When I arrived at the airport, I got confused where the entrance was because when I went to Hong Kong the entrance of NAIA terminal 1 is on the left side and now it’s on the right side. I was actually surprised when I entered the terminal because a lot of improvements have been done in just a few months. Terminal 1 became more spacious and there are enough seats for the waiting passengers in the lounge compared to the crowded, warm terminal 1, seven months ago.
Our flight is scheduled at 9:55 am via Japan Airlines. Its is the best flight I've experienced so far. I had a comfortable flight going to Japan. I must commend the staffs and crew for the service they've provided us, passengers. They were courteous and friendly too. I also liked the food they served us during our flight. They served us Japanese meal with miso soup, tamago egg, soba noodles, fruits and Haagen Dazz ice cream.
We then met the representatives from Japan International Cooperation Center (JICE), organizer of JENESYS 2.0, to guide us briefly. The 111 participants from the Philippines were divided into 4 groups of D, E, F and G because groups A, B and C came from India. I was assigned to be a part of group E. Some of my friends were also assigned in group E so I predicted to have a good time while in Japan. The representatives also distributed our IDs and bag tags.
It was warm inside the airport because the heater is turned on so I was only wearing one layer of shirt. As I was about to go outside the airport, the staff assisting us inside almost freaked out when she saw me going out. I asked my friend what’s the matter she told me that the staff saw me wearing t-shirt only and its really very cold outside. Oh yeah! I almost forgot to wear my coat and cardigan. Haha! We’re finally outside the airport and its freezing cold! There’s smoke coming out of our breath! I had to put on my scarf, gloves and beanie because the winter air is no joke! Oh the joy of experiencing the first winter of our lives, priceless! [Hahaha]
We met Sone-san, our tour guide in the bus. She is also one of the representatives from JICE who will guide us around Japan. We stayed at the Hotel Emion Tokyo Bay in Chiba Prefecture and I will talk more about it in one of my future posts. Group E, by the way, is designated to be in Chiba Prefecture for the rest of our stay in Japan so we don't have to transfer hotels except for the homestay part. When we arrived at the hotel, we just settled in our room and had dinner in a mall (Daiei) nearby.
We only walked going to Daiei from our hotel. Man, its really cold! I checked the temperature on my phone and its 9 degrees outside. It is so far the coldest temperature I have ever experienced. My friends and I were having a good time while walking. I also got to observe what Japan is like which I will again be talking about in my future posts. Anyway, we had a good laugh about our first winter night but the cold as I have said is no joke and we needed heat. Good thing that buildings and establishments in Japan have heater or else we will be freezing. The rest of the night is free after dinner but we have a curfew until 10:00 pm. We also went to Daiso, a ¥100 shop (¥108 including tax) just like what we have in the Philippines. The only difference is that Daiso in Japan is much cheaper compared to Daiso in the Philippines because if we convert ¥108 to peso, it only cost 42 php.
Convenience store is literally everywhere in Japan. I think there are 2 or more convenience stores near our hotel and there is also one (Family Mart) inside Hotel Emion. Our supervisor in group E decided to stop by at 7 11 before heading back at the hotel to buy water and other goods. Unfortunately, when I was about to get water from the refrigerator, it was sold out already. Is water not abundant in Japan or my group mates and supervisors just hoarded them? Haha! So, my friends and I decided to stop by at Family Mart that is outside Hotel Emion to buy water there instead. We then went back to our hotel after.
Day 1 in Japan just passed by like that. I have many realizations while I was observing around and so I decided to divide my posts into parts like place, people, food, education, etc. so I can elaborate more about my experience. This post is not even 1/8 of my Japan experience. I just wanted to share the experiences I had that day. You know, to complete my travel diary. Haha. My next post will be about the Asakusa Shrine in Tokyo.
