After arrival, I had to go through the immigration procedure. Each employee was sitting in white surgical mask. I had already read about it before, but to see it live was even more interesting. They took my fingerprints, took a photo of me (in flower frame ), I had to sign that I am not carrying prohibited items ( an’t even remember what things were written there ), write how much money I have with me, where I stay and for how long. In Japan without a visa you can be 90 days, and so I wrote 90 days. Soon after I went to the toilet …
Japanese toilets have a lot of buttons, most of which are used for running water which should wash you . You can set the speed, temperature .. It is heated and you can even turn the music imitating flushing the water ! Then I went to the subway, where I bought a Suica card . It can be easily recharged . I paid for it 2000 yen , and it was enough for me to arrive from Narita Airport to the center, change trains and for a bus. I think the scent that will remind me of Japan will be smell of clean because it smells like cleaning products everywhere – but in a totally pleasent way.
On the Minami-Senju Station Toshi was waiting for me. Japanese who lives in England. He came to Tokyo on a business trip. He took me to my hotel. Asakusa Hotel Fukudaya. It was the cheapest hotel in Tokyo for three nights in a private room I paid ¥ 8190 (it’s 255 zł and 60 euro) . In my room there was a tatami floors and traditional Japanese futon mattress and a TV ( for watching Japanese game shows ! ) . I had a bathrobe and slippers ( to enter the room you need to go without shoes ) .
Toshi took me to a restaurant that looked very traditionally. Before entering we had to take off shoes and put them in the cupboard. The menu was in Japanese, but I was with the Japanese, who explained everything to me . We ordered a bowl of various things ( I called it this way ). There was a rice, octopus , tuna , salmon, roe and egg . We were given green tea in a thermos , miso soup , mushrooms and salad. As I was sitting there, and all around me I heard Japanese, there were even Japanese in kimonos .. I felt very strange. I felt like in a dream. I thought it was not true , and that is a very realistic dream. Perhaps this was due to the fact that I was awake from about 30 hours .. Toshi laughed at me, but I really thought I was dreaming . I’m not going to write how good was what I ate , I wanted to cry. My dream came true.
We went to the temple of Senso- ji . There were a lot of booths with food , toys and many different things. I tried there a sweet sake. We paid 100 yen for fortune-telling . It was necessary to shake the metal box full of sticks with the number. The number that you draw indicates a drawer and there is an omen inside. If it is bad – you need to tie it at the temple , asking that this would not happen , and if it is good you can take it. I had a good one- that the situation in which I am located now is clear as the moon 😉 Toshi also helped me find an adapter to japanese plug, we walked around the different stores – so I could take a look at what’s on the shelves in the stores. And at the end of the day he came with me to the hotel to show me the way and went, the next day he had a flight to London. I am very grateful , thanks to him I was not alone on the first day in the big Tokyo and spent a nice day!
Polacos de Polonia 