A few loose ends

Andrea reminded me of a couple of things I needed to share.

Remembering that a broken light on our flight over last time yielded a couple hundred dollars of free vouchers, Andrea tried her best to find something comparably wrong on this flight. When her seat didn't fully recline, she called the flight attendant, who instead of demurely offering compensation proceeded to pull the seat apart to fix it! No luck there. She also froze the tv monitor at her seat, but the flight attendant reset the system. Oh well.

Our hotel in Nagano is quite nice. Western style, which is probably a good transition, with clean, comfortable beds and pillows. Internet access (which may be spotty at the ryokans at which we'll be staying). We won't be here long, as we are off this morning for Kanazawa.

I told Andrea that I would not blog about our breakfast, which we had at a non-descript coffee shop at the train station. She said that I should. It is typical in Japan for a coffee shop to offer Western-style breakfast "sets" for a fixed price. Ours included some scrambled eggs (with a dab of ketchup), a small piece of ham (which Andrea refers to as "the requisite slice of pig"), yogurt with some granola-like topping and honey, white toast, coffee and a type of fruit juice the taste of which neither of us could recognize. Not haute cuisine, to be sure, but portion-controlled and perfectly fine - all for 500 yen each (about $6). The coffee was actually quite good. There will be plenty of fish, miso and pickles for breakfast at the ryokans.

We're Here

Our journey began when we got into a cab on Tuesday morning at 5:30 am to head to Logan Airport. It ended 27 hours later when we got off the Shinkansen at Nagano Station and walked to our hotel. The trip involved planes, trains, buses and our own two feet. But we are here.

Our flight path took us far to the north and we were able to confirm that Alaska is indeed close to Russia.

We are tired and so I'll make this quick. A couple of observations. First, when was the last domestic flight you took in which the entire crew of flight attendants bowed in the front of the cabin as the trip began? That is how our flight to Tokyo began. Second, presentation matters. From the person from whom you purchased your train ticket, to the cashier exchanging your currency to the flight attendant bringing you your meal, they present you with what they are giving you in a way that is totally unfamiliar in American culture. Indeed we in the US are fortunate that some surly type unhappy with his or her job doesn't simply grunt and shove something back across the counter. I like the respect that the presentation shows for the act that is being undertaken.

Enough on the cultural observations. More later.

En Route (or the equivalent in Japanese)

First leg of the journey is complete. We left the house at 5:30 this morning (Andrea was not somnambulant) and are now at Dulles Airport. As the plane touched down and while taxiing to the gate, it was all I could do to prevent reaching to turn on my Blackberry (think Peter Sellers' right arm in Dr. Strangelove). But I am on vacation; connectedness can wait. We board our flight to Tokyo in about an hour. More from the other side of the world . . . .

Getting Ready

It would be wonderful if we could just snap our fingers and be packed, the house secured and ready to board our flight. The tension level is at a simmer, but the trend is definitely towards a rolling boil! We just need to get through the next couple of days, get on the plane, and then whatever is will be. But until then . . . .