Breakfast in the Granbell

Note the spelling correction....sorry hoteru-san! I won't bore you with a photo of coffee and toast but I will show the unique fish mobile outside the breakfast room door! Okay, email done, off to wander!

Okay, it is tacky to rave about Japanese plumbing. I know. But this shower is too nice! To save space the shower uses the whole room, which is not new, but the water comes straight down, not fanned out, so one is not always scarmbling to make sure the water is contained in the area. Very artistic, too, I think!

My Street

Last photo for tonight before I fall over (I only slept about an hour on the 13-hour flight): down the hill from the hotel. Now to sleep and to wake up ridiculously early... you know how THAT works! Signing off from Day One in Tokyo... Dad

Eerie hotel hall

The hall decor in the Grandbell is sort of Modern Vampire... dark and creepy with glowing red lights.... interesting effect.

The Iconic Photo

What can one say about THIS view? Must be the single most popular picture to take in Tokyo. The crowds were pretty excited, it being a Saturday night, and on the big screen (washed out here, my photo skills are not great) was Franz Ferdinand. Beats Green L at least!

Welcome to the Grandbell!

A cheap but stylish boutique hotel wedged into an odd corner near Shibuya Station. Must be five coffeeshops in about one block from here, and as many hair styling salons. I may be the oldest person in the ward. Room is not as tiny as I feared, and has very nifty decor, check out those drapes! That is a balcony out there, technically, if I can vault over the window sill to get to it. And I can open the window, which means I can keep the room cool, always a challenge in Tokyo. It is in the 40s or maybe 50 outside, so I am a happy camper. Japan rental phone was waiting for me at the front desk, I am ready to go!

Narita Express

Now, I know from Nik that Japan is not entirely gleaming and spotless, but I think all the spare cleaning staff in Tokyo was working on the Narita Express platform today, which was ridiculously polished. After a brief wait it is off to Shibuya and the Grandbell Hotel.

Arrival!

How do you know you are in Japan? VENDING MACHINES! A photo of my first encounter. I bought a bottle of Biz which I think is a vitamin tonic, so I could stay awake until a reasonable hour.

On the Way

After rousing GM Automotive's Chief Logistics Officer (Ida Mercer), it was off on a 5 AM drive to Hopkins, in wind and rain. Then a quick uneventful flight to that Gateway to Dreams, Newark! What can one say about this, the 64th largest city in the USA, famed as the home of Joe Pesci (whose personality kind of sums up the place), that has not already been said? Well, how about the fact that 5 of Newark's last 7 mayors were indicted on criminal charges? Now we know why so much of The Sopranos series was filmed here! Anyway, off to the Presidents' Club (where Mercer offspring consumed so many mini-bagels over the years) and then Gate 111 to Narita. And thanks to CLO Ida for the Dawn Patrol service!

Getting Ready to Go

Okay, what do we need?

Passport? Check.
Cash? Check.
Boarding Pass? Check.
Camera? Check.

Ghibli Museum ticket? YES! Check!