Oh Tokyo!

Feeling a little bit druggy and definitely hungover, I went to the decrepit Ninoy Aquino International Airport at about 5:30 in the morning. Since it was so early, I expected the airport check-in stuff to be fast and breezy. But no.

So there I was, standing in a long, long line just for the check-in. Then I went to the long line to pay my travel taxes, the slow line for the immigration clearance and the intermittent security checks.

By the time I reached the boarding gates, they were already making the final boarding call and I couldn't stop the funny, queasy feeling happening in my stomach. Alright, it wasn't funny at all. I made suka all the beer, Gran Matador and all that I drank from last night. Lesson learned: If you have a long-haul flight the next day, don't drink.

I hate it that you can't bring water to on board. 'Cause I really needed it. Anyway, I spent most of the 4 and a 1/2 hour trip going to Narita half-asleep - concentrating on regaining my sobriety.

Narita Airport's security couldn't be much tighter. They x-ray your shoes, make you turn on your laptop; they even frisked by hair. But through it all, I felt that my 4 hours in the land of the rising sun (even though I didn't pass immigration) was unreal. On the way down, I noticed that Japan's landscape is very much different from that of the Philippines. For one, it looks more organized. Second, it was filled with pine and pine-looking trees. Very, very nice.

Ang daming Hapon! Para akong nai-stuck sa mundo ng anime kung saan ay lahat ay nagha-hapon. To reward my stomach, I bought myself some hot ramen (Y500) and some tamago sushi. It's the real thing!

Sayonara.

Pictures to be uploaded later. I'm now going to SoCal. Roadtrip!