TOKYO — Only 26 hours after I left my front door on Monday (Minnesota time), I reached the front door of the hotel in which Rachel Blount and I will stay while covering the Olympics.

We flew to Atlanta and connected to Japan, the longer flight taking about 14 hours. Then we went through about eight stops during COVID protocols, as well as tests and customs at the Haneda airport. Then we bused to the MPC (Main Press Center) and then took taxis (one passenger per cab) to our hotel.

I'll touch on the more comical aspects of the journey in an upcoming column, but here are quick first impressions:

Tokyo is massive, beautiful and clean, at least the parts I've seen.

Yes, we were tested and questioned endlessly at the airport, but the Olympics are allowing unvaccinated athletes to enter Japan, so all of the extra protocols seem contradictory.

I'm in the smallest hotel room I've ever seen. I can change the channel while in the shower. Without a remote.