I just came back from my first international trip. My Japan trip lasted just nearly ten days from June 20 to June 30 and was primarily based in Tokyo. Needless to say, it was an experience, both from a solo international trip but also as a handicap taking his first step outside his comfort zone. Here are my thoughts.
First, let me start with the entire immigration experience. I was anxious, mostly from reading the horror stories of people losing their luggage en route. And for me, the main luggage included my walker, without which I would face a lot of problems in going about my daily chores. Thankfully, I got my walker and my luggage without any problems.
The immigration experience was smooth, with no hurdles or any problems faced by me. They did not even ask where I was staying or anything of the sort. All they asked was which city I was going to. It seemed utterly pointless to be honest, but then again, it is what it is. It seemed pointless because obviously, I’ve spent a decent amount of money getting the visa, the tickets, and everything in order.
Things to do in Japan after landing
I’d done my fair bit of research and so I was somewhat prepared for my first few hours in Japan. Right after immigration, I went to get a Passmo Card. Passmo (or Suica) cards are Transit cards that work on the extensive Japanese metro system. What’s better, these cards work on several other restaurants, almost all vending machines, and a few coffee shops as well.
The next course of action was obviously to get a sim card. I had already decided I am going to take a sim card. Pocket Wifis are just another thing to carry and for me, I don’t want to carry a lot of stuff when I am traveling.
My goal while planning the trip was to minimize how much effort I had to make. Reduce the friction and hopefully, the trip would be a success. One thing I did realize during this trip was that I tend to sweat a lot when I am anxious. Which is why I was sweating like a pig on the first couple of days despite the weather being a pleasant zone.
Check with your hotel
My Hotel, Nihonbashi Saibo, had a baggage drop facility which was extremely useful. I reached the hotel much earlier than I had anticipated, at around 7.30 am. They did allow me to keep the luggage in their lobby, but they insisted that I adhere to the check-in time. Usually, this is not a big problem but I am handicapped and this was already the longest I’d worn my prosthetic in a long time.
I ended up going to Chiba to meet a friend, and we spent the entire day together. I reached back home really late at night (I don’t know why I lost track of time). And I was hungry. Thankfully, I was ready to try out new ramen places, and the first one I tried - was amazing. It cost 1000 yen, which was approximately Rs. 600. Slightly more than the average dinner meal, but I was all for trying it out.
While the ingredients themselves weren’t a big surprise, it was the broth that really did it for me. The broth was fantastic, rich and creamy.
Went home, and crashed. 30 hours of wearing the prosthetic and it was just the start of my Japan trip.
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