Nuts and Bolts about Japan Trip

So Papi is finally asking all the questions and expecting ME to know all the answers.
1.  How do we get money in Japan?
All the travel sites say that Japan is still a cash-based society and that most ATMs only accept Japan-issued cards.  But they also say the the post offices and the 7-eleven stores have ATM that accept foreign debit/credit cards.  We have marked locations of both near the Citadines in Shinjuku.

2.  How do we get from Narita Airport to Shinjuku Station?
Our flight on United Airlines is supposed to arrive at Terminal 1 South Wing.  On the map below, the Narita Express (NEX) to Tokyo is supposed to arrive on platform 1.

The ticket costs 3190 yen.  Our flight is scheduled to arrive at 3:50 pm and if customs takes an hour, we should be leaving around 5 pm or 17. (rush hour...).   There's a Narita Express at 17:16, arriving at Shinjuku at 18:48.  Another one at 18:15, arriving at 19:48.  At Tokyo Station, the Narita Express (NEX) splits in two: The cars of No. 1-5 go to Yokohama and the No. 6-11 cars go to Shinjuku.  I think we have assigned seats so we should end up on the right car.

When we get to Shinjuku, the most traveled train station in the world, we are to find the East Exit and come out where everybody meets up, but looking at the map, it is rather overwhelming!

3. How do we get from Shinjuku Station to the Citadines Central Shinjuki Hotel?

As you can see, both the Narita Express (platforms 5 and 6 on the bottom left) and the East Gate (bottom right) are at the bottom of the map so maybe it will be easy...  TimeOutTokyo says to meet up at the Studio Alta exit (B13) which should put us on the right side for the walk to the Citadines.  It should look like this:

Google Maps says it is 6 minutes by foot from Studio Alta to the Citadines Central Shinjuku, via "unnamed roads".

As long as our google map is working, we should be ok.  By the way, we bought a couple of power banks in case our iPhones run out of juice on the plane.

4.  Do we get a Pasmo/Suica card or a 3-Day Subway Pass?

I already posted about this back in September.  However, the 3 day Tokyo subway pass for 1500 yen also looks good.  The trip from Shinjuku to Minowa Station alone is 240 to 340 yen, depending on the line.  However if we get it for the first 3 days (Jan. 12, 13, and 14), we'll need to get another one for the time with Juan and Mandy but if they don't get one, then we'll probably be more frugal about our subway trips.   One thing to note is that the Japan Rail (JR) Yamanote line which circles the city is not covered by the subway pass.

We can pick up a Tokyo Metro Guide at the Tourist Information Center (TIC) at Terminal 1 in Narita Airport.

At Home in Japan

At Home in Japan: A Foreign Woman's Journey of Discovery is the title of a recent book I read by Rebecca Otawa, a California-born, then Australia-raised woman who married a Japanese farmer near Kyoto, as well as his 350 year-old farmhouse.  She goes through her trials and tribulations fitting into a Japanese household and community, especially dealing with the subservient role of women in Japanese society.  For instance, the young wife is the very last person to use the bath water...  And yet this Western woman does survive and thrives in her new surroundings.

A very similar story is that of Nancy Singleton Hachisu, a Californian who also married a Japanese farmer near Kyoto and has published two recent cookbooks: Japanese Farm Food and Preserving the Japanese Way: Traditions of Salting, Fermenting, and Pickling for the Modern Kitchen.  You can meet her in a Begin Japanology episode: Japanophiles - Nancy Singleton Hachisu.  Obviously both women had very supportive and understanding Japanese husbands.