Well, I’m happy to announce to everyone that I have finally made it to Japan! All I can say so far is wow. At first I was worried that I may have romanticized the idea of coming to Japan but honestly, it has been just as spectacular as I had imagined. It’s so beautiful here; I even got here in time to see the Sakura trees!
Perhaps I’m in my tourist honeymoon phase but everything is so fascinating, even mundane things such as water bottles at the convenience store and the plethora of vending machines. Even though it has been wonderful, there definitely have been some….obstacles to say the least.
The day before I began my journey, I was actually feeling quite sick. Most likely it was from nerves, but I felt like I could hardly eat anything. Even crackers and plain oatmeal was making my stomach turn. There had been a nasty stomach bug going around too and I was worried that I may be starting to catch it, which made my stomach feel worse.
Luckily, the day of my flight my stomach was feeling a little better and I was able to eat larger meals. I swear that day went on what felt like forever. But that left plenty of time for me to do my packing and prepare physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. It hadn’t quite sat in yet that I was leaving my home, my family, friends, church, country, you name it.
And that it was for five months.
And I was going alone.
For the first time.
Needless to say, I was feeling a bit anxious, or dare I say, terrified.
Then the time came where it was finally time to leave for the airport and I was stressed. Did I pack everything? Did I have my documents? Did I have my passport? Did I have (insert anything)? and so on and so forth. I checked my bags and my carry-on I don’t even know how many times (because for some reason the items were just going to magically leave my bag). After checking my list and my bag countless times, I was finally ready and off to the airport for my flight to Seattle, and for the journey to begin.
Thankfully, I had my parents with me to navigate checking in my bags and getting my boarding pass. After I checked in, I began to walk towards security and was pleasantly surprised to see all of my friends from Mosaic! (Mosaic is the campus ministry I have been really involved with before my trip). It made me so happy to see them before I left; they created thoughtful signs, hugged me and prayed over me. After all of the stress and anxiety I had experienced up to this point, it was relieving to have them there. But then after that, I was on my own.
I made my way through security (where I thought I lost my AirPods that turned out to be in my pocket) and headed towards my gate. I was both nervous and so excited I couldn’t sit still and wandered around my gate for a few hours. It still hadn’t quite set in yet that I was leaving; I was too preoccupied with nerves and anticipation. Finally, the announcement was made and I was boarding the plane to Seattle.
The Seattle flight was just fine, just exhausting since it was a red-eye flight. I couldn’t get any sleep so I was awake for almost 24 hours at this point. Once I got to Seattle, I was both sleep deprived and starving, but because it was so early, not many places were open. I eventually found a Starbucks and waited for close to 45 minutes (after I had someone cut in line in front of me, because well, Seattle) and got a very pitiful breakfast sandwich. But I was starving at that point and was willing to eat anything.
After, I went to my gate to try and get some sleep on the floor before my next flight. However, my gate kept changing and I was worried about missing it, so every time I was just about to sleep, I would wake up from anxiety. I felt so sick at this point too from all the exhaustion and lack of food but I just kept praying God would give me strength and chatted with my parents.
Then, the time came when we could finally board our flight! I was on my way to beautiful Japan!
Oh wait, it was delayed.
Thankfully, not by much but all 300 of us were standing for about 45 minutes while we waited to board. It was a relief when the endless sea of people began to funnel toward the gate and we could finally board! I was also seated next to just one other person and had a window seat with lots of legroom. I’ve never flown internationally before and actually enjoyed it. Sure, the 11 hours of flight were long and daunting, but I was comfortable for the most part. Except my knees ached. They served us two hot meals too and provided blankets and a pillow! I was actually able to take a few 10-20 minute naps throughout my flight and get some much needed rest.
Then, all my dreams became a reality. The plane descended and touched down on Japan soil. I was officially in Tokyo, Japan.
But! I couldn’t take it all in yet. I had one more flight to Osaka, and less than two hours to make it through customs and immigration. This is where things got really difficult.
First, the line to get to customs was super slow moving and there were hundreds of people. The airport was very hot and I was wearing many layers (since I came from Alaska). I was trying to interpret the signs and communicate to make sure I was going to the right area, with the little Japanese I knew. Luckily I had made it to customs, but it was flooded with people.
It was loud, it was disorienting, it was hot; I couldn't focus for the life of me. I was worried I was going through the wrong line. I kept checking my phone, the minutes ticking by and the window to get to my next flight shrinking. At this rate, I wasn’t going to make my flight. Luckily, the people at the airport were super nice and did their best to help me get to where I needed to go.
Turns out, I needed to get my luggage and recheck it (I was told it wasn’t needed back home). Thankfully, they did speak enough English for me to find my bags and go through customs, as well as guide me to the checked-bag counter. Finally, a hot and sweaty mess, I brought my bags up to the counter. It was now 4 o’clock in the afternoon and my plane was to be boarding in a few minutes.
Due to the timing and customs/immigration taking so long, I missed my flight to Osaka. But I am glad to report I was not stuck at the Tokyo airport; the nice people at the counter moved me to the next flight that was to take off at 5 o’clock. They gave me a map as well in English and gave me clear directions as to where to go! Going through security was a breeze; much different than our strict security gates back home.
That was something I immediately noticed when I got to Japan: the people were so kind and considerate. I knew of Japanese culture, but reading can only get you so far, as opposed to experiencing it first hand. They tried to speak to me with as much English as possible to ensure I had a safe trip to Osaka.
Fast forward, I did make it to the Osaka airport and was picked up by a staff member to take me to the YWAM base. After almost having a heart attack at the train station from the shinkansen (bullet train) whizzing by, I got on the train and headed towards Kanmaki, where we are stationed.
All I can say is that this place is beautiful. We live in a quiet and peaceful area, where families and elderly couples live and are surrounded by rice fields and a river. I am so blessed and grateful that God placed me at this base and not the one in the big city, Yokohama; I think it would have been too much! I could honestly go on and on about how much I love it here, but we don’t have time for that now.
The trains are amazing, they are so efficient, clean and quiet. It’s very easy to get drowsy on the trains (unless it’s crowded). I wish we could have them up in Alaska, but sadly it would not be feasible, nor would there be enough people. On that, I am surprised that I manage well with people being everywhere, since I have pretty bad social anxiety. But they are quiet, considerate and peaceful, not like us in America where we are loud, obnoxious and rude.
I also LOVE the convenience stores (which they call konbini)! When I went to one that is close to our base, I was expecting a kind of shady, not so clean and not fresh store like the ones back home. But it was the complete opposite! It was like a nice mini-store that was clean, had a million snacks (for cheap too!) and all the food is fresh. I have even eaten a few meals there! With it being so close too, it’s easy to spend all my spending money there, but thankfully it’s pretty cheap and delicious.
There is so much that I could write about the stores, the people, the trains, etc. but I will save those for another time. We have started classes too which is wonderful and is really helping me deepen my relationship with God and others. Again, I could write endlessly but will save those for another time.
Basically, I want to let everyone know that I am alive and well, and loving Japan! I can’t wait to share more in depth about food, school, sightseeing and everything in between. Stay tuned!
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