Welcome to the first step of our trip: Our flight from NY to Narita, Japan - 

The alarm goes off at six.  We jump out of bed and anxious to go.  Our luggage are already packed and waiting for us at the front door.  Kevin and I gather up all the last minute things...take a last glance around the apartment, fill with giddiness we walk out to the front of the building to wait for our car service to John F. Kennedy Airport.  Our flight is at 10AM with Japan Airlines so we want to make sure we get to the hotel two hours before flight departure.  Once we arrive, we check our bags at Japan Airlines counter and proceed to the newsstand to buy some materials to read on the plane.  It is going to be a l~o~n~g flight!

The plane, we find out, is having problems.  JAL announces that their will be a half an hour delay on boarding passengers.  Meanwhile there is a group of grandmothers with babies.  These babies are crying non stop.  Kevin and I are hoping the babies will STOP crying.

Finally, we are boarding.  Since Kevin has long limbs and larger frame we made sure we requested exit seats.  We find out that we are on the second floor and we have plenty of leg room.  However, the seats are really tight.  Kevin is not enjoying the small space his butt has to squeeze into.

The flight is long.  We don't have our cameras so we don't have pictures to show of the tiny plane with its tiny seats.  After several meals (I lost count since being on a plane flying across various countries can make one very disoriented), some cat naps, various Japanese soap operas, numerous strolls up and down the plan we are finally landing in Narita International Airport.

WE ARE IN NARITA!  The airport is full of people and being that it is our first time in Narita, we are trying to acquaint ourselves with where we are suppose to go.  Am I glad I paid attention in Japanese class.  It sure paid off.  We go to immigration and customs.  Afterwards we take the shuttle to our hotel which is Hotel Nikko - Narita.  Since the plane was delayed, we check in later than we had planned.  As soon as we get into our room I call my friend Joji.  We have not seen each other in a year and I am excited that I get to see him.  However, since it is already 6:30PM by the time we get in, Joji tells us that it may be best if we don't leave the hotel.  According to him, and the hotel concierge, the last shuttle that comes back to Narita is 9:00PM.  So by the time we get to Shibuyaku, which is where we want to go, it will be too late and we will not get to do much.  We may even get stranded.  Joji and I are both disappointed that we won't get to see each other this time.  Since Kevin and I are only staying for one night, we are really sad that we won't get to see Tokyo.  Oh well, as the Japanese would say "shigata nai ne".

We settle for dinner at the hotel restaurant: Sakura.  We don't feel like we are in Japan since we aren't seeing anything that is sooo different.

     This is Kevin looking into the hotel directory and checking the drawers.  

We go to Sakura Restaurant for our first meal here in Japan.

This is me looking jetlagged, tired and half asleep.  We order sashimi for two, egg custard, and squid salad appetizer.  This is Kevin trying to get me to wake up and take a pic of him.

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Here is me the next morning, well rested...

It is the next morning, 3/31.  We are awake and ready to go...First we break fast at Nikko Hotel's Serena Gardena Restaurant, compliments of JAL.  The breakfast includes traditional Japanese fare such as congee, rice and soups as well as American breakfast like eggs, toast, juices, coffee.  The breakfast is an interesting mix.  We taste a bit of everything and head to the shuttle bus that will take us to Taipei Taiwan's Chiang Kai Shek International Airport.  The flight is approximately 4-1/2 hours.  It is a smooth flight with much roomier seats on Japan Asia Airways, a part of the JAL company.  (Sorry we don't have many pictures between now and when we land...We are too anxious and nervous to be thinking of taking pictures)  
Our landing in CKS Airport is smooth and quick.  We go through customs and proceed to get our luggage.  Once we get to the departure gate, my heart starts to pound faster.  I am not expecting my father to be there but I am still anxious and nervous.  I see my mother!  She is smiling and waving.  Kevin and I walk over to her and she points to her left.  I follow her fingers and see the familiar and aged face of my dear father.  I greet him and break the tension by giving him a hug.  He is stiff but he returns my hug with a pat on my back.  I introduce Kevin.  Kevin reaches out his hand to shake my fathers and proceeds to speak with the phrase he has been practicing since January: "How do you do Mr. Lee?" says Kevin in Mandarin.  My father nods and mumbles "good, good"  Don't ask me what that is suppose to mean.

SO, we are finally in Taiwan! 

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