However, before I even got into Japan I had to fly across the US along with another flight across the Pacific Ocean. The day started around 8:00 am at the Kansas City international airport. I caught my flight in time and I was excited/nervous for my first flight in about 10 years. I enjoyed the flight, although I was not used to the tight quarters. I got this picture out of the window:
The plane landed in Salt Lake City, but I found that my next plane left in less than an hour and was on the other side of the airport. Let's sprint. But first, another photo of the countryside:
I got to my connecting flight in time. I showed I was legal and was supposed to go to Canada. A five minute wait and I'm off!
/No plane photo here. Too lazy.
The plane lands in Vancouver and I have to pass through customs for the first time. I have a connecting flight in a little over an hour and I am a bit nervous about missing it. However, the process is streamlined for people passing through and I am quickly shuffled into the airport.
While I'm in the airport, I figured I should eat since I haven't done so for about six hours. Looking for something quick whose process I could understand, I settled for a Subway sandwich. I order my sandwich, but it does not occur to me until the cash register that I am in Canada. I have no Canadian currency! But, this is an airport and international traffic is the norm. I was able to pay with my American currency at 1 USD = 1 CAD, I lost some money in the exchange, but it was worth it for the instant convenience. I sat down to quickly eat my lunch. By the time I finished, I heard the final boarding announcement for my flight. Dash! Through the gates I go and I found my way onto the plane.
This flight across the Pacific ocean is the one I dreaded most, for obvious reasons. It will be eleven hours long and I have nowhere to go. Instead of discussing every part of the ordeal, I will just say that I couldn't sleep in my chair, we were in sunlight the entire trip, and I watched The Day the Earth Stood Still, a mediocre movie and not as good as the original.
After eleven long hours, I finally see land. The final landing and confirmation that I did, in fact, not miss any flights as I thought I would. The plane lands and everyone is shuffled through customs. I did not bring anything to sell and that was fine by them. In addition, because I am a foreigner, my picture was taken and my fingerprints were recorded. No ridiculous crimes for me, I guess. I picked up my luggage and it was time to meet up with the person who was going to help me find my way into the city. I met up with a student from the university I'm attending along with another person who arrived on the same flight as me. Since there was too much luggage to carry onto the trains we have to get the post office to send it to our destination where it will arrive a day later. It's okay. I packed a change of clothes in my carry-on luggage.
After we got our tickets, we will have to ride several trains for an hour, mostly because the airport is far away from other parts of the city. I wanted to take pictures of the train and how it is always packed, but it seems a bit rude and inappropriate to take photos of people who just want to get to their destination. Perhaps later. Who knows. Since it was already dark at 6:00 (no daylight savings) and since it was rainy, I could not gawk at the city as our train passes through the night. It was all so fresh and new for this guy who has spent most of his life in Kansas.
After the train rides, we exit the station at Nishi-Kawaguchi in Warabi, north of Tokyo. A short bus ride later due to the rain and we are lost. None of us have been in this area before so we did not know where to go. The student from the university had a map, but it was near useless since there are not many recognizable landmarks. It also doesn't help that Japanese neighborhoods are notoriously difficult to navigate with narrow streets and building addresses which are assigned in the order in which a new building is created. We eventually find our way to DK House Warabi, my place of residence for the next four months.
It was a long trip, but I am finally in Japan. Let's hope I don't get deported.
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