Conquering The Air (Part 2)

After having been in the air for almost two hours, we landed at London Heathrow on schedule at 8:15am local time, excited what Europe's busiest airport was like. When the two of us were finally out of the plane, we followed the masses (and those purple signs that read "Flight Connections") to Terminal 5's passport and ticket control, passing toilets as well as the border control. After this control, we were reminded to put all liquids we had into a transparent plastic bag and throw away drinks and bottles, which we thought was stupid, because we'd already been controlled in Munich and the drinks we had were those we'd bought after security control in Munich after all, but oh well. No reason to start complaining, this was how it was after all and nothing could be done about that. And it was for safety after all, so yeah. We'd just have to buy new drinks after the security control once again.

So we were lead to an escalator that brought us to the security control, where we - again - had to line up and wait a while. Everything went smoothly, though, no alarm, no questions. 

And then we were there, between crowds of people and shops, carrying our heavy handluggage. We had five hours to pass, so we started with giving ourselves a tour of the Terminal. 

There were so many shops, especially expensive ones. It ranged from WHSmith, Boots, Harrods and The London 2012 Shop to Bulgari, Gucci and Prada. On our quest for food, we discovered quite a few restaurants, such as Eat., Wagamama, Giraffe, Starbucks or the Seafood Bar, but in the end, we bought one of those sandwiches at WHSmith. I paid with pound, since I had still some left from the last year when I was in London, but it was also possible to pay for example with an EC-card. 

Thanks to our heavy carry-on baggage, soon we were exhausted, so we sat down in one of those waiting areas and tried to figure out where to go in order to ask to which gate we'd have to go for our flight, since no gate was written on our ticket. Thus, we went to the information desk and were told that we'd simply have to wait until 12 o'clock, that means one and a half hours before our flight was scheduled, and look at the screens where the flights, gates, boarding and departure time were written on. 

We did as we were told and waited and waited. There was not much we wanted to do, so we just stayed in the waiting area, talking and watching people. 

Then it was finally 12 and the gate was added next to our flight on the screen. C52, that was where we had to go to. So we followed the signs that read "Gates C" or something like that and eventually, we had to take the elevator downstairs and go by an underground train to gates C. We were one of the first to enter the train, so we even got a seat for the short ride and the train was extremely crowded. To us, it seemed like some kind of practice for what could await us in Japan at rush hour. 

When we reached our gate, of course, we still had about half an hour until boarding began. 

We were really excited and nervous. Soon, we'd be in the air for almost twelve hours, longer than every flight we'd been on before, and when we'd land , we would almost be on the other side of the earth! How often did we dream about this moment before? And now it would soon be reality. 

While we were waiting, we studied the other people sitting around us. It was strange to know that we'd be on the plane together with them for half a day, and whatever would happen up there, we'd all be in the same boat, well, or rather plane. Should our plane crash-land on a remote island, these were the people we would have to team up with.
Though neither of us thought about what could possibly happen and all those catastrophes back then, since this journey was something we'd wanted to do for so long and nothing could stop us from trying to fulfill this dream of ours. 
Catastrophes and their possible outcomes, hah, we'd only think about them the moment the oxygen masks would fall down. And for everything that'd come after the crash-landing, I've written my seminar papers in school about "Lord of the Flies", so I know what's going to happen and how I'd survive. ;D Just kidding, really. 

Anyways, soon after, boarding began and we were among the first ten rows that were called. Quickly, we took out our passports and boarding passes, grabbed our handluggage and joined the line that had already formed by now. After our passes had been checked once again, we were lead down an escalator and had to go through a long passage until we finally reached the airplane.

There, we were welcomed by the stewardesses and stewards and they showed us which way we had to go in order to reach our seats. So we passed through the first class, the business class, the premium economy class and almost the entire economy class until we arrived at the seats we'd reserved months beforehand, after pondering on which side of the plane we'd have to sit in order to possibly see Mt. Fuji. 

While more and more passengers entered the aircraft and searched for their seats, we tried to make ourselves comfortable which was not as easy as it may sound, since we didn't have much space and on our seats, there were a small pillow, a blanket, headphones and a tootbrush, which were provided by the airline. Plus, I also had to stow my notebook bag away under the seat of the person in front of me as well as my legs, which - also - was not as easy as it may sound. We managed, though, and I swore to myself that - on the return flight - I would put everything I really really needed, like my MP3 Player or tissues or a drink, in a small bag and put the notebook bag together with my backpack into the hand-luggage compartment. 

As always, it took a while until everyone was seated and wore a seat belt, while the video about what to do in case of an emergency was already running, this time with Japanese subtitles. And  there was - as you'd expect in an airplane heading to Tokyo - a Japanese speaking stewardess on board as well and we were fascinated by listening to her, even though we'd heard people speak Japanese lots of times not only on TV but also in real life before. Nevertheless, this was different. We realized that this was the point where our journey really began.

Conquering The Air (Part 1)

Since we arrived in Munich in the afternoon and our flight was scheduled for the next morning, we had booked a room at Kempinski Hotel about two months or so beforehand (because of the  early booking deal) in order to get at least some sleep. 

The hotel is located conveniently between terminals 1 and 2 and no matter whether you arrive by car/bus, train or plane, there are always signs that'll lead you there. It's a five star hotel and it was my first time staying in one. The best hotel I've been in before was the Estrel hotel in Berlin, which had four stars. 

So when we arrived, exhausted and sweaty from the heat and from pulling our suitcases and carrying our bags all the way there, and went to the front desk, we felt quite...cheap. Everything was so luxurious and clean and shiny and there even was a hotel porter and there I stood in my baggy tee and really short jeans, cut-off style. I was not used to stuff like that, because hey, I'm just a student after all and I'm used to youth hostels and budget hotels, so this was... wow. I really felt cheap and ashamed for being dressed so sloppily, but I had been some hours on the train after all and had wanted to wear something comfortable.  

The hotel porter took our luggage and accompanied us to our room, here and there remarking some facts about the hotel and what offers we could use. In our room, he explained how to regulate the temperature of the room and other stuff we didn't even listen to because my friend and I were discussing whether we should tip him or not, because - obviously - he was taking his time with explaining so that we could take out our purses. However, before we were able to come to an agreement, he was already leaving and yeah... Ah well. Our image was already ruined by my sloppy look, so it couldn't get any worse than it already was anyway. 

Instead of worrying about what other people thought about us, we busied ourselves with exploring our room, calling our families and telling them that we'd arrived safely and taking some photos. We had a standard room, which was - in our opinion - really big (30 square meters), with a king-size bed, a flat screen TV and a great bathroom. 

The view from our window wasn't that bad either. 

It was awesome, but only for a night after all, and not even a whole one since we had to check out at about 4 or 5am the next morning due to our flight. And we knew that our hotel room in Tokyo would only have 10 square meters, so it was best not to get used to this luxury and space. 

After changing clothes, we decided to stroll around the hotel and airport and look for the terminal and check-in counter we'd have to go to the following morning, so that we wouldn't have to wander around and search for it in the morning. 

A corridor in the hotel

 The elevator

 View from the elevator over the huge hotel hall

 The front desk

Some kind of food stall in the airport

After returning to the hotel, we wanted to check out the spa and wellness area, so we took our swimsuits and the bath robes that were neatly folded together and lying on our bed and headed to the lowest story of the hotel, where we were welcomed and offered towels.

The pool area

There was a pool, many comfortable loungers, a whirlpool, a sauna, a steam bath and hardly any other people. Apples and water, which tasted slightly of lemon, were provided for free. We relaxed there for some hours and enjoyed taking a swim before going back to our room. 

By now, it was getting dark outside. 

After having eaten something in the airport, calling the front desk in order to ask for a wake up call at 3:30am and putting out everything that we'd need the next morning, we went to bed really early and went to sleep only to be woken by a thunderstorm at 3am. Well, actually, the thunderstorm seemed to be almost over by then, only some lightnings and thunders every five or ten minutes or so.

 The airport at night when we woke up

When the hotel staff called us at 3:30am, we were already awake and at 4am, we decided to check out. After getting a luggage cart and putting all our bags and suitcases on it, we took the elevator down to the lobby. The front desk lady asked whether we'd liked to take the shuttle service to our terminal, but we refused and decided to walk the short way. We had lots of time left anyway until the check-in would begin at 5:20am. 

It was not my first time to be in an airport in the middle of the night, but still, it was always surprising to see how deserted everything was, compared to how crowded it was the day before. When we arrived at the British Airways check-in counter, though, there were already about a dozen of other people waiting. We searched for a nice place to sit down and waited, taking care not to fall asleep since we were still really tired. Our excitement, however, was greater than our tiredness and after talking for a while and watching other people come and go, our check-in counter was opened and we joined the queue. 

While standing in the line, we noticed that most people already had those suitcase tags that are provided by the airline when you check-in, but we hadn't any. So I left the queue for a moment and quickly walked to the British Airways info desk in order to ask where we got those, but I was told that it was given to me when checking in. I went back to my friend in the line and we waited until it was our turn. The check-in process went off smoothly, our suitcases weren't too heavy (they were allowed to weigh 23kg), each of us had one piece of hand luggage as well as a handbag or notebook bag, we hadn't forgotten our passports, so everything was alright and we were given two flight tickets each. One from Munich to London Heathrow, and one from London Heathrow to Tokyo Narita. 

Quickly, we joined the line for security control and again, everything went off smoothly and fast. 
Sweet! As it was only about 6 am, we still had more than an hour until our plane would take off at 7:20h. We looked around for a while, but in this terminal, there were only like, two or three shops and a small bakery, so yeah... We'd been in the other terminal the year before when we waited for our flight to Barcelona, and after security control, there'd been so many shops and drink machines were you could get coffee, cocoa and tea for free, so we were a bit disappointed upon seeing that there was nothing to see there. But well, we just had to wait for an hour, so we simply sat down and relaxed a bit more, talking and calling our families.

And then suddenly, the boarding call for our flight came and we eagerly went to our gate, got our passports and tickets checked once again, and were finally able to enter the plane that'd bring us to London.

As always, there was a short film about what to do in an emergency, a film we'd be watching four times in total on our journey. The stewardesses gesticulated in order to show where the emergency exits were located and afterwards, checked whether everyone had fastened their seat belts. In the meantime, I was - again - taking some photos, even though there were raindrops on the window, maybe from the thunderstorm some hours prior. Nothing could stop me! 

Ah well, except for the stewardesses who, as always, ordered to turn off all electronic devices. 

Finally, we took off and could catch a glimpse of the Alps, before everything disappeared under clouds.

The Alps in the background

Since this was just a short-distance flight, the plane didn't have an entertainment system, like films or games, so we just spent the time relaxing and occasionally taking some photos. It was morning, thus we were served coffee, tea or juice for drinks, and snacks.

   

One and a half hours later, the clouds were clearing and we were able to get a great view over London. Quickly, we took some photos before the stewardesses announced that the plane would soon begin its final descent and that we had to fasten our seat belts once again and turn off all electronic devices. 

That's it for now. ^__^ Comments are appreciated and if you have questions, please feel free to ask. The next parts will be published soon and will cover the flight from London to Tokyo Narita and our arrival in the land of the rising sun, so stay tuned! 

~Mina

From A Mere Wish To A Planned Journey

My wish to go to Japan had been existing for several years already, when my best friend and I once again day-dreamed about how awesome it would be to really go there, to actually see all those buildings and shops and other things we've read about, seen on TV in documentary reports or in anime. It was February, and we've been day-dreaming about going there together for more than a year or even more than two years at that time, and just like always, we were searching for cheap flights and cheap hotels on the Internet, wishing to simply click on "book this flight" and "book a room", but knowing it would never be possible, because Japan was just soooo far away, and the whole journey would be too expensive for us, as we were mere high school students. Or so we thought. 

Until I was sitting in the living room with my laptop on the coffee table, browsing through flights from British Airways over Lufthansa to Aeroflot, when my father suddenly came and was interested in how much such a return ticket to Japan actually was. I told him that right now, there were several flights from British Airways, Aeroflot and Airchina for about 680 € for a flight in August or September. To me, this still seemed to be quite expensive, but at least cheaper than those Lufthansa flights for about 1200 €. My father, however, said that for a return ticket, this was really cheap and if I was able to really book a flight for less than 700 €, he would pay the flight and give it to me as a present for my 18th birthday as well as for passing my final exams in June. 

I was shocked. Like, really shocked. I'd never expected this. Actually, I didn't even believe him at first. Nevertheless, I was excited all of a sudden. Immediately, I wrote an email to my best friend, proclaiming the good news. 

But what about her, you may wonder. 

Well, as far as I was informed at that time, she already knew from her father that she'd get money for her birthday and for passing the final exams as well and that it would be enough to travel before starting to go to university. What I didn't know was whether her parents would permit her to go as far away as to Japan. Well, after the final exams we'd both be 18, so yeah... that shouldn't be a problem. And in the end, there was no problem, because her parents had already told her that she could go to Japan if she wanted to, since the two of us had been in London on our own the year before and there hadn't been any problems. So yeah... 

Two months later, in April, our flight was booked as well as our hotel room in Tokyo. We had decided against our original plan which included visiting not only Tokyo, but also Kyoto, Hiroshima and Kagoshima within 3 weeks and staying in different guest families and/or hotels, and instead agreed on simply staying in Tokyo for 2 weeks, taking it slow. Two weeks, that was longer than we'd ever been away from home after all. Besides, Tokyo seemed interesting enough to us and there were so many things we wanted to do and see in that city alone.... We thought that - with our basic Japanese - it'd be the best not to do something complicated. We simply wanted to see what Japan really was like. The country, the Japanese culture, mentality, their way of life, their food, their customs... 

So, in between studying like crazy for the final exams of our school life and studying even more, we decided where to go and which sights to visit in those rare free moments we had from the time we began to learn and learn and learn at the beginning of April and the first exams in May to the end of June, when the last exam was over. Often, this journey was the only thing that kept us motivated to go on and study and get this stuff finally over with. 

And then all of a sudden, school was over for us. It was July, we were excited and counted the days until August 20, the day we'd start our journey, and finally, we were able to start planning "seriously". Japan being a country we imagined to be very differently from Germany, we tried to be prepared as best as possible. We were already able to speak some basic Japanese that would for example allow us to ask for the way or order in a restaurant, simple conversation like that. And thankfully, we also already knew how to read and write Hiragana and Katakana, which later helped us a lot, as well as some random kanji we've learned over the past few years. Still, we felt really unprepared, so we tried to improve our Japanese skills a bit and collected as much information as we could, for example about public transport in Tokyo, opening hours, locations and entry fees of different sights and attractions we wanted to see and visit, and so on. 

Since I'm a big fan of organising things and making plans, I tried to fit as many sights as possible in one day, but - of course - I left lots of time for shopping and strolling around. Surely, we could've done all that planning spontaneously, too, but since we had so much time until our journey began, we thought it'd be best to plan it all beforehand in order to save time later on. As we wanted to see as much as possible of Tokyo, we planned to spend one day in one particular part of the city in order to avoid wasting a lot of time on the metro each day. Furthermore, our plan also included a day-trip to Kamakura, one to Enoshima and another one to Yokohama. 

Then, all of a sudden, we were already standing at our town's station, waiting for our train to Tokyo, uhm, to Munich Airport. Time sure flies... 

In the next few posts, I'll tell you about our flight from Munich to London Heathrow and from London Heathrow to Tokyo Narita Airport, about our arrival there as well as our way to the hotel. So stay tuned!

~Mina

Some First Impressions Of Our Journey

Before reporting about our journey, I'd like to show you some photos from our first few days in Japan. 

 Finally reaching Japan :D        

Akihabara at night

Lots of vending machines

 The Imperial Palace

View from Tokyo Tower (in the background you can see the Tokyo Sky Tree)

View from Tokyo Tower (in the foreground, you can see Shiba Koen) 

The Tokyo Sky Tree in the background, as well as the blimp or zeppelin that is always circling around 

View from Tokyo Tower 

View from Tokyo Tower  (in the middle, you can see the DoCoMo Clock Tower and a bit farther left the Metropolitan Government Building)

Tokyo Tower as seen from Shiba Koen 

On the train ride from Narita Airport to Tokyo 

 Tokyo Tower

View from the Metropolitan Government Building (North Tower) at night

So, that's it for now. I'm really looking forward to finally being able to write about all the great things we have seen in the short time we've been to Tokyo.