A Day of Travel

After much preparation, the day had finally come. It was the day seven Warrior Girls and their director were traveling overseas to inspire others and share their style of dance on the other side of the world, Japan.

At 9:30am, everyone met at SFO airport to check in at United Airlines for a trip of a lifetime. Because of the new weight rule of checked in luggage, we had to be smart with what and how we packed. Lucky for Tina, we were allowed two free bags to check in.

Our flight was delayed a little, but all it did was make each of us more anxious for the trip. On a Boeing 747, we were fortunate enough to all be sitting next to each other. We knew it would make the plane ride go by so much faster.

Something you will learn further along this trip; we never run out of things to talk about.

After a grueling 10 hours and 50 minutes filled with two meals, four movies and numerous amounts of conversation, we finally touched ground in Narita, Japan. But, our time in the plane wasn't over. Because of the H1N1 2009 influenza, Japan was taking extra precautions for every passenger entering the country. Each traveller was required to fill out a health form and go through their quarantine inspection. As health inspectors reviewed each passenger’s form, another inspector was walking through the isles with a handheld machine I had never seen before. This machine was actually a contraption used to measure each person’s temperature. It was my first time encountering such innovative technology!

Finally, after another half hour sitting in the plane, each of us passed the quarantine inspection and were given all a small gift. It was something very high in demand and in a few countries they were even sold out! But, lucky for us, we each got one for free. The infamous face masks!

But our day of travel was still not over! After unloading from the 747, picking up our luggage from the baggage claim and reuniting with Yoshimi (our Japanese Warrior Girl intern who opened the door to this amazing opportunity), an hour and a half bus ride to our hotel in Tokyo still awaited.

Because I was with a group of my closest friends, it was hard to believe we were over 5,000 miles away from home. With the amount of fun we have with each other, it still felt like home. But, as I looked out the window of the bus, the street signs written in Japanese, the smaller-sized cars, the fields of grass and trees off the highway, and then the tall, but narrow, buildings as we got closer to the city, really opened my eyes. we really were in Japan!

The Tokyo Dome Hotel is 43 stories tall, making it one of the tallest buildings in all of Japan. There are 10 restaurants, a child care facility, internet ready rooms, A/C, easy subway access, and everything else you need within a three block radius. More importantly, it is the hotel from the movie, “Lost in Translation,” so a few of the bars and hallways will look familiar to movie fans.

When we arrived at the hotel, we were greeted by Yoshi Okamoto. Mr. Okamoto is the BJ League representative who not only helped create the proposal for this trip, but also a great friend of WG Director, Susan Hovey.

“Rooms 3505 - 3509."

It was wonderful that all of us were in rooms next to each other. I was very excited and foresaw a dorm-like experience.

Each member of our group took the elevator to the 35th floor and entered each room with much anxiety. One of my favorite things to do is compare Hotel experiences and this was one to add to the list. The very first thing I noticed when we entered the room was how low everything was too the ground! Then beds were barely up to my knees! Yet, I was sure this 5’2” figure would fit just right.

The best part of the room when when we pulled the curtains open to see the view.

“Hello, Tokyo!”

With no time to settle, we were informed there was a meeting with the BJ League (Japan’s professional basketball league) on our schedule and we needed to quickly get refreshed and head over to its location. It was a short walk to the restaurant where we were seated in a private room fill with all the important people we would need to know throughout this experience. It was considerate of them to make it a short meeting after a long day of travel and concluded with an offer to feed us dinner. It was time for some authentic Japanese Cuisine.

Because Jen was feeling a little under the weather, we all agreed to find a place that served delicious Ramen; a common Japanese noodle soup. Yoshi was able to find the perfect place but it wasn’t a Japanese restaurant. Supposedly, we were eating at a Chinese restaurant, but the soups were unlike any Chinese noodle soups I had ever had in The States. It must have been a Japanese-influenced Chinese cuisine. Just like how I think Panda Express is American-influence Chinese cuisine. No matter what, we were eating good food, with great friends, in Tokyo, Japan.

After we finished our meal, It was 11:00pm (7:00am US-time) and we were ready to call it a night. It felt like one of the longest days of my life (being awake for 22 hours). Who would’ve thought the small knee-high bed would look so enticing.

“Good night, Tokyo.”