Therefore I was unhappy to be informed upon arrival (finally) in B2 of the station that since I was flying Japan Airlines, I couldn't check in my luggage here. WHAT. They changed my 10:00 planned express train to the 9:30 one that was about to depart to give me more time at the airport to check -in. So I had to drag all my luggage through more elevators and up and down escalators and turnstiles (NO MEAN FEAT, I AM TELLING YOU). My suitcases are so heavy that I can't roll them normally. I have my thousand pound carry-on bag on top of one of them too so I have to roll them standing up, pushing with all my strength to keep them going forward and in the right direction. They're like those annoying faulty shopping carts, they stop suddenly and start jerkily and go off in opposite directions -.- I'm pretty sure I've pulled every muscle in my body by now, 10 times over. I am never doing this again. Next time I fly abroad, I'm bringing my goddamn toothbrush and nothing else @.@
I'm glad I brought a few tops and all my underclothes because I think I only bought two tips this entire time and they are kind of like sweater tops even. The rest are jackets, sweaters, coats, scarves, etc. Knowing I had limited space for shopping purchases, I mainly bought good quality articles that would be expensive back in America, hence all the outerwear. I had heard shoes were as expensive here as America so I wasn't planning on buying any, but like I blogged about before there are plenty of cheaper shoe places with sales going on in the Underground Shopping Centers at various larger stations. So that shoe tip online must have been outdated...
The international check-in area itself is huge and confusing. I had to ask three different information desks until I found my correct one (you have an assigned number check in desk to check in at, it can't just be any Japan Airline one). I got so many funny looks and hands-over-mouth-to-hide-smiles because of my little self pushing almost horizontally to get my cart moving lol. Something must have looked funny, I can't imagine what...
Shortly after I got called into that side windowless room where they check your baggage and stuff when you are suspect. It was because I had two hairsprays (one was mousse) and once I showed her, the tough looking ladysaid it was fine and I didn't have to toss them. I keep getting one scare after another and then somehow it all works out haha.
They also served us a meal! I was not expecting this as it was a short flight and only between similar countries. I was starving though as I'd only had a roll this morning, so this was also appreciated. It was so cute! Like a mini bento box and surprisingly good for airplane food :) There was rice with a beef chili glaze, soybeans, and bean curd, grilled chicken teriyaki, an egg/fish roll, cucumbers, spinach, a crab meat dumpling, baked beans of some sort, fried black sesame tofu, carrots, and a green tea cake. Quite a variety lol.
The plane ride was not my longest leg of my journey today. The bus took almost three hours to get to Machida from Narita Airport -.- It was awful. Even worse was once the bus dropped me off, I was stuck in this huge bus station island in the middle of the road with no discernible way off it to get a taxi. It seemed like the hundreds of people around me were all just waiting for buses. Ugh. After a lot of searching and yanking my arms out of their sockets I located an elevator and an overhead bridge to the side of the street from the bus island. I had to drag all 4 pieces of my luggage up and down stairs through a huge subway station and to the streets. WHY IS THIS IS DIFFICULT. Seriously. Everything is so far and hard to get to/through/around.
My body is so abused and overwrought that I can't even breathe without something sore hurting. I am carrying far too much weight on my body for what I'm capable of, and I'm used to carrying quite a lot of weight (fellow Science majors...I have four words. General. Biology. Chemistry. Textbooks -.-). I'm just not physically big enough for this!! Major miscalculation -.- I think I'm permanently damaging myself lol. About halfway through my journey I realized how badly my hands were hurting for some reason. I think it's the pressure of the heavy luggages on them and having to hold 50 pound bags AND steer my heavy luggages in each hand, but they look and feel like they were burned! They are bright red, tight, and shiny and hurt like HELL. I can't run any sort of warm or hot water over them or they sting like mad. I also can't close them very well, or twist (I couldn't even open my water bottle. Pathetic.). What the hey?