Let me start by saying, that Tokyo's subway system is nowhere near as clear or efficient as the Seoul subway system. Not only is nothing in English, the platforms, tracks, and train times are very poorly labeled! Maybe it was just user error?? But we were newbies to the Seoul subway system when we arrived and it was MUCH easier to get acclimated.
We arrived at Narita airport on Saturday evening after a short 3 hour flight from Seoul. We made our way down to the train tracks under the airport where we looked for the right train into Tokyo and more importantly, the stop closest to our hotel. We looked at the signs, looked at the reader board that was constantly showing trains that were arriving and departing... and we sat, and sat, and sat.... and then sat some more. We spent a good two hours too afraid to get on a train and go the wrong direction, even after asking a few locals which way we should go. Keep in mind I'm hungry, thirsty, hot, and tired. It's a wonder how my husband puts up with me. This was definitely a bonding experience.
Eventually we decide to just get on a train and hope it's the right one. Ta-da! It was! We then spent the next hour and a half on the subway heading into Tokyo-- not able to sleep because we don't want to miss our stop! When we finally arrive at our station we pull out our phones to navigate our way to the hotel. One heavy suitcase, two heavy backpacks, and a mile later we are in the hotel lobby! Yay!
Check-in was easy and convenient and we immediately headed to our room...There are no words to describe the feeling of my massively large, sinking heart when we reached our room. Standing outside of the door, it was the perfect height... for ME.. Jacob basically had to duck underneath the top of the door to get inside the room.... and that was just the beginning.
We took a look around our room, tested the bed, and I sat down and just started bawling my eyes out. Our room was the size of a prison cell. We had a double bed that was in the corner of the room, literally pushed against two walls, frosted windows, and no space to even lay down our suitcase. The bathroom was the size of an airplane lavatory and the shower could barely fit one person. It was literally my worst nightmare. After gaining a very small amount of composure, I texted my mom begging for help. It was somewhere around 9pm Tokyo time and 4am Washington time. THANK GOD SHE WAS AWAKE. Instead of laughing at me (which I'm sure she did after the fact), she hopped online to look for a more... civil, and suitable accommodation for us. We were in luck! She booked the remainder of our stay at the Tokyo Marriott in a different part of town! We were to set to check in the next day.
One hour and a long cleansing shower later, we were off to get a very late dinner. I was almost starving by this point, I know, I know, not healthy for baby! We stopped at one of the first few places that was open and looked decent. I ended up ordering cold curry noodles, and Jacob didn't eat anything. I finished eating pretty quickly so we could head back for some sleep! Jacob took his American Express to pay, and you guessed it! The restaurant had a cash only policy! Wonderful! Here we were in the middle of Tokyo at 10:30 at night stuck in a restaurant with absolutely no cash. Luckily, Jacob brought his wallet that had his debit card so we could find an ATM. We ran across the street and apparently the ATM rejected his credit and debit cards. Now we were really stuck. After 45 mins of both of us trading off and running around the streets trying to find an ATM that worked, I finally went back to the first place and tried his debit card again. IT WORKED! My dear husband was using the WRONG PIN NUMBER. It was nearing 11:30 or midnight by the time we paid and returned to our hotel room. We climbed into bed and I went into the (you would think the best night of sleep ever) WORST night of sleep I would never wish on anyone. I got a few hours in luckily, and I figured our vacation couldn't get much worse than it already was. Here's to a better nine days ahead!
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| Post-breakdown. Notice our suit case in the "corner". |
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| Wasn't exaggerating! Our airplane lavatory sized bathroom. |
