And the Great Adventure Begins!

Bricole, everyone's favorite celebrity couple, are on a great journey around the world. It didn't start out that way. We were trying to arrange some kind of India/Sri Lanka/Maldives trip, but it was too expensive and the flights were . . . complicated to say the least. It's not easy going to the complete opposite side of the world. Flying east or west made little difference. Having previously had good luck on Delta going from LAX to Tokyo in business class, we decided to try that route again on our way to India. Initially we had intended to just stay in Tokyo for one night as an extended layover, but then the airline gave me an extra day off prior to my vacation days, so I suggested we make it two nights. Then I was able to pawn off one of my standups (quick overnight flights) to another pilot and the loads on Friday weren't looking good, and just like that, we decided to make it three nights in Tokyo.

The seating arrangement was a bit unique. It was a 777 and despite having seats next to each other, Nicole and I couldn't really see each other since the seats were arranged diagonally away from each other. But it could certainly be worse. In fact, I feel a bit guilty on how lucky we are to even be doing this trip. We are going to Japan for the second time in just over six months for an extended layover. Upon landing, this foreign land was oddly familiar to us. Nicole had eyes like a hawk when spotting our stop on the metro map.

We arrived at our Tokyu Stay Hotel in the Shimbashi district. The Tokyu Stay chain is intended primarily for business travelers who require a sort of home away from home (albeit a really small home). The Shimbashi neighborhood we are staying in this time is significantly different from Shinjuku. When we walked outside to get food, the sidewalks were packed, and we counted two people out of 1,000 that weren't Japanese. We bought some dinner at 7-11 and ate it back in our tiny room.

We are on the top floor of the hotel, so we have a nice view of the intersection and train tracks below. It's nice being in a new part of the city. We feel more immersed than before when we stayed in a more touristy area. I even used one of five Japanese words that I know when I had to get the attention of a businessman in front of me who accidentally dropped his glasses onto the escalator. "Sumimasen!" I was helpful. Who knows what we'll do tomorrow. I look forward to just taking it easy, despite the hustle and bustle going on below us.