An Afternoon Layover in Tokyo
At exactly 9:25 am on April 21, 2014, I left Manila for Tokyo for my return flight back to San Francisco. The flight left promptly and five hours later I arrived in Tokyo's Narita Airport. Although I had traveled through Narita many, many times, I couldn't help but be impressed by their huge and high tech airport.
This particular trip back to the US was different from all flights I had ever taken. I had a ten hour layover and I had to transfer airports. This time, I had to go through Japanese immigration and customs in Narita and then check in again at Haneda Airport for my final return flight home. It seemed quite taxing at first. I soon realized though that it wasn't that difficult since one could take a limousine service from Narita to Haneda right away for a mere 3,000 Yen. Of all the cities I have visited around the world, Tokyo is one place I know quite well. Since I had a lot of time at my disposal, I went to Tokyo City Air Terminal or TCAT, left my suitcases in a locker there, then traveled on the Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line to go shopping in Shibuya. The last time I was in Tokyo was four years ago and I had totally forgotten what peak time in Tokyo was like. It was my ninth time in Tokyo and I should have been accostumed to the throngs of people that descended on the train and subway stations. But no. It was overwhelming. Nevertheless, I made it just fine. I simply had to muster all the guts I could muster and traveled the Japanese metro on my own. I had done it on my own in Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka by myself before and I knew I could do it again. I was so out of practice traveling out and about in Tokyo.
A drizzly afternoon in Shibuya
I must have spent a good 45 minutes going around Shibuya looking for one of my favorite Japanese clothing stores, The Suit Company. It was only when I asked for help from a sales associate in Aoyama, another Japanese chain for Japanese Yuppies and Professionals did I finally find it.
A visit to Tokyo is never complete for me without a stop at The Suit Company. A lot of my clothes I use up to now come from this wonderful retailer. Unlike previous visits, I did not get to purchase anything. I planned on going to their branch in Shinjuku too but I ran of time.
Given that I had very limited time left before I had to take the 8:15 limousine service from TCAT to Haneda, I looked for a place to eat. I saw LOTTE earlier on and thought of getting an EBI Burger there. I love this shrimp burger and it is another must for me whenever I am in Japan. Luckily, the McDonald's next to the Suit Company served it too and so I just had dinner in the golden arches. Gee, the restaurant was full, not with tourists but with Japanese teenagers and young office workers. I had to sit at the bar. The good thing about it was I faced the window overlooking the streets of Shibuya. How I wished Marc was there with me to enjoy the experience.
My Ebi burger meal at McDonald's
I couldn't be happier. It was either this or Yoshinoya. Since I had been eating rice the whole week in Manila, I knew what I wanted anything but rice. Besides, I always eat an EBI burger, at least once when I'm in Tokyo.
The limousine travel time from TCAT to Haneda took a good 40 minutes. There wasn't much traffic but the trip took longer since the limo ride had to travel to the different Haneda terminals. My JAL flight flew out of its international terminal and it was the very last stop. Check in took just a few minutes. I originally had an inside seat. I asked if there was a chance to get an aisle seat and I was first told there wasn't any available. Good thing the lady checking me in was so kind and considerate, she checked with a colleague about any aisle seats available and was told there was one left. Boy was I relieved.
