Tokyo, Japan

Half way around the world; where today is tomorrow. I flew almost 9,000 miles over the course of 13 hours. I didn’t know whether to say good morning or good night….so good day became my greeting for the week. It was nothing short of exhausting.

Roundtrip, I was lucky enough to fly first class. (That’s a $10,000 ticket, mind you). Here’s an idea of what this entailed. I alone had 3 windows to gaze out of. I had 4 air vents, 4 lights, my own personal video unit. My personal “cubicle” boasted a workstation that easily converted into a bed which allows one to sleep on his/her stomach. Now, step back and think about that. Sleeping on one’s stomach implies the chair lay perfectly flat. Perfectly flat.

The Japanese are a very warm, inviting people. They aim to please. Everyone bows and politely asks what your needs are. As their customer, it is their job, their duty to ensure everything you need is there and meets standards. I can see where westerners could very easily take advantage of these gentle people. As a person who has done everything on her own for so long, it was difficult to acquiesce to their way of life. By week’s end, I found it difficult to revert back to carrying my own bags.

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I love Japanese food. I now realize that I had not yet experienced Japanese food until eating IN Japan. Wow…before, my buds would dance a slow Viennese Waltz when fresh fish would hit my tongue. In Japan, my taste buds did the Rumba, the Salsa, the Tango….all at the same time. It was an explosion of fresh in my mouth, never before experienced. I used to say I wanted to go to China, just to have Peking Duck for the day. Now, I long to return to Japan just for the food.

What impressed me most about Japan was the ground crew at the airport. The baggage handlers, and those who direct the plane to the gate. As someone who has 1.5 million miles under her belt, I’ve seen a lot of workers on the tarmac. But never in my life, have I ever seen a crew wave a plane good bye as it makes it way to taxi. Again, stop and think about this. Every business protocol says these workers should move onto the next gate with a waiting aircraft, striving to increase efficiencies and decrease turn around times. Instead, these workers stood on the tarmac (in the rain), waiving to the passengers in my plane. I’m not sure how many passengers actually noticed, but it was evident this was something that they did regularly. They kindly smiled and wished us safe travels. Well, Japan, I noticed. And I thank you for your brief hospitality. I’ll be back to indulge myself later in the year.