I’m back at the Hotel Villa Fontaine at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan. I know this is an airport hotel, but it’s really deserving of praise for many reasons. A short walk when you exit customs and immigration and you reach the hotel without even leaving Terminal 3. It’s not a luxury hotel, though in some respects it sort of is. The onsen (hot spring baths) here is absolutely insane and the overall level of Japanese efficiency, convenience, and thought to comfort makes this a looked forward to stop upon entry or exit for a gaijin like me.
I walked out of customs this time with a residence card good for one year, not because I bought a house, but because I got a job and the company sponsored me. As I write this, I have that electric exhaustion energy that can only come from a very long day of travel and jet lag. I knew this would be the case and that’s why I booked the room here.
The Hawaiian Airlines flight from Honolulu was filled with empty seats so for once, there was plenty of room to stretch out and be comfortable. They also had Starlink internet for the entire flight so I was able to stream Netflix and Apple TV shows. To be honest, I preferred when the seats and tables were big enough for a laptop and there was no connectivity – I would just write — or nap. This time with the internet and plenty of room, I spent the whole day staring at my screen – and napping a little. The flight was delayed on the ground for more than an hour before we left and it got hot af in there before they fixed it.
I showed up the recommended three hours early at Honolulu International Airport and got through TSA and checkpoints in about ten minutes….so almost three hours in the airport in Hawaii, nine hours on the plane, and another hour waiting for customs and immigration in Japan – plus my body says it’s still 2 am in Hawaii even though it’s 9 pm the next day here.
And once again, I am so grateful for this great airport hotel where they provide you with monogrammed pajamas and slippers and where I didn’t have to deal with a car, a lengthy check-in, or anything like that. Just used the kiosk, it spit out my room key, and here I am. Bob’s your uncle.
As for Carl – well, the truth is you can find out his whole story at https://www.instagram.com/carl_does_stuff_ but for those who aren’t going to go look. Carl is one of my daughter’s oldest stuffies. He was given to her as a baby by her aunt who lives in Belgium. Carl went from Belgium to Morocco then to Turkey then back to Morocco then to Dubai then to North America then to Hawaii. Now, my daughter suggested he come with me so he could ‘do stuff’. It’s a nice way for us to stay connected while we are apart (she’s still in Hawaii) and honestly,I’ve always liked Carl more than she did anyway. There have been numerous times as a little kid when she would tell me “Get rid of Carl” but I always refused. Now, as a teenager, I think she has started to appreciate Carl a little more – or maybe she finally saw an opportunity to get rid of him…
I’ve written this elsewhere, but the hardest part of all of this is being away from my daughter. She just became a teenager and has a nice stable life with her mom – but we just got to spend the whole summer together and it was so much fun. We also had a blast coming to Japan together a few years ago. Anyway – Carl is here with me and she is home with her mom but when she comes and visits Japan, both Carl and I will surely be happy to see her.