So, I'm A Little Slow

...when it comes to computers---among other things. This whole time I've been in Japan, I thought I couldn't blog because the homepage for Blogspot was in Japanese...I was worried that my blog would either be in Japanese or I wouldn't be able to figure out how to maneuver through the pages to actually, well, BLOG. But here I am, over half way through our trip and I have successfully figured it out!

So, have you seen "European Vacation"? If I thought the camping, Maui, and Big Island excursions were trying on my patience and skills as a married mother of one...WOW! Traveling abroad is stressful! I am super excited and feel very lucky to have gotten this wonderful opportunity...but...the road to hell is paved with good intentions...what's the road to Japan paved with?

The Flight:

It was over eight hours long. That in itself was enough to drive me insane. I think it's been over ten years since I've been on a plane over five hours. And it seemed to me that the seats were slightly smaller than usual? Or maybe I am slightly bigger than usual...extremely possible! The service on JAL was impeccable though. Flying internationally is the way to go...it seemed like first class...but we were definitely coach. Thank goodness for the kind flight attendants on our flight...cramped, tired, dealing with a "just getting over a cold" six year old, and stressed about what was in store for me once we landed had me pretty out of sorts.

The Arrival:

Two movies, two naps, two meals, and two bathroom breaks later, we finally landed at the Narita airport. One plane ride down. One more to go. We had to pick up our baggage and re-check it and make it to our next gate. Sounds easy enough. Not when you don't speak the language and can't read the signs! Signs are THE MOST IMPORTANT thing at an airport. Domestic airports freak me out and cause my palms to sweat...you can imagine what a shambles I was oversees. Sweating bullets despite the fiercely cold weather, we made it to the final destination gate...with time to spare. Phew. At this point Gabe and I are exhausted, hungry, and confused. What time is it? Where are we? Where can I lay down? Gabe laid down on the row of chairs directly in front of the check in counter. This was fine until several people became irritated because the seats appeared empty...until they came around the corner only to find an extremely large child sprawled out...and snoring! It was time for us to board the plane to Sapporo. Gabe would not wake up! For several minutes I was pushing and patting and whispering his name. Nothing. Finally, I had to lift him up and carry him! No wonder my back went out yesterday...

The Hotel:

Originally we were supposed to stay at the Hotel Nikko Chitose. I had looked it up online and was pleasantly surprised at how nice and American sized the rooms were (we are a big family even though there's just three of us). I was looking forward to putting our bags down, kicking off our shoes, and falling into bed. No. Isom met us at baggage claim and informed us that the original hotel was "a dump". Oh! He had taken the liberty of switching hotels...fingers crossed. We arrived at the ANA Crowne Plaza Chitose Hotel. It looks just like Embassy Suits...in Tacoma or anywhere else in Washington state. Hmm. The rest of the first evening is a jet lagged blur...

Day One:

4 a.m. Why are we awake? Our inner clocks were scrambled. Two more hours until Isom would be waking up to get ready for breakfast and then work. What to do in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere in a foreign country? Let's watch t.v.! This was a very entertaining way to immerse ourselves into our new surroundings. By the time we went down for breakfast I was excited and ready for the challenges of the day---deciphering menus, decoding the Yen, trying new foods, discovering new worlds. Downstairs we went and into the main dining area...only to be greeted with---an American breakfast buffet! What?! So, we ate toast, waffles, scrambled eggs, orange juice, coffee, fruit. Nothing remotely unique. Maybe tomorrow would be different...

We took this first day to explore the town of Chitose. Not much to explore. We were the only ones walking around. We took a left out of our hotel and walked several miles in that direction. We took a right out of our hotel and walked several miles in that direction. We headed straight down the road from our hotel for several miles. At least we got some good walking in. Gabe was a trooper. If you have ever traveled to Washington state, then you have traveled to Chitose. Kind of. Isom and I joked that it is exactly the same (as the U.S.) but different. If you make it here, you'll know what we mean. Other than the language difference, driving on the opposite side of the road, and everyone being Japanese (we have been getting some double takes as we walk down the road...family of giants)---things are the same as the U.S. There's a mall, a McDonald's, a high school, people bustling to work...I think I thought things would be worlds apart from what we know at home. There are definite cultural differences (politeness abounds here) and practices the U.S. should adopt---an air of quiet and calm to name one (the peopleofwalmart website would be hard pressed to find anything trashy, rude, loud, or obnoxious here).

I'm having difficulties (shocking) uploading my photos. I will figure it out eventually...maybe by the end of the trip. So, we're off to ride the JR Railway (super cool commuter train) to check out Chitose's version of an Outlet mall. We've done our morning walk, had our American buffet breakfast, and completed Gabe's homework assignments for today.

Stay tuned. More misadventures later...