More travel tips....

• British Airways has far and away the best safety related procedures- they seriously and maturely explain what to do and why without condescension.
• They also have, in my estimation, the best transcontinental service in coach. Their chairs have an attachment that rests the head in a comfortable way so that it's actually possible to sleep in their coach seats.
  
• And, straightaway they give you 3 drinks. They want you to be comfortable. But they're also very up-front about warning about the consequences of giving "verbal abuse" to their staff. On the other hand, they're so much more polite and caring than typical American staff, it's a wonder why, even under adverse conditions, one would need this warning at all.
• Japan has new money and new immigration forms. Instead of the weird "Port of embarcation" question they actually ask something like "From what city did you get on the plane?" American forms have the weird "Number of family members traveling with you" question. This is weird because the answer's ambiguous: does this include you or not? I always answer the question "Just me" if travelling alone, or "3 including myself."
• Makuhari has a Carrefour. America should have a Carrefour. Incredibly high quality combined with incredibly low prices. Despite the devaluation of the dollar, Japan is not as bad as it was 10 years ago, thanks to deflation. The Carrefours are a good reason for this.