Flaming dinner

I was excited about this trip!  This was the first real trip out of Hong Kong (which wasn't just a quick trip back home to visit family).  Early one morning, I headed out to the airport, dashed through immigration and before long I was on the plane.  The process of getting through the airport in Hong Kong is incredibly efficient and there were almost no delays at any stage.  Sitting on the plane and looking out, it felt like I was finally achieving some of the goals I had set myself.

I arrived at Narita airport and made my way into the city.  Sitting on the long bus ride into the city, I pressed my face up to the glass of the windows and gawked at the growing skyline.  I switched over to the subway and eventually found myself at the capsule hotel I was staying at for the night.  I didn't stay long as I was hungry.  I dropped off my things and headed straight for a restaurant which had been recommended to me by a friend.  I walked in not expecting too much, but found myself confronted by an incredible open grill.  The specialties of the restaurant were all cooked on an open hay fed fire which gave all the food a smokey "hay" flavour.

This was Japan and all the stories about the meticulous nature of their culture was stuff of legend.  Yet clearly it was not without truth.  The plates that were brought out to me were all plated with care and thought.  There was no haphazard or rushed job involved and everything was beautiful to look at.

Feeling satisfied, but tired, I went back to the hotel.  It was a capsule hotel, a type of accommodation I had wanted to try for a long time.  The halls inside were silent, even though it seemed like the hotel was relatively full.  Each of the rooms were filled with bags and shoes, but no noise.  Occasionally there was a cough or a shuffle, but that was it.  Being inside the capsule itself was a strange feeling.  It was bigger than I expected, but rather than being the cosy affair I had expected I was instead surprised by how echoey it was.  Every shuffle, every movement I made, I could hear the sound magnified.  Even my breathing sounded louder.

I slept well through the night, tired from the trip, but looking forward to exploring this new country.