Across the Pacific!

Wednesday May 20, 2009
9:00 AM JST
The Pacific Ocean

So I am underway some 30000 feet above the Pacific, and in another eight hours I will be stepping off the plane and into the Tokyo-Narita Airport. The happenings of this morning were pretty interesting, and definitely busy. I hadn’t begun packing as of 6:30 AM, had a coffee meeting with a friend at 9:00, and a haircut at 11:00. I made it on time, though. Boarding the plane was kind of comical, because so many people were being forced to condense their items from three, four, and five bags down to two.

A lot of the crew on board were wearing pig snouts as we boarded, openly mocking the “spread” of “Swine flu.” I personally think the whole thing is a huge load of crock. Three people in the US have died so far, from a virus that kills about 35000 annually. Come on, seriously! Even still, a lot of the passengers on this flight are wearing face masks, as if they were going to do them any good. I’m pretty sure if you’re spending 10 ½ hours on a plane with a sick person breathing the same air as them, you’re probably going to get sick.

I wish all flights were as hospitable as international flights. I have an open seat next to me, and we have already been served snacks and a meal twice. I’ve got to say though, Northwest Air does a really crappy job of making you feel like you’re going to Japan. With the exception of some おちゃ and some Japanese beer, the meals are largely Americanized. I had chicken with mashed potatoes and corn, a salad, Oreo Cookies, a small shrimp cocktail, and a glass of Pepsi (because they wouldn’t serve me beer...apparently you have to be 21 on an American registered aircraft). It’s okay though, the food was better than nothing.

I updated the itinerary recently, and all of my documents are in order to land. Hopefully all goes well and I experience no problems going through customs in Tokyo. I’ll write again as soon as possible. Peace!