"Ping!". That was the sound of my eyes opening wide at 2:30 in the morning. "Ding-dong!". That was the sound of an idea popping into my head shortly afterwards: I could go for my first onsen experience now, when surely nobody else will be around! The airport hotel I'm staying at for the first few nights is big, modern, and has a 24-hour spa on the top floor overlooking the planes and runways, so off I went in my hotel pyjamas and slippers.

The thing is, as you probably know, you have to be completely naked in an onsen, not something I'm terribly used to. As it turned out, there were a few other souls around even at that time in the morning, but honestly, it was fine. I had plenty of time to work out the routine (lockers, towels, keys, fobs, payment, etc.). There were multiple pools you could get into, and each had a sensor displaying the water temperature. One thing I learnt is that there's a surprising difference between 43°C (which I couldn't stand for long) and 39°C. Of course, you're not allowed to take photos, so the one below is from the hotel's website.

The challenge for the rest of the day was to check out local means of transportation and see a few sights. First, I tried all three methods (apart from walking) of transferring between terminals 2 & 3 at Haneda Airport, because that’s something I’ll have to do near the end of my trip. I'll probably use the free shuttle bus as it's quick and didn't seem too busy. Then I took the Monorail in the opposite direction, into town, and got off where it terminates on the Yamanote Line (a big circular railway line that connects many of the famous districts of Tokyo). From there I took a tour of all 30 Yamanote stations (taking about an hour not counting stops). I got off at Shibuya where I did the famous crossing (see video below) and saw my name on a building (see photo). I also visited Tokyo Station (see video) from where I'll board my first Shinkansen on day 4.