It was an early and sad morning for me and Fabian we woke up at 6 am and took the train back to the airport. Where we then just waited for our flight. We arrived around 8:30 am and got to the self-baggage check. Fabian almost went through TSA with all his luggage but remembered we had to drop it off in another line.
After that issue was resolved we sat and waited. The flight was long but I did get a few hours of sleep in. Not much to personally say other than the in-flight meal was good. We landed back in the States where Fabian’s parents picked us up and it felt so weird coming back and having the public transport system not working at all there was even an older Japanese man comparing it to Japan and how lucky they are to have it there. I miss the place already and will be back hopefully soon.
As part of our trip, we have been tasked with hatching “Dots” (small creatures from Niantic’s new app Peridot) and letting them travel with us while we are in Japan. We were supposed to hatch our first Dots today, BUT I may have cheated and spawned mine early. So I thought I would take this opportunity to introduce the two Dots that I already have since they’ll be traveling with me for this leg of the trip.
My first Dot was named North, a spacey little guy whose personality went from a total teenage rebel to a court jester (fitting, given his horns). He’s also wearing a party hat because it was given out by the app for free for new users (which is also part of the reason I got the app early, as I was worried the promotion would end before we got to hatch our first Dot by the school’s schedule. He will always hold a sentimental place in my heart, and I’m really happy that I was able to hatch him right when I got to Tokyo and let him grow up beside me as I learned more about the new culture I found myself in.
My second Dot, creatively named North Jr., was the first offspring of North and my personal favorite of the two (shhhh, our little secret). I’m a sucker for black and blue combos, and I’m really happy that he kept the jester horns although his personality is that he’s a crooner. I didn’t know what that was until two minutes ago, but it seems like he’s a sentimental little fella who likes to sing.
I may shell out $3 so that I can hatch a new Dot tomorrow to continue to care for, but I am so exhausted that I can barely keep my eyes open and I don’t think tomorrow will be much better. While it was against the wishes of our professors, I am happy that I was able to start early and get a feel for the game before being thrown into the deep end. I think the concept is really cute and it has a lot of potential.
I am excited to share my journey traveling to Japan over the next two weeks.
I will be documenting my experiences here for both this page and personal reflection. Joining me on this adventure is my good friend Fabian Sanchez.
Our trip began in North Jersey at around 9:30 am, and we arrived at the airport at approximately 11:30 am.
After obtaining our boarding passes, we eagerly waited for our departure. As someone who enjoys flying, I found the trip quite comfortable.
The in-flight meals were excellent, and I managed to get a few hours of decent sleep.
At around 5 pm JST, we landed at Haneda airport, where we were greeted by a breathtaking view of Mount Fuji. Our first task was to acquire our rail passes. However, we underestimated the time it would take, and it ended up taking us two hours.
Eventually, we made it to the monorail that took us to our desired station. Unfortunately, we initially boarded the JS train in the wrong direction but quickly corrected ourselves and eventually arrived at Shinagawa.
It was around 9 pm when we reached our hotel, where we enjoyed a lovely view and rested for the night.
The following morning, we woke up at around 5 am and set out in search of our first meal in Japan. As many places were still closed, we opted for a visit to 7/11. After having our breakfast, we took the opportunity to explore the Shinagawa area, which had numerous picturesque locations worth capturing.
Later in the day, after a brief break at our hotel, Fabian and I met up with Meagan and Belle, who were also traveling with us. Together, we visited the Pokemon cafe in Nihonbashi, which turned out to be a delightful and delicious experience. And am honored and thankful to be invited, a childhood dream being lived out.
Our next stop was Asakusa, where the Sanja Matsuri festival was taking place. The atmosphere was bustling with people, enticing food stalls, and a wide array of items to purchase. We made our way to the temple and eventually headed back to the hotel.
In the evening, we reunited with the rest of our travel group for a group dinner, during which we shared our experiences and discussed the events of the day. Afterwards, we returned to our respective rooms, where I am currently staying.
More updates on our journey through Japan are to come!
