Arriving at Narita Airport in the evening, we made our way through all of the customs checkpoints, until finally we were able to leave the airport. I was honestly very scared. I didn't know exactly where to get the train that I had researched, and looking at the boards, I couldn't find it anywhere... So, I did my best to ask for advice on how to get to Toyocho Station. I was able to get advice (and, it is strange, I remember him saying it in English, but my husband assures me that he was speaking entirely in Japanese- it is strange what learning a language can do to your brain) and we hopped on an express train to Funabashi. From there, we had to get to Nishi-Funabashi, and then one more train to Toyocho Station. Maybe I should take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about Japanese trains. They are very different to Australian trains. On Australian trains, the whole train is essentially dedicated to seats. Australians really like to be able to sit down on public transport I suppose. On Japanese trains, the seats are just along the sides of the compartment. That leaves plenty of room to fit more standing passengers. The trains in Japan also seemed a little bit cleaner, and I didn't notice any graffiti at all, which is not an uncommon sight on Australian trains. Another thing I noticed was that the seats on the Japanese trains were heated! And, for a couple of Australians who think that 16 degrees Celsius is really cold, those heated seats were a god sent (the highest temperature we experienced in Japan was about 16 degrees...) And, there was a lot more advertising on the Japanese trains than Australian trains. I spent a lot of time on the trips trying to read the adverts for practice, which was interesting. Some of them were very strange. And, there were a lot of mobile phone and soccer ads. Oh, and, the whole train system seemed to run a lot smoother than in Australia (or, Sydney anyway). The stops were clearly outlined, every stop they announced very clearly what stop it was (if you have been on an older Sydney train, then you will know that those announcements are difficult to understand at the best of times), and the maps were concise. Anyway, enough rambling about the trains. Finally arriving at Toyocho Station, the next hurdle was to find the hotel. Turns out that was actually very easy. It was just next to the Station really. We stayed at Sotetsu Fresa Inn (and I would really recommend it- it is a very nice mid range hotel). After checking in, and paying (egad), we decided to go for a little walk around the area, to see what was there, and to find some food! Turns out, we picked a hotel with at least five different cafes within a ten minute walking distance, and lots of restaurants too. And, of course, vending machines!!! It was actually amazing how many vending machines we were able to locate. On the streets, there was compacted ice shoveled to the sides. It doesn't snow in Sydney, and the paths most definitely do not get icy, so this was very interesting to see. I have seen snow before (having gone to America for Christmas when I was five), but Luke never had, so this was new to him. After shopping in a convenience store, called Family Mart (there are so many different convenience stores) for dinner and snacks, we headed back to the hotel, as it was freezing, and we were very jet lagged. We ate our dinner, and pretty much went straight to sleep. The next entry will be all about Sotetsu Fresa Inn in Toyocho! Please continue reading!!! |
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