briefly reference this, because it was the best service I have ever experienced in an airline. Even though we were in standard seating, we received hot towels, free adult beverages and delicious meals. The airline staff were smiling and gracious and went above and beyond to please everyone. They walked the plane every hour with water and juice to keep everyone hydrated, and once when I got up to use the restroom, they offered me a shiny red apple when I came out. When I politely declined for myself and told them I would take it for my friend Lynzie, they also offered me some Tiger beer and peanuts. Who could say no to that? So, they poured us both beers and followed me back to my seat and served them to us. If that is the level of experience we received in coach, what in the world could they possibly be doing up in the first- and business class sections?

As we arrived in Narita, we decided to take the trains into the city to save a little money. If you are traveling the length of Japan, it would be worth it to by a Japan Rail pass, but since we aren't traveling much beyond the city, the Pasmo pass was the way to go. You can purchase the pass from the airport or the train stations, and it makes it so you can tap on tap off instead of buying a ticket each time. This is a must because I am telling you: it's busier and faster than New York City subways. You literally have to just thrust your body out into space with a trajectory that you've not experienced before or else drown in the sea of people. After three train transfers and a 12 hour flight, we were running on empty and had no phone service to contact our Airbnb hostess who was planning on picking us up from the station. Luckily, a person Lynzie dubbed our "Japanese Angel" noticed we were floundering and saved us from sinking. Our new friend Masashi noticed that we looked lost, so he asked us on the train if he could help us. He lived in New York when he was little, so he could speak to us and we quickly became pals. He got off the train with us so he could help us find our Airbnb. He mapped it out on his phone, lent us his pocket wifi, and called the hostess of our Airbnb to make sure we were all settled before he left us. I was so happy that I brought out some of my jewelry from my Native American friends so that I could give him a gift of a Navajo turquoise pendant. I feel like when people go above and beyond to notice others in need, they deserve to be rewarded for their kindness.

After all of that travel, we got to our tatami room and melted into our beds as limp as jellyfish. And now that we have had a restful nights sleep, let the wild rumpus begin!