It was supposed to be just one night, a stopover. No big deal. I was sad and vulnerable, and there was Tokyo. Tokyo was a nothing like New Zealand. In fact, they were complete opposites. Jagged mountaintops were replaced with towering skyscrapers. Millions of sheep were replaced with millions of people. Tokyo was nothing I wanted but everything I needed. I was taken aback by the bowing and the politeness. And despite the thousands of people scurrying around Narita Airport, it was surprisingly quiet.
I purchased our Limousine Bus tickets for the minute ride to Ginza. The minute I stepped outside, the crisp air and warm people curbed my yearning for New Zealand. Precise and on time, my watch could have been set to the bus schedule. Smiles and English greeted me as my luggage was loaded onto the bus. There was no tip necessary; a job well done and thank you were enough.
At 6 pm, the sky was dark, but the horizon was bright with towering buildings still aglow. The bus rolled past Disneyland and the giant Ferris wheel of Pallette Town.
We went through tollbooth upon tollbooth before even hitting anything resembling traffic. I knew we must be closing in on the city center as the traffic slowly grew denser. For as far as my eyes could see, buildings stood on their tippy toes as if they were trying to reach the heavens. Freeways became three decks high, and it made me long for the safety of the foot Kawarau Bridge Bungy in Queenstown.
As the traffic slowed to a crawl, I was able to see men and women clad in dark suits still plugging away at work despite it being nearly 7 pm. Apartment buildings were dark and only discernible from office buildings by the clothes stretched and carefully pinned in the tiny outside space available.
