First part: my company actually put me in Business Class. I feel like I'm a cultured person. I feel as though I'm someone who can adapt to different environments, kinds of people, etc. But I actually felt like someone from the Beverly Hillbillies. It was ridiculous how strange / fascinated I felt.
You breeze through all lines--even my luggage got a high priority tag! And I got to go to the WorldPerks lounge, where it was serve yourself---full bar, etc. I had a Bailey's and coffee and some snacks. It was 11 am, so I didn't want to go crazy, but I did feel like I had to indulge a bit.
The actual setup inside the plane is awesome.
The minute you sit down, you're pampered. I started with champagne, and then probably had 6-7 glasses of wine. The TV was huge, I could hardly figure out how to operate my seat there was so much stuff happening (you can even employ the chair massages). I had filet, etc...they handed out socks, slippers, eye masks, ear plugs, toothpaste and brush...and so much more in a little faux leather dopp kit.
OK, enough about the flight. I took the bus into Tokyo (about an hour and a half) directly to the hotel. The hotel is huge and ridiculous. I did like when the bellhop took me to my room and gave me a thorough tour of it (here's the bar, the thermostat, your slippers, the door, the view, etc., etc).
(view from my hotel room--apparently on clear days, I can see Mt Fuji?)I plugged in right away to read emails, and was after about 45 minutes able to track down where Carrie was (my Sales Director / boss). I went down to the 3rd floor bar and met some of the folks attending the trainings as well. I had a Kirin, and soon we were meeting a big group (14 of us) to blindly follow one guy to our dinner.
Todd and Carrie on the way to dinner.
We finally get there. Patrick (a guy with us) knows a bit of Japanese, but the entire menu is in Japanese. He ends up telling them to serve us a mix of food.
There begins the 12-course meal...the meal that never ended.
Carrie demonstrating the size of a course.
There was rice, miso, sushi, tempura, sake, etc. etc. Several people were nodding off during dinner (jetlag / sleep deprivation setting in), and just when we thought the meal was over---something new was served. It was nice, but also really tough towards the end to stay awake and not to just completely refuse the next course.
We split up, meandered and found our way back to the hotel. It was 11. I showered, read emails, and crashed.
This morning, I was up in time to read emails, eat the Pop Tarts Ian packed for me (thank you, Ian), and get ready to meet the rest of the group at 7:45 am. We all walked over to the Microsoft offices and have been in trainings ever since.
In fact, I'm still there. I really wish I could have more time to explore...at the same time, I'm terrified I'll get lost (not much English here, and not much that isn't in Japanese characters). The herd is fine, but I always love my alone time, or my Ian time.
One thing I love: their toilets. They're all heated. They also have crazy bidet things. My favorite is the "Play Flushing Sound" function (the musical notes button below). It sounds like the fakest flush noise--it reminds me of when people make the "I'm making cappucino" noises with their mouth.
What someone clarified later to me is that it is used to cover up unpleasant noises. In theory, this is brilliant. The fact that it sounds so fake makes it less so. The fact that it's there at all is fantastic.If I were sushi, my name would be Dolores.
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