Planes, Trains and Automobiles

My first experience with anything really Japanese was on my ten and a half hour flight over here on Singapore airlines. The plane was defiantly a less flashier 1992 version of the plane they show on their website but I have to say I was truly impressed and I got my first taste of the service that is given to others on this side of the world. Before we even got to our cruising altitude they handed out hot towels (something I thought they only did in first class, which I soooo wasn't). Then everyone got a nice blanket, pillow and socks! I was totally loving that. I got all decked out for my journey to the east and before I knew it we had our lunch served to us. Steak anyone? Heck yes! Every one of the crew was extremely polite and not just in this-is-my-job-so-I-have-to-smile-way either. All in all it is one of the better flights I have been on and I would totally recommend them to anyone coming to visit.

Trains are a fact of life out here. Anywhere that you need to go they can get you to, at least within a few blocks of it. They are pretty cheap and really quick. There is no waiting for half an hour til the train comes. For popular stops and hubs there is a train coming and going every couple of minutes. The longest I have waited was 10 minutes. If you catch the train at non rush hour time you will pretty much always find a seat. On rush hour time though this is what it looks like...

Brett said he has seen it like this and they will literally push people in to make everyone fit. I have not braved rush hour yet and I don't know if I want to. One other thing you will notice from the picture is that it is polite to face the person in the seat. Yes it is awkward since your crotch is in their face but they see turning your back to them as extremely disrespectful so its just how it is.

Cars out here are something else. They do have vans and buses but I have never seen a suburban or a tricked out Honda on the street....the only place you might see that is on base and even then it is rare. Most cars are the size of a Mini and are considered a four seater. On base you see a lot of sedans but there are MUCH smaller cars out side the gates. Most vans are the size of a large sedan back at home. Here in Japan they do drive on the left side of the street and have the wheel on the right. Its very weird at first but now that I am used to seeing it I think it will be just as weird to go home and see it the opposite.

Last but not least is the Navy bus that does loops around the base all day. The base here is fairly large and there is no way you would want to walk everywhere you need to get to there. They have a bus that is on a forty minute schedule and has many drop off locations. Funny, kinda, story. I actually fell getting out of the bus last Saturday. The bus is pretty high off the ground and I totally ate it. I will definatly be more careful next time.
If you want to see a video of how it is during rush hour