The first time I went to Europe, a trip to visit Abby as she was on a study-abroad program in the UK, I was overwhelmed. I was a student at the School of Visual Arts, a graphic design major. Every sign, every ad, every bottle of fabric softener was new and exciting to me. I remember flying over on the plane from New York and being nervous and excited about what I'd find. England's not that odd to an American, and it's a good gentle exposure to Europe. But still, who knew what I'd find.
That's a feeling that I also had on my first trip to France, which was nerve racking because while I speak French I'm not nearly fluent, and I remember being really excited at the possibility of making funny mistakes, which is what makes travel so fun. (In one such instance I asked the hotel keeper which star our room was on, instead of which floor. Then came trips to Italy and Germany, both with the instantaneous fear and happiness that come from being somewhere unexpected.
Now I've been to Europe a lot, and I'm very comfortable there. Even in places where I don't speak the language, I'm pretty good at getting around and I pick up enough polite language to get around and to order food. (I won't ever starve, at least.) Trips to Europe are still exciting, but they're sort of missing that whole "oh shit, I might not be able to find my hotel room" vibe.
So here, in Tokyo I'm less comfortable, which is making me very happy. After a very short-feeling flight (Ambien—able to take hours off your trans-Atlantic flights) I'm in a hotel in Tokyo, where I have some time to kill before getting a massage. I sort of feel like I should be out exploring, but I'm also feeling like I should pass out. That's the option I'm probably going to go for.
The Le Meridian hotel is stunning and it overlooks Tokyo Bay. My gigantic room (by either Japanese or European standards) has two beds, luxurious bath, and a TV that is currently providing me a Japanese soap opera of some kind where a angry father just locked his daughter into some sort of store front, locking her in for the night in a display of parenting that would be considered child abuse in the states.
For some reason the girl awoke with a fever and is now being rushed to a hospital by a helicopter belonging to the Japanese Coast Guard. I'm not entirely sure why someone who wakes up with a fever needs to be airlifted to a hospital, perhaps disease is more rare here than in the US, but these people sure are rushing the girl to the hospital. Personally I think that she's suffering from "malaise" which is pretty common for teens in the US, but I guess that's a condition here. This "so sick she needs to be airlifted" girl is now fighting with her mom about something. If you can stand up in a helicopter and yell, you probably don't need a doctor.
Oh wait, instead of going to the hospital, they're now drinking soda and fighting on a pier. Yes, this makes sense.
Anyhow, that's the sort of oddness that I love about travel. The silly TV shows, the utterly fascinating commercial (one was for a place where you can hold baby lions) and the toilet in the bathroom that has more buttons that my iPhone. Awesome.
A nap, a massage, a walkabout and some dinner, I think.
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