Japan Trip 2003
4月1日 IELCというシカゴにある旅行会社に電話。$790で名古屋までの往復チケットが取れるとの事。
4月7日 旅行会社に二回目の電話。アメリカによるイラク侵攻の可能性が濃厚になったのでチケットが$674まで下がりました。
4月11日 チケットの価格が上昇する前の最終日なので購入を決定。
4月18日 チケットが届きました。
Current Status:
2003/05/22 (and 23) Going Home
| From | To | Departure | Arrival | Duration | Notes | |
| ウィチタ・ミッド・コンチネンタル空港 | ダラス・フォート･ワース国際空港 | アメリカン航空1582便 | 0836(米国中部時間サマータイム) | 0955(CDT) | ||
| ダラス・フォート･ワース国際空港 | 成田空港 | アメリカン航空0061便 | 1200(CDT) | 1500(JST, 5/23) | B777 | |
| 成田空港 | 名古屋空港 | 日本航空0053便 | 1815(JST) | 1925(JST) | B747 |
Angie helped me going to the airport. I found two scriptures of airplane which are made by local artists. I think there should be about 20 or 30 of them. The boarding pass now requires the flight coupon also with the boarding pass. Oh man. You cannot lose anything.
The security check procedure has been changed from the last time I flew. I did not have to take my check in bag to a desk where security staffs check my all of the times in front of people. Rather than that, I just needed my baggage to be unlocked, use a nylon tie up to secure the zipper. The laptop computer must be taken out form the bag to be inspected independently just as usual. I just walked through the metal detector but this time no one checked my shoes. I think leather shoes are not good but running shoes are okay.
The flight took off on time, using runway 19R, went straight south. I saw the power plant, and Belle Plain, about 30 minutes after, around 9:00am, we reached cruise altitude at FL310. I could see the group until the north end of Oklahoma City. The south part is overcastted so I am not sure how much more. I just saw I-135? At the North end.
At the airport, I talked to few people, elderly couple who are going to Charlotte, NC, and a girl who just got a job at AEON, a common English conversation school at Japan. She just graduated last December and going for a training at Tokyo. Then move to Okinawa where she is going to take care of Japanese students for a year.
Looks like sky is overcastted all the way to Dallas. I heard it was 66F at arrival
Arrived in Dallas on time. At Gate C6, moved to A23.
Waited for a while (about 2 hours) then on board. My sea was 23E, which was right at middle of row and met two other folks from Texas. One of a girl is from Gunma, and other person was from Austin. The plane did not take too long to take off and the 12 hours flight begins. Same as the last time, the plane goes up North to Alaska, then following the string of islands, it will reach to Narita International airport.
After take off, we are served with snacks and drink. Then around 1:00pm, they served the lunch. Here is the lunch menu
Lunch
- Sushi Appetizer
- Green Salad
- Main Course
o Beef Tenderloin with Shiitake Sauce and Japanese steamed Rice
o Chicken Parmesan with roasted Potatoes and Green Beans
- Specially Prepared Desert (?)
Afternoon Refreshment
- Turkey and Swiss sandwiches
Light Supper
- Uno’s deep-dish Cheese Pizza
- Japanese Noodles with Chicken in a mild Curry Sauce
In Japanese
昼食
- 寿司
- グリーンサラダ
- メインコース
o 牛テンダーロインの椎茸ソースご飯
o チキンパルメザン ローストポテト さやいんげん
- 特製デザート（らしい？）
午後のスナック
- ターキーとスイスチーズのサンドイッチ
軽い夕食
- ウノのディープディッシュチーズピザ
- 鶏肉入りカレーうどん
The kinda funny thing is that they have chopsticks. Alcohol drinks are available at $5 each.
FL380 for the cruise.
For the lunch, I had beef thing. The beef was just fine.
Around 5:00pm, we get to serve afternoon snack, there was a small sub, a milky way, and a small box of raison, we are at Pacific Ocean, just south of Bering Glacier.
5/23
10:30am, crossed the international date line, four hours away from Tokyo. I changed clocks in my computer and my wrist watch.
1:00pm, about 1.5 hours before reaching to Tokyo, another meal was served. The noodle did not taste anything like Udon noodle. I will need to eat “Real” one after get back to home.
I did not watch any movie, I just slept through.
The airplane was approaching smoothly but they suddenly moved up NW of the airport then landed.
3:00pm, arrived at the terminal. Moving to Terminal #2 from #1 where the plane arrived. I catch the flight to Nagoya. I had a chance to stop by many places in the airport, duty free shop, free internet site, insurance vending machine, and of course, I get to see outside.
Internet café (nothing to be served but a rental on laptop computer). You cannot use your own computer, what they do is to scan your pass port and give you a key which goes into the USB port. After you plug in, you can use the computer. The only problem is that the computer is Japanese computer so if you press a wrong button, the computer start typing Japanese in stead of plain English. I have seen so many people asked for help when it happed. I think they need to do something about it.
I arrived at the gate around 4:30pm. I still have one more hour before the boarding. Ahh…
People wearing masks… are usually older people, I have seen only one person in the airplane and I have seen some security, cleaning personals, and people whose at the counter. Or business people?
The airplane arrived in Nagoya safe, a bit of turbulence before landing but it was okay.
I paid 6590Yen to a taxi from the airport to my home. I got home around 8:30pm
中学時代の友達と会う予定。(また天狗か？)
2003/06/03 Coming Back to the United State
| From | To: | Departure | Arrival | Duration | Note | |
| Nagoya | 成田空港 | Japan Airlines 0054 | 0900(JST) | 1005(JST) | ||
| 成田空港 | ダラス・フォート･ワース国際空港 | American Airlines 0060 | 1815(JST) | 1540(CDT) | ||
| ダラス・フォート･ワース国際空港 | ウィチタ・ミッド・コンチネンタル空港 | American Airlines 3909 | 1651(CDT) | 1802(CDT) |