This is the second part of my posts about getting engaged. Here is the first part:
Winter Break Part 7: I Got Engaged!
When
we arrived at Maihama Station we went out the north exit (not towards
Disney), went to a clock tower, and waited there. I realized we were
waiting for a bus or something, but I had no idea where it would take
us.
Other people started gathering in the same area,
but then they got onto a hotel shuttle bus. Jonathan was very worried
and thought whatever we were going to might be canceled. He kept
checking a website and tried calling some number, but something wasn't
updating and he couldn't find out anything. A couple other buses came,
but they weren't what we were waiting for. I said I was happy enough and
didn't care if we did anything else. I couldn't imagine the day getting
any better so I really meant it. Jonathan was still very worried
though. Whatever we were waiting for was late.
There
was a group of three people who seemed to be waiting for the same thing.
They spoke Chinese, but one guy spoke English and asked Jonathan if he
was waiting for the same thing. I didn't catch the name of the place
though. So then that guy called the place and told us the shuttle would
be there around 7. Jonathan was very relieved!
When the
shuttle van arrived I was very excited to see what it said on the side.
Helicopter tours! I have wanted to do that for a looong time. I saw
people fly over Tokyo in a helicopter when I watched some silly show
called "I Survived a Japanese Game Show" back in college. Then I looked
into it when I moved to Japan but it was expensive.
The driver didn't acknowledge us and seemed in a bad mood or something, but oh well. We were on our way!
Luckily
the late shuttle and driver were the only bad experience. Once we
arrived at Urayasu Heliport, the staff was extremely professional and it
felt classy. The lounge was nice and I had a free orange juice while we
waited for our flight.
We had to put our stuff in
lockers, go through a metal detector, and watch a safety video before
boarding. Then it was time to go! Boarding was exciting because the
propellers really created a lot of wind. They spun super fast and were a
bit scary, but cool!
We got in the helicopter with six
other people. There were four seats facing forward and four facing
back. They all faced each other. I was on the right side, by the window,
facing forward.
After buckling in we soon took off. It
was sooooooooo beautiful. It was a super clear night and the city
sparkled. I've been up in towers at night, but they don't even come
close. As the helicopter flew, the view constantly changed. It was
awesome every time the helicopter tilted as it turned. We flew over many
famous places such as Tokyo Tower, Skytree, Tokyo Dome, and Rainbow
Bridge. So perfect!
It
was pretty much impossible to get good photos, but Jonathan did take a
few short videos. These pictures are some stills from that video. They
don't do the view justice at all though.