Tokyo, by the numbers

 I sometimes get asked what a standard work travel day looks like, so here are some details:

• Up at 5:30 am (Sunday, PST). Coffee, finished last minute packing
• Made final notes for the teens/M for the day
• 30 minutes on the elliptical
• Lyft picked me up at 8 am
• Got to SFO just before 9 am. Made it through security & went to the lounge.
• Filled my water bottle, & had some fruit & eggs for breakfast.
• Got to the gate at 9:40, exactly at the pre-boarding phase. I board ahead of "group 1", which I'm not sure if that's a blessing or a curse. Always room for your bags, but more time on the plane!
• I was flying business, which was a gift, despite not sleeping. 
• Flight was delayed, so we didn't take off until 11:30. I try to stand up (it's a single seat, and I'm not in the aisle, so there's room to stand) & walk around a bit until the flight actually leaves.
• Flight was approximately 10.5 hours long. I watched two movies (some really awful Jennifer Lopez/Josh Duhamel wedding movie + the original Fast & The Furious), plus a bunch of episodes of House, which I liked. I also read a bit.
• On the flight, I had my pre-ordered meal (chicken curry + salad), skipped the dessert & alcohol. It was hard to say no to a glass of rose on the flight! I skipped the snack & breakfast service. I mostly had tea, because it was freezing on the flight, despite wearing pants, two layers on top, and having the blankets. 
• Landed at approximately 2 pm JST. Got through security & customs by 2:45, in a taxi by 3. (The taxi line was super long).
• Got to my hotel around 3:30. Unpacked, and then headed to the gym. This is all part of the plan to stay awake until as close as possible to evening in Japan. 
• Did an hour on the elliptical, and read on my Kindle.
• Back to my room to do some work, catch up on family stuff & watch some Netflix.
• I also ordered room service & got a new menu item (I've been to this hotel many, many times) - the Power Bowl, which was a bunch of veggies, quinoa & chicken. I was starving, and hadn't eaten in maybe 15 hours, so I also had a side of truffle fries. Both were great. 
• Stayed up until 7 pm, and I tried to make it to 7:30, but no chance. Woke up at 3 am JST, because #jetlag.
• Finally got out of bed at 4, admitting to myself that I wasn't going to fall back asleep. My back was killing me, after the plane time, plus the generally inactive day.
• Worked from 4-6 am. The espresso machine in my room wasn't working, and I had a wicked caffeine headache. Hotel restaurant wasn't open, so I had a Coke Zero out of the mini bar. I do not regularly drink soda, but my body really appreciated the caffeine.
• Ran on the treadmill at the gym. Let's just say that they don't have the AC on (it's 90 degrees currently in Tokyo), the treadmills don't have fans, and they still have the COVID protocol plexiglass shields surrounding each treadmill. It was like running in a sauna! 
• Picked up a to go latte at the restaurant on the way back to my room. 

Off to shower & head to the office, where I have meetings from 9-7. After that, my goal is to stay awake & sleep from 8-4 tonight (then, 9-5 tomorrow, if possible). I'll likely pick something up on my way back to the hotel. Typically, I have work dinners every evening, but this trip was unplanned & I'm the only "visitor" in town, so no dinners! I'm ever so grateful I can relax a bit in the evenings. 

A day(ish) in the life on a work trip!