06/02/2002   English German
  Edition # 40  
San Francisco, 06-02-2002

Tokyo

Michael Is there an airport that is located more idiotically than Munich's Franz Josef Strauss Airport? Yes! Tokyo's Narita Airport is so far from the city center that the bus ride there costs 30 euros per person. Since we had booked a hidden gem hotel, our plan was to travel to a large central bus stop and from there use our newly acquired Japanese language skills to direct a taxi to the hotel. At "Tokyo Station" in the center of Tokyo, we did exactly that. Upon arrival, we loaded our luggage into the first taxi we saw, and I said to the driver: "Yama No Ue to ui hoteru made onegaishimasu." And, lo and behold, the man nodded and said: "Ah, Yama No Ue no Hoteru. Hai!" I was speechless. Without hesitation, he sped (by American standards: recklessly) through the streets of Tokyo, past the countless neon signs of the shopping district Ginza, which we would later explore extensively.
Figure [1]: Downtown Tokyo: Advertising

Upon arrival at the hotel, the staff bustled around us, and in no time, we were in our room. The hardest part was not giving a tip. Coming from America, I'm used to fishing dollar bills out of my pocket, but in Japan, you absolutely don't give anything—not to the taxi driver, not to the bellboy, not to the waiter. If you do, it causes confusion or even offended looks, as we knew from the travel guide. Nevertheless, the service is excellent. So, from then on, I kept my hands buried deep in my pockets.

Figure [2]: Street scene in Tokyo
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