Kon-ban wa, minna-san! I’m writing to you from the future! It’s a quarter to eleven pm on Thursday, way past this gaijin’s bedtime. I’m going to watch the rest of Downtown‘s show and share the experience with my internet pals, and then see if I can make one of those little bubble things come out of my nose when I sleep.
You can really tell when the client pays for my travel; business class rocks. On top of all the leg room, they warm the nuts for you. And serve them in a glass cup. The rest of the food was pretty good, too. It can’t change the fact that you’re stuck on a plane for 10 hours, but it helps.
This time, I’m with coworkers who know their way around Tokyo somewhat. It’s better than going alone in all the practical ways, but it’s kind of a disappointment, too — the last time I came to Japan, everything was so completely foreign it added to the excitement of it all. The city is still cool, but the sense of its being completely overwhelming is part of the appeal. I’ll get to do some more exploring for a couple of days after my work is over, and I’ll be reporting back to all of you, my loyal internet hordes.
PS: Here’s a handy travel tip: check the forecast for your destination city before you buy clothes. When I went to Japan last time, it was in December and I remember freezing my ass off the entire time. So I got a lot of warm stuff, then got here and found out it’s going to be in the high 70s all week. Stupid gaijin.