Travelsty: This post is mostly for Emma

I thought I'd give you a few tips on getting around (and in particular getting to the hotel we'll be staying at when you arrive, since as far as I can tell it isn't where google maps thinks it is).

Anyway, I'll leave the hotel directions until last.

In terms of tips that will serve you well until we meet up:

I'd mention the money/7-eleven thing, but I already covered that in my last main post. Although it's worth pointing out that there's a 7-eleven at the airport. Well, a 7-eleven ATM, which is the important bit. It's just before you walk into the train station at terminal 2, there's probably one at terminal 1 as well, but who knows.

Japanese words. I mentioned Gaijin earlier, which is the Japanese word for dirty foreigner. If you learned more Japanese great, because then you can listen in to them mocking you, but if you didn't that's okay, because there are only two other words you definitely need to know.

すみません Sumimasen. Su - mi - ma - sen

This means "I'm an important foreigner"

It can be used in a number of situations. For instance if you are in a shop or some other situation where someone isn't paying attention to you you can say "Sumimasen" or "I'm an important foreigner, pay attention to me". But you can also use it in other situations, say you accidentally walk into someone, you can say "Sumimasen" or "I'm an important foreigner, watch where you're going". Japanese as a language leaves unspoken a lot of things that can be implied through context, so in both cases the same word suffices. You may think that you hear Japanese people saying Sumimasen to you, say if someone were to walk into you accidentally. In fact, your untrained ear is missing the change in inflection that turns it into "You're an important foreigner" "I should have looked where I was going". When Japanese people say Sumimasen to you, the apology is implied.

分かりません Wakarimasen Wa - ka - ri - ma - sen

This means "I'm a busy foreigner"

This is mostly used when someone is speaking to you in Japanese. You can say "Wakarimasen" as in "I'm a busy foreigner, I don't have time for your nonsense". They may try again in english, realising that you are busy and that this might be the quickest way of resolving the situation so you can get on with whatever important things you are doing.

At any rate, they've served me well so far.

Getting to the hotel.

When you arrive at the airport, head for the train station. It's on the basement level of each terminal.

Use the ticket machine to purchase a ticket with a 5000 Yen note.

You could line up at the ticket office, but there's probably a plane load or two of ignorant foreigners already queued up there to get a ticket. It'll take too long.

There are local trains that come through those stations, so make sure you get the right machine. The NEX narita express logo is pretty hard to miss.

There's a button at the top of the screen to put the thing in english. Unless you're playing on hard mode I'd suggest that as your first option. Then you want the Narita limited express. You'll only be allowed a from of whichever terminal you're currently at, and you want Shinjuku as your destination. You want an allocated seat in a regular car (as opposed to a green car), pick window/aisle/don't care and then you should be given a selection of times. Give yourself 5 minutes to get to the platform, but you shouldn't need more, so unless you really like the ambiance of the airport train station, as long as the first train is more than 5 minutes away, pick that one.

(If you do somehow screw up and miss your train, your assigned seat ticket is valid for the unassigned carriages of another train for 24 hours or something)

By now you should have a ticket

Go to the platform and find the marker for the car you're on.

If you're wondering if you should get on the train that just pulled up, or if that's a local train and not the one you want, the interior of the NEX has comfy looking red and black seats, like this:

Also, the train will be on time. Precisely.

The train ride from the airport is the better part of an hour.

You have quite a long stretch before a stop, then another long stretch before Tokyo station. Following Tokyo station there will be three stops in fairly quick succession. The third of these should be Shinjuku.

Once you're at Shinjuku station, you want to leave via the east exit. Given where the NEX stops, getting to the East exit may not be possible, or if it is it may not be worth the hassle. Once you pass through a ticket gate here the gate will eat your ticket (since it is done with) and you wont be able to get back in.

You can leave via the South East exit instead.

Failing that, leave by the South exit.

If you leave via the south exit, turn left, it should look like this

If you follow that you will get to the south east exit on your left fairly shortly.

From the south east exit (facing directly out) there is a set of stairs you should go down

at the bottom, at the street, turn left

follow along the east side of the station (which is a department store called lumine est)

you will eventually arrive at the east entrance. If you managed to leave the station this way and ignored the proceeding bits congratulations.

Continue to follow around the outside of the station, through some construction hoarding until you get to an intersection. The intersection is a bit all over the place with diagonal pedestrian crossings and stuff, but you want to veer left and stay with the road that runs alongside the train line. (Be on the right side of that road though, which involves crossing the street.

When you get near the next main road you'll be able to see the hotel. It's the red brick building below. You can't cross directly there though, so follow the road around to the right a bit and cross over to where the building with surprised swimsuit girl and the cartoon tiger is, and then cross another street to where the hotel is.