LinuxCon Japan day 0
My flight out of Lexington was delayed an hour and a half, resulting in a very tight connection in Chicago. I ran from gate to gate, and arrived as they were sounding the gate closing alarm. And a gate agent said that she thought I shouldn't go, because my passport expires in September, and they're not going to let me through immigration. (Turned out to not be a problem at all.)
But I made it on board - last one through the gate door - and had a pleasant flight to Narita. I arrived at Narita at about 5pm, and went to buy train tickets.
First challenge was getting cash. My debit card doesn't have a chip in it, which is how cards work everywhere in the world other than the US, so the ATM said it wasn't a valid card. Fortunately, the other ATM accepted it, and I was able to buy train tickets.
I took the train to Nipponi, and then changed trains there to go to Mejiro, without incident. People were very helpful in telling me how to get where I needed to go, and my worry was for nothing. The train was cheap ($12 and $1.50 for the two trips) and the taxi from the train station to the hotel was cheap ($15) and fast, too. I expected the trains to be packed, but they were spacious and incredibly quiet. Apparently it's rude to speak on the train - or at least to speak loudly.
The airport was really quiet, too. The noise level in public spaces is really surprising - soooo quiet.
I arrived at the hotel around 7:30pm, and it is beautiful. It's easily the most beautiful conference venue I've ever been at, and probably the nicest hotel I've ever stayed at. Check out the photos at http://www.hotel-chinzanso-tokyo.com/
My photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rbowen/sets/72157644738464202/
Conference website: http://events.linuxfoundation.org/events/linuxcon-japan/
Hotel website: http://www.hotel-chinzanso-tokyo.com/