St Patty's Day (Monday)

T5B: 1) We got the phone fixed. 2) We were only a half hour early to the hotel so they let us check in. (Originally we were going to be HOURS early.) 3) We got to take a nap. 4) The hotel people are SUPER nice. 5) We scheduled time in the jacuzzi! :)

Morning:
- oh MAN the night bus... let's just say that Jerod and I never, EVER want to see a night bus AGAIN
- we got into Tokyo (at 0630) and dragged the five suitcases, one duffel, and one backpack to the train station
- I asked the guy in the office which station was closer (for the Apple Store), he had no idea, lol, he sent us to Ginza
- off to Ginza we went with all our luggage
- we left the duffel and two suitcases in lockers (we'd have left everything but the lockers were expensive)
- found the Apple store no problem... opens at 10... and it was 0645
- found a Starbucks and decided to wait it out (Jerod and I, both, were super grumpy :/ - not such a pleasant time, but we made it!)
- FINALLY got into the Apple store (TONS of people showed up but we were third in line)
- they take my phone, tell me it will be 4400 yen (about $44) and tell me to come back in two hours
- Jerod and I leave the luggage on the first floor and go to the third floor to watch an ipad presentation on the third floor
- we napped during the presentation (lol), it's ok, a Japanese guy did it too!
- FINALLY got to the phone back

Notes: It was a grumpy and at once eventful and boring morning! -- Jerod was psyched out by the Japanese subway. We talked to an Austrian guy while waiting for our bus last night and I asked Jerod who had initiated the conversation (I was in the bathroom when they started talking). Jerod said he had. I confessed I hadn't started ANY conversations with other Westerners I had seen here. I told him I'd become Japanese that way. I told him, "People don't talk to each other on the bus or the train. They just don't." He sort of nodded and we kept talking. So when we took the trains to Ginza and Minowa he saw what I meant. It freaked him out. He told me the complete silence was unnerving for someone like him who had taken the subway in New York. LOL But hey, the Japanese proved me right!

Afternoon:
- collected our luggage and took our train to the station near our hotel
- took us a bit to find the hotel and my phone died so we had to stop and charge it
- FINALLY got to the hotel
- the hotel people were SUPER nice, they have a free drink bar (coffee and teas)
- we got to our room and I put on some Dragonball and we both passed out

Notes: We slept most of the afternoon away - and we needed it! Oh man the lady upfront and I made friends since I spoke some Japanese to her. She was SUPER nice. :)

Evening:
- I woke up and reminded Jerod we had a dinner with Saz the following night for her birthday and that we should try and find a small gift for her
- I got downstairs WAY before Jerod and had a cup of rosehip tea with honey - SOOO good (I ate the rosehip afterwards as recommended by the new girl at the desk - great recommendation!)
- we tried to find a cake shop or a place to get gifts... ya not our part of town
- we came back and watched some Dragonball until our jacuzzi time
- FINALLY got to use my swimsuit that I brought to Japan!
- the jacuzzi was SUPER hot, but nice

Notes: There were things that I was sad I wasn't able to capture on film as my phone was down, but I'm glad it's up and running again!! Hope your lives are going swimmingly as well. XOXO, A

The road to our hotel (after looking for a gift - earlier my hands were full of suitcases!)

Our hotel (Oh we met a Australian and Scottish couple - and have seen only other foreigners here!)

That's us! Andon Ryokan (Japanese style hotel)

The jacuzzi :)