Leaving Los Angeles is always an adventure — and this time, it started a little earlier than expected.

To fully grasp the chaos, we need to rewind to the 30th. While at work, I slipped. Biffed it. Ate sh*t. And yes, for maximum irony, it happened in the bathroom. The silver lining? I wasn’t seriously hurt, and according to my worker’s comp doctor, I should make a full recovery.

Still — not fun. At all – and the office hottie came in just as I hit the floor. So…

After getting home from the doctor, I spent the rest of that night and the next day I worked from home, so during my break I was double-checking, triple-checking, and then re-checking again to convince my nervously anxious emotional brain, I hadn’t forgotten anything crucial. Once everything was finally ready, it was time to sit down and watch Wicked: For Good.

Aside from one teeny, tiny criticism (which I’ll save for my official review), I genuinely loved it. 

I arrived at LAX about forty-five minutes before the check-in counter even opened. To pass the time, I called a friend, caught up on the K-dramas she was watching, and — naturally — bragged about how much I LOVED Cas$hero.

Once checked in, I made my way to the gate and waited. The flight was about ten minutes late, which barely registered as a problem. Boarding was smooth, and to my surprise the plane was completely full. Thankfully, I ended up seated next to two interesting kids from Los Angeles — Evan and Jacob — one of whom had never been on a plane before.

Somewhere over the Pacific, I alternated between coloring artwork for the next installment of My Super Fiancé, watching Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer, and working on the character bible for the series. While this flight was more crowded than my last two, ANA once again proved itself to be a top-notch airline. A flight attendant even stopped to admire my drawing — and gently scold me for not eating the entire flight. I assured her I had very serious plans to devour as many FamilyMart sandwiches as humanly possible once we landed.

Touching down in Tokyo was blissfully easy. I ran into Evan and Jacob one last time while disembarking, we wished each other well, and went our separate ways. I met up with a friend to pick up my pocket Wi-Fi from Ninja Japan — a painless process and far preferable to paying $12.99 a day for international roaming — and then it was time for a taxi to APA Roppongi Ekihigashi.

This APA was noticeably larger than my usual Roppongi Ekimae location, though the check-in process wasn’t quite as smooth as I’m used to. It wasn’t bad — just a bit sparse on information, with self check-in kiosks and staff hovering nearby incase assistance is needed rather than offering. The room itself was small but cozy. Being winter, the air conditioning was locked to heat only, so to stay cool (my preference), I was told to crack open the window.

Luckily, being winter, there was little chance that my room would be invaded by the same creepy crawlies it was my first time in Japan (mid-spring).

The walls were thinner than ideal — I overheard an argument and a gentleman conducting a very loud phone call at 3:30 a.m. — but overall, it was comfortable enough. And honestly, I didn’t come to Tokyo to spend time in a hotel room. I came for adventure.

The room is just where I come to pass out once I’ve worn out my feet.

There will be more from my adventures in Tokyo soon, so…

Stay Tuned!