Japan part 2

1.)    Every TV station/ tower/ building/ subway station/chain restaurant seems to have a mascot, usually some sort of happy animal or emoticon with friendly colors. Why doesn’t the US tower have a mascot? For that matter, why does the US tower not allow people to go up to the top? Seems like a lost opportunity.

2.)    DO NOT try to “barely make it to the airport, especially on an international flight back home. My compulsive disorder of not wasting time at the airport almost backfired spectacularly when my friend and I took a detour out of our way to visit the Tokyo Disneyland premises, then got stuck on a train headed towards the airport that took longer than expected, then BOTH of us mistook the wrong terminal at the airport (There were only TWO TERMINALS, we both had 50% chance of getting it right!), had to take a bus to the other terminal, and just barely made it on the flight. Most international airlines cut off the check in time for an hour before the scheduled take-off time, and I barely made the cut. It also takes like 30 minutes to get through immigration, security checkpoint, and walking to the actual gate. Not to mention not being able to get the souvenirs I wanted before leaving the country, duty-free.

3.)    Sumos are people, too. The sumo stadium was closed due to no tournaments going on, but we did get a glimpse of one sumo practicing in one of the nearby stables….he was predictably on his phone, texting.

4.)    Japan is VERY excited about hosting the 2020 Summer Olympics, as any country would be. They already have the sites planned and the events outlined. Remind me not to go to Tokyo in the summer of 2020.