Day 1 -- The flight and check-in

Day 1 -- Flight

Saturday, May 11, 2013

8:02 PM

We have set out on our lengthy flight to Japan. Our flight to New York went as you might expect any domestic travel to go, as long as you're used to traveling with no hitches. At JFK International Airport we boarded our plane to Japan… aboard China Airlines. It's funny to me too, but I'm guessing Japan's just on the way. As I type this part of the entry, we're less than halfway there. Our very sharply dressed flight attendants are trilingual, which is absolutely amazing. They may even know more, since some of the reading material is also in Korean, but none of the announcements were, so probably just a courtesy.  We had an in flight meal that was pretty good as far as airline food goes. There was chicken, rice, a salad and fruit cup, something I couldn't identify (looked like sashimi with some kind of thick white sauce), and a slice of strawberry cheesecake. I was pleasantly surprised to find that beer was included on the free in-flight beverage list. I gratefully accepted a Sapporo and a Taiwanese beer (Taiwan Gold Medal I believe?).

Don't worry, they were small. I found out later that wine is also offered, which if I had known I probably would have opted for, but I'm not complaining at all. I know what you're thinking, but this was, in fact, business class. I have my suspicions that everything is nicer (and free alcohol is provided) because of the way business is conducted in Asian countries, which is very similar to the US in the 50s, that is, very personal and focused on relations rather than strictly business. Of course, it could also be because it's a 14 hour flight, and they pity us. Either way, I'm a very happy camper.

Our flight path is taking us over Canada. Here's where we are now:

 There is a screen in front of me (how I got the pretty picture), known well I presume to frequent international travelers. I've watched two movies in Chinese about Tai Chi (with subs of course). They were a lot of fun to watch, and really showed how, as in many Asian countries, elders are deeply respected, and change is slow and resisted by most. They also showed off some pretty sweet kung fu. I have my roommate Sida to thank for recommending them. So… thanks!

As a final note about our flight, in case you're curious, I’m on a B7470-400.

Post Flight Adventure:

We meet up with Yabe Sensei (Our Japanese guide, who is a teacher) in the lobby of our hotel. Afterwards I wandered the streets of Japan alone, in search of adventure. I found a Lawson, which is the next best thing. No English was spoken, which is exactly how I like it. That's it for today, tune in tomorrow for another episode.

Our hotel

The walk up to our hotel

The Lawson I visited

Edit: A Lawson is a convenience store. Convenience stores (konbini) in Japan are amazing places where you can get pretty much anything you need. I'm in Japan for a business course I'm taking through Appalachian State University. I am minoring in Japanese.