Land of the Rising Sun
0330. The sun is abed. Moonlight dances through my window, waking me to a new day, filled with adventure and the unknown. Oh, and interminable waiting. Land of the rising sun, here I come.
Today was going to be my inaugural flight on Jetstar to Japan. Apprehension filled me, as flying on a budget airline conjured up images of crowded, uncomfortable seats, noisy passengers and sub-par food and entertainment. A smooth car ride to the airport, courtesy of no traffic at 4am on a saturdy morning, saw the first stage begin. Upon reaching the domestic terminal for the leg to the Gold Coast, we were told that contrary to information provided to us previously, we only needed to turn up 45mins instead of 2 hours before the flight to check-in, as this was only a domestic flight and didn’t count as an part of an international flight. Strike One.
The flight to the Gold Coast proved my worst fears. Rowdy, restless passengers jumping up and down, shouting and yelling. And crowded seats. The excitement of the recent year 12 graduates on their way to schoolies was endless and knew no bounds as they bragged about what they were going to get upto there, what they would wear, and whether they thought this or that guy was cute. But if I thought THAT was bad, the Gold Coast airport was worse. It is literally a hole.
I had to wait 45mins before they would allow me to re-check-in my baggage (yes, I had to pick it up from the carousel), then I went into the terminal thinking I’d do some duty-free shopping. I go past immigration, enter the duty free store, 15 seconds later I had already walked out of it. There was like 5 metres of duty free shopping. That was it! I was like…errr…ok. I move into the terminal to be confronted by a 30x20metre room, which comprised of 3 gates. I spent FOUR hours waiting inside that cubicle for my flight. Luckily there was ONE cafe to get food from. Hole much.
The plane arrived, after a 30min delay, and upon boarding, I was pleasantly surprised at the spaciousness of the seats. It wasn’t actually crowded!!! That flight would have had to be one of the most comfortable seats I’ve been on. It was an A330-200 for those interested. It was a long 9 hour flight. Sleeping wasn’t that easy and not having ordered food or entertainment, I only had my book to read. And a good book it was: The Fellowship of the Ring. Anywayyyy, long flight over, I landed in Osaka, Japan.
Jetstar opinion: The fact that ticket cost $1k, when other airlines are charging like $2k made it bearable. I do prefer airlines that check your luggage through for you, and having to not pay for everything is nice too. Soooo, it’s a gentle balance between cost, cost and price. =p
Japan, Japan, Japan.
Where to begin. The most important aspect to remember is that I came to Japan to be with my girlfriend. Long distance relationships are not easy, and it was super-good to see my girlfriend again. We took a hotel bus to the hotel we were staying at, and I slept and slept to make up for that flight.
The first thing I ate in Japan was onigiri from the local 7-11 store. They cost around 100yen, so around a dollar, and they are really nice. The really good ones are the ones where the seaweed is kept fresh. Tastes soooo good, and is awesome for a snack. The second thing I ate was oden. Tasty. mmmm. yum.
Food is going to be a major focus of my time in Japan.
