Tokyo, October 29-30 2026 — Arrival Day
“The walls actually move! And the ceiling itself is moveable!”
That was my very first line as the (not particularly nice) Lieutenant Pinkerton in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.
I was in eighth grade.
Yes, eighth grade.
(I’ll wait while you catch up to the implications of that statement . . . )
Back then, our school had a rather extraordinary tradition: each year, the 8th grade was required to perform one of the San Francisco Opera’s current productions, in English, and then we would go see the actual dress rehearsal. This was before OperaText, when audiences had to figure out what was going on without helpful translations floating above the stage.
I remember remarkably little of my performance, other than that opening line and my first little solo — a toast:
“America forever! The Stars and Stripes Forever!”
And, wouldn’t you know it, I can still hum the tune. In fact, I’ve been humming it while writing this.
That experience began a lifelong fascination with opera — and with Japan.
And now, mumble mumble years later, here I am.
Japan. At last.
Getting There, in Considerable Comfort
The United Polaris lie-flat seats were terrific. They passed out slippers (which we could keep) and pajamas (which we could not), but I had brought my own.
Chad and I had carefully assembled what we called my “threshold kit,” tucked into the bottom of my puffer travel bag, containing everything necessary to transform myself from Reasonably Presentable International Traveler into Woman Who Intends to Sleep.
Among other things, this included my lovely gray Quince pajamas and silk eye mask.
I have to admit, lounging around in my own rather elegant pajamas while everyone else was wearing the airline’s S-M-L-but-really-quite-boxy light-blue versions felt just a tiny bit bougie. 😉
Dinner was good, although it included a beet salad.
Now, I KNOW about beets. I KNOW about white shirts. I even put my napkin ON TOP OF my chest, rather than in my lap.
And yet.
One tiny drop of beet juice.
One white shirt.
Of course.
Fortunately, we’re staying in Tokyo for a while, so off to the laundry it goes. ARGH!
Before settling in, I gave the purser a little box of individually wrapped Ghirardelli chocolates, with the Golden Gate Bridge on the front, as a thank-you for taking care of us on the flight.
She was VERY delighted.
I love these little boxes. They’re attractive, distinctly San Franciscan, and made of nice cardboard rather than metal, which makes them both a little less expensive than you’d expect and, to my mind, easier to recycle.
A small gesture, but a happy one.
I also watched a very good documentary about cryptocurrency, Everyone Is Lying to You for Money, by actor Ben McKenzie. We’d discussed his book at book club in connection with one of our earlier reads, so I was particularly interested. Definitely worth watching.
Then into the pajamas I went.
I actually started writing this while still on the plane. It was 6:45 p.m. California time, and we were scheduled to arrive around 3:00 p.m. Japan time — roughly midnight back home. (Easiest way to figure the time difference: Take California time, change a.m. to p.m., then add 3. So, if it’s 6 p.m. in Cali, 6 p.m. -> 6 a.m. + 3 = 9 a.m. in Tokyo. To go the other way, swap a.m. for p.m., then subtract 3. So, in our case, arriving at 3 p.m. meant 3 p.m. -> 3 a.m. – 3 hours . . . Midnight Cali time. Until Daylight Savings Time of course . . . Which is this Sunday 😉 )
I had awakened with that Madama Butterfly toast running through my head and decided I had better write it down before another nap erased it.
Funny, the things that come back to you after fifty-something years.
Tokyo! And a Very Long Taxi Nap
We landed, collected our luggage, and headed into Tokyo.
The airport transfer takes about an hour and a half, which sounds like a long time after an international flight.
I wouldn’t know.
I fell into a deep, apparently snoring sleep for most of it.
Very efficient sightseeing, really. Close your eyes at the airport, open them in Tokyo.
Our hotel is the b asakusa.
The room is a bit odd, especially when you consider that it’s intended for two people. There’s not a great deal of floor space, but there ARE lots of ledges and shelf-like surfaces instead of conventional tables.
Actually, that’s pretty clever. You can put things down without furniture taking up precious room.
Japanese spatial efficiency, lesson number one.
Unfortunately, unpacking brought a rather less pleasant discovery.
H’s camera — which I had carefully carried with me the ENTIRE TIME — had, once again, suffered a shattered lens filter.
AGAIN.
This happened in South Africa, too.
I have absolutely no idea HOW. The camera was never out of my possession!
GRRRRRRR.
Fortunately, the lens itself appears to have survived, but the filter has to be replaced. I mentioned this to our guide, Utako-san, whom we met at breakfast. She’s lovely, and now knows that one of our first little missions is finding a REAL camera shop.
And this time?
I am buying TWO filters.
Apparently I need a spare for my spare.
A Little Shrine, a Kitchen Street, and Our First Tokyo Evening
One of the loveliest surprises was waiting right outside our hotel.
Just to the left of the entrance is a small Shinto shrine, with a large red torii gate. At night, the shrine is chained off, but it’s still a rather wonderful thing to find tucked into the neighborhood.
A few steps farther in the same direction is Kappabashi, Tokyo’s famous “Kitchen Street,” known for its cookware, knives, dishes, and all manner of restaurant supplies.
The weather was absolutely perfect — that wonderful temperature when you don’t need to think about being too hot or too cold.
So we walked.
It wasn’t particularly late, but it was already dark. At this time of year, the sun sets around 5:00 p.m., which makes even an early evening feel quite atmospheric.
After all those hours on the plane, it felt marvelous simply to be outside, moving our legs, looking into shop windows, and taking in the fact that we were actually in Japan.
No grand monument. No elaborate excursion.
Just a pleasant evening walk, a little shrine, and a street full of kitchen shops.
A rather lovely introduction.
Today: Fish, Bonsai, and the Beginning of the Adventure
We met Utako-san at breakfast, and our first full day promises to be busy.
We’re starting with a bus tour and then visiting Tsukiji Outer Market, the famous food market. The wholesale fish auctions moved elsewhere some years ago, but the outer market is still full of shops, restaurants, and food stalls.
We’re having lunch there, which should be interesting given my allergies to fish, fish stock, dashi, and roe. Fortunately, Utako-san has been thoroughly briefed.
Afterward, we’re visiting a bonsai museum — looking at beautiful miniature trees rather than attempting to create our own — with some time for independent exploration as well.
Then there’s our official welcome dinner at a local restaurant.
And after that?
An evening to ourselves.
Although, as we all know, evening is for blogging. Ha ha.
For now, though, I’m here. In Japan.
And somewhere in the back of my mind, an eighth-grade Lieutenant Pinkerton is still singing about the Stars and Stripes.
Who would have thought?