Out of all the stages of the moving process, the actual flight was definitely the phase we were dreading the most. Jeffrey, like any 3 year old, gets bored pretty easily, and Jonathan does not like to sit still anywhere. Dealing with those two on an airplane for 14+ hours did not sound like fun. We packed lots of toys and books, downloaded some of their favorite shows on a pair of Kindles, and hoped for the best. We were also taking an obscene amount of luggage, and between the four of us we had about 15 backpacks and bags (including our giant carseats).
Thankfully, Jackie’s parents dropped us off and were able to help carry some of the bags. We said our goodbyes and took our last picture in the States. Thanks to my TSA precheck and a super nice TSA agent who let Jackie go through the precheck line, getting into the terminal was pretty smooth, all things considered.
We had a short hop from Norfolk to New Jersey, and from Jersey all the way to Tokyo. The layover was a little over an hour, enough time to casually get some breakfast and let the kids run around for a bit. Jeffrey in particular enjoyed the view of the tarmac.
COVID-19 has made for a pretty miserable 2020 overall, but we were blessed with something pretty incredible (besides being able to move to Japan): we basically had an entire 787 Dreamliner all to ourselves. Thanks to Japan’s tourism ban, there were just a few Japanese nationals and government employees on the flight. There were seriously less than 15 people on an airplane that sits 220. The flight staff to passenger ratio was pretty close to 1/1. We took up entire rows to ourselves to take naps. I don’t know how United could possibly make any money, but it definitely worked out great for us. (They even gave us goodies from first class because no one was up there!) I don’t know how we’re going to fly in a full airplane again.
All in all, the flight was pretty enjoyable. Yes, we were really happy when we finally landed, but the kids were great, everyone got some naps in, and I finally got around to watching Dr. Strangelove (I stuck to the classics like You’ve Got Mail and Lord of the Rings). Jeffrey in particular loved staring out the window, though Jonathan liked peeking out every once in a while.
Fourteen short hours later, we were finally on Japanese soil. People weren’t lying when they said that the Japanese are super friendly and polite. On more than one occasion the immigration or customs agents were apologizing to me for some small miscommunication, and a super nice employee at baggage offered to help push one of our carts through customs all the way out of the airport. It was a little strange to be stopped by security, only to find out they were just trying to help us navigate. Even though it did take a few hours to make it to the van, it was a very pleasant experience.
After months of HR paperwork, moving preparations, getting the house ready to rent, and a hundred other little things, we’re finally here!
BRB, out to Japan – Taylor