Friday, November 19, 2010

Back in Japan (November 2010)...Leaving Tokyo for Taipei


My mom and I made a 3-day fun trip to Taipei, Taiwan. Since my nephew had school, he and Tomoko (my sister) couldn't join us for the trip. But, they drove us to Tokyo Haneda Airport where our flight was scheduled to depart on Sunday afternoon.


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After the long major construction, Haneda's brand-new international terminal opened just a few weeks ago. We arrived right in the middle of the APEC weekend (all the international dignities came to Haneda first), so the security there was especially tight that day.


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The new terminal is quite impressive. The space is bigger and very modern. There are many nice restaurants and shops there. The restaurant row was jammed with people who were not only travelers but also who just came to check out these trendy attractions.


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Our flight was later in the afternoon, so we decided to have lunch at the "kaiten" sushi restaurant, where sushi are served on a rotating conveyer belt.


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Their sushi were good. Most of the seafood they served were from local seas. I had more than a dozen pieces, including nodoguro, uni, buri, miru-gai, etc.


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The flight from Haneda to Taipei was just about 3.5 hours. It had been over 10 years since my last visit to this island, so I was so excited! The weather was pretty warm (about 20C degrees) in the evening. Our hotel was Grand Formosa Regent Taipei, which is one of the nicest hotels in town and situated in a very convenient location. As soon as we checked in, we were already hungry for dinner.