Day 1: LANDING IN JAPAN - Review of Hotel Villa Fontaine Roppongi, Tokyo - Expedia Office Meet.

Landing in Japan from India

It was unusually exhilarating as my Jet aircraft took off from Chattrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai. I reminisced the time when I had sat in an air plane for the very first time in my life... it was a feeling very similar to that time that I'd experienced... only this time, it was more due to the destination that I was headed to.

View from airplane, Mumbai
Goodbye, Mumbai

I grabbed my window seat and watched all those iconic buildings, all the dramatic chaos of my city gradually shrink and eventually faint in the distance.

Miles high up in the air, it felt like having entered a world different altogether. With a thick dense fluffy cloud cover enveloping our airplane, I forgot all the petty disturbances, all the tensions and anxieties drained in our lives and drew myself towards the beautifully assorted colors of sublime nature.

Cloud cover from airplane - Mumbai

As the dial of my watch kept ticking, the distance kept attenuating and we kept getting closer to our destination.

Flight status of Mumbai - Japan via Bangkok
Jet Screen in the flight to Japan via Bangkok

The next day early morning, Japan Airlines (connecting flight to Japan from Bangkok) saw me peeping out of my glass pane in awe... the entire landscape had been sprinkled with diverse hues of oranges, blues and whites.

Beautiful hues from aeroplane
Beautiful cloud shots from aeroplane
Sunrise in the Land of the Rising Sun

Waking up in the Land of the Rising Sun with this magical sight... ah, there couldn't have been a better start to my journey, I mused! I felt blessed!

Sunrise in Japan from aeroplane
A new day had begun...

Sunrise in Japan as seen from aeroplane
Looking through this veil, Japan looked every inch the beautiful bride blushing.

The aircrew directed us to fasten our seat belts and to switch off all our electronic equipments as the flight prepared for landing. The flight came to a halt and I stood at the air plane aisle... a bit uneasy, getting ready to disembark with my passport in hand.

As I stared at the people around me, I felt a strong wave of sensation. The sensation slowly grew through my body and left me supercharged with a new energy and vigor. It was a moment that cannot be taken away from me. It was emotional to land foot on an alien land for the first time... Yet, it felt home... Strange...

Fast facts on Japan:

Language: Japanese

Currency: Japanese Yen (JPY)

Time Zone: UTC/GMT +9 (IST + 3.5)

International Dial Code: +81

Best Season to Visit: Even though my visiting season was end of Spring (early June) and starting rains, not one of the best times to visit the country, fortunately I was blessed with a very good weather and an even wonderful company.

But tourists generally prefer to visit Tokyo in the spring or the fall season when the colors in nature are in full flourish. The climate in Tokyo from March to May is especially inviting, with temperatures hovering around 15 deg. cel. to 23 deg. cel. or more. The plum and cherry blossoms are not to be missed in the spring months, while the maples and autumn shades are equally impressive between late September and November.

Travel Tip: If you are planning to visit the country anywhere around end of May, start of June or later, do not forget to carry an umbrella with you as the weather at those times is highly fickle.

Previous Posts from the Japan Trip -

1. Planning for Japan: Visa, Flight Bookings, Hotel Reservations, etc.