Arrival at Tokyo

After 6.5 hours of flight from Singapore, I finally arrived at Narita International Airport, Terminal 1. There are several ways to travel from the airport to Hotel Kizankan, the designated place of accommodation for GSP at Todai. From my research prior to the trip, I decided to go with the "Suica & N'EX" package. N'EX is a Narita Express train plying between the airport and major urban areas, such as Tokyo. The train departs at half-hourly intervals, and I reached Tokyo station in a little over an hour's time. The Suica card is a prepaid card for traveling on the various trains, subways and buses in Tokyo. With the Suica card (or alternatively the Pasmo card), I can save the hassle of checking the fares of each trip, and can simply tap in and out at the gates to have the exact fares automatically deducted from the card. The card can be topped up when the amount in it runs low. So armed with this little card, I transferred at Tokyo station with much convenience. My final stop, Hongo-Sanchome station is only a few stops away.

(The Suica & N'EX" package purchasable at the airport is more than 1000 yen cheaper than if you buy the two items separately elsewhere.)

Here are some photos of the scenery along to way to Tokyo. As the train rushes on, the scenery outside the window changes from that of greenery to one dotted with small houses and occasional high-rise buildings. And so, we are reaching one of the largest cities in the world...

Hotel Kizankan is a stone's throw away from Hongo-Sanchome station, and is fairly easy to find. Do not expect too many amenities though. The room is rather small, and consists of just enough space for a bathroom, bed and desk. There is air-conditioning in the room, although I find that opening the window to let in some fresh Tokyo air is pretty chill too.

And so a bunch of GSP participants went out for our first Tokyo meal together in the evening in a small restaurant near the hotel. Unfamiliar with the surroundings, we picked the restaurant at random and it turned out to be a pretty good meal. The real challenge is ordering, since none of us knows Japanese and no English/picture menu is available. Fortunately though, a waitress is Chinese and she saved the day by explaining the items on the menu and recommending the good food to us!