TOBU NARITA

...and here I am, sitting in my hotel room, plugged into the free internet jack and trying to type this entry up before my laptop runs entirely out of juice. Remind me not to waste half the battery playing Yoshi's Island on the plane next time.

For the record, the reason for this entry's title is the name of the hotel in question, the TOBU NARITA HOLIDAY INN. In big letters like that, on the side of the shuttle that came to pick us up. I nearly died of mixed surprise and glee. Talk about feeling welcomed to a country, never mind that it's a big coincidence and all that.

( As for my trip... )

Fun With The Fire Alarm

After deep ruminations on the bus ride from the first overnight hotel in Tokyo to the second one in Kawagoe, performed for lack of anything else to do, I have decided to occasionally try writing lots of little entries about particular incidents, instead of always these big day-spanning ones. This will serve the dual purpose of pandering to my short attention span, and making me seem less random and rambling. You have been warned. Right then, PSA over, time for the entry.

This morning, on leaving my hotel room, I started my day by partaking of the excellent hotel buffet, where I rediscovered my abiding hatred for Japanese "pickled things". They are never identified properly, just piled on a plate, but it doesn't seem to matter anyway, as they all end up in small, generic chunks, dyed unnatural shades of neon. They're easily identifiable as pickled things (yes, that is the literal translation) by the pervasive pickling fumes rising from the plate. Pickled things and I parted on bad terms the last time I sojourned here, and although I tried to be the bigger man and give them another go, they rebuffed my generous attempt at a reconciliation by being virulently yellow and tasting of disposable diaper adhesive. I turned to the excellent salted salmon for comfort, and found it very sympathetic.

Breakfast didn't last forever, though, and I found myself with free time on my hands. ( And that's never good... )