Tokyo Layover

I had a lot of anxiety the night before the trip. I physically was shaking and dropping things. I took my normal bipolar pills and then a klonopin and a propanolol. Later before bed I did an at home Mindbloom ketamine session and that lulled me to sleep and I woke up feeling confident.

I got to O’hare at 7:30am for a 10:20am flight because I had issues using the JAL app and I couldn’t pull up my ticket or see if I had TSA pre check. I got it sorted out at the bag drop off/check in counter (it’s because of the layover/continuing on internationally) and went through pre check and was able to enjoy about two hours in the American Airlines flagship lounge. It was really nice and self serve for food and alcohol. It had a nice selection of both American and Japanese breakfast items.

I flew Japan Airlines business class with lie flat seats. It was so worth it. I Stayed up til 3am on the 25th, woke up at 6am, fell asleep on the plane from 1pm til 8:30pm (Chicago time) so I’d beat jet lag. Before sleeping I had a Bloody Mary and lunch and freaked out for a few because I didn’t realize Japan airlines also took USA chargers and my adapter wasn’t working. But I paid 18 dollars for WiFi and Brett talked me through it. I Took Motrin pm and melatonin and a Olly stress relief pill to sleep. Below in the collage photo, the hearts are appetizer and then list of ramen shops recommended by the stewardesses, bottom right was lunch, I slept through dinner if there was one, and then the ramen on the top left was a snack before landing. Business class seat came with slippers, toiletry bag, headphones, blanket, pillow, privacy screen. I used weighted eye mask and my ketamine therapy playlist for sleep was glad for my fleece because I was cold (although I’m sure I could have asked for another blanket, I was just too drowsy to sit up and call someone over). 13 hours+ flew by in this seating set up and with being tired. Last two hours of the trip I listened to my audible book Somewhere Beyond The Sea by TJ Klune.

About an hour and a half before landing we had to put our seats and window shades up, and the privacy screens down. At Japan airport arrivals you go through a quarantine area where you fill out a questionnaire on temperature and health and then a bunch of questions about if you are bringing anything into the country. Use jal.web and answer the questions there and get the QR code for fastest moving through the line. You get fingerprinted and passport scanned and moved on to customs. Show QR code at customs desk and get a stamp or sticker in your passport. I Told them I was just staying for a layover and they were fine with that. I Went through a secondary screening area before leaving where I showed everything again and explained why I only had a backpack and purse. There is optional luggage storage in the airport and I wish I had done that for my backpack because it was heavy. Exit down one floor to trains or taxis. I stopped at the restroom and the Japanese are brilliant because the sound of running water plays while you are seated on the throne to go to the bathroom. I chose a taxi because with limited time on the layover and a heavy bag I didn’t want to get lost using the trains.

The weather was sunny and in the 50’s F when I left the airport. I wore a tank top, sweater, and fleece, and I went back and forth between chilly and warm depending on how much walking I was doing with my heavy pack. It Took about an hour and 25 minutes at 4pm to get to Asakusa and see the Senso Ji temple due to traffic. In Japan they drive on the left and you walk or stand on the left, let people pass you on the right. My taxi driver spoke enough English for us to get by, but I had downloaded Japanese on the Apple translate app ahead of time in case I needed it. Say “Cardo” to ask if they take card. I didn’t learn much Japanese besides hello, Konichiwa, excuse me, Sumimasen, and thank you, Arigato.

I took out 10,000 yen at the airport atm, about 63.50 because I only planned to be out and about for around 6 hours. I used card for all taxis. I used the cash at a small souvenir store, getting a small wallet, a magnet, and a pair of earrings. I actually got the earrings because I forgot additional earring backs for my ear piercings and I lost one and was worried the hole would close up over the next two and a half weeks. I got the wallet because I realized while practical my water fly front carrying bag is, I still wanted a wallet for it. I booked a ticket ahead of time to Tokyo Tower on trip advisor and that was convenient that I just had to show a bar code when I arrived there.

At the Senso Ji temple I learned to never face you back to Buddha statues or take selfies with them. I also learned there is a place to purify your hands before entering the temple. To get to the temple you see one of the huge gates at the front or sides, and you walk through a bustling outdoor market to get there.

I walked all over the temple grounds and looked at food and souvenir stalls. Everywhere around were drink vending machines. I had read that if you buy something to eat or drink you don’t walk around and consume it, you stay close to where you purchased it. It is also hard to find trash cans so plan to carry a bag with you for trash if the shop you purchase from can’t take it back from you. I was disappointed because I really wanted to find a vending machine with novelties but all I could find were drink ones. They did have public restrooms on the temple grounds which was nice.

Next I went into the Asakusa shopping mall, and pictures were not allowed there. If you go underground you’ll hit the train stations and if you go up you’ll find clothing, food, house wares, and book shops. My cousin AnnaRose told me to go to the higher floors to find the more affordable things. I needed to pick up socks and a bra and I did that on level 6. From there I grabbed a taxi and went to Tokyo tower. I used my trip advisor QR code and the line at 6pm was very short, I was on the first elevator up. Tokyo at night is breath taking.

There are two floors to choose from, and I explored both. I grabbed a soda and a water at the cafe, where they also served food, desserts, and mini wines. After the tower I walked to a 7eleven and got some of the grape gummies pictured below. My cousin actually sent me this picture, I forgot to take one of the packaging before I ate them. They are spectacular and taste like real grapes.

After the convenience store it was only 7:30 and I wasn’t hungry, my internal clock was off and I felt more dehydrated than anything. I could have found a whiskey bar but most didn’t open until 8pm at the earliest and I didn’t particularly want to drink whiskey before an overnight flight to Bangkok. I chose to come back to the airport. I was tired, achey, and sweaty. I already had my ticket so I breezed through security (again a two step process) and found terminal 3. I was designated allowed to go in to the Sakura lounge because I’m in business class. I didn’t see showers but I found a changing room and I changed my tank top and febreezed all my clothes. I forgot deodorant in my carry on, (but go figure had sunscreen) so I made due by cleaning up as best I could and brushing my teeth. I grabbed a coke and a water and chose a place in the large lounge where I could put my feet up. I’m utilizing the slippers from my first flight as I write. Once again the food fare and drinks are self serve and Japanese in origin. I won’t know until a later post if I am happy with what I kept in my carry on bag (besides the obvious things like phone cables, a power brick, converter, sleep meds, fleece). Once I’ve been through Bangkok airport tomorrow morning and determine if I need sunglasses and lighter clothes and so forth I’ll update a post on what was useful and what wasn’t.

I could have stayed out in Tokyo until 9:30pm if I stayed in the location of the Tokyo tower, about a 25 minute drive to Haneda. Instead I ended up back here at 8pm. I’ll have another layover on my return from south East Asia and see if I venture out again. I could have planned better or been more adventurous, but for now I navigated one of the biggest cities in the world on my own for a few hours and didn’t have a panic attack. That is a win.