Packing and the Flight

I am now at the end of my fifth day here in Tokyo, and I have been so busy sorting things out and settling in that my blog has had to take a bit of a back-seat. But it's finally taken up it's back-seat driving ways and has reared his head again. So I'll start from where I left off...

My last few days at home in the UK were really quite manic. There were so many last minute things to sort out, so many jobs left unfinished, so many bags needing to be packed...
But I got it all done, through the magic of lists and planning each day's activities (very sad I know but it gets the job done).

For anyone planning to do something similar, the following list should be useful, if not, then it's probably best just to skip it.

What I packed:

In my laptop bag:
Webcam
Headphones
Ethernet cable (for wired connection at Sakura House)
Laptop and power supply
Memory stick

In my rucksack: (my rucksack was my hand/ cabin luggage. BA gave me a limit of one (they changed it to two the following day) bag weighing 5kg and measuring 56cm x 45cm x 25cm. The weight wasn't really an issue, as long it fit the size restrictions and you could lift it into the overhead storage space without help, it was fine)
Japanese course (see How to Teach Yourself Japanese)
Japan: A Working Holiday Guide by Louise Southerden
DK Japan Travel Guide
Leaflets about Japan (I collected these from the Japan National Tourist Organisation (JNTO) in London - in particular a fold-out map of Tokyo, a Limousine bus guide, NTT Docomo information and a Tokyo subway guide.
Game Boy (very retro but it will keep me entertained)
Slumber mask
Ear plugs
Pens & paper
Handfan (for the heat and humidity of summer)
Smints
Photocopies of important documents (e.g. passport, visa, flight itinerary)
Laptop bag

Suitcase: (this was over BA's limit of 23kg per bag but because of their baggage restrictions, you can check a piece of hold luggage in if it's up to 32kg. From November 2008 there will be a charge of £25 if you go over 23kg but for me it was free! You can't check in a bag (only one allowed) if it's over 32kg though so I'm glad mine was 26kg. The maximum dimensions could add up to 158cm at the most.)
3 casual tops
5 casual T-shirts
3 casual shirts
3 casual trousers
2 work jackets (I bought these in the Christmas sales)
3 work shirts (long-sleeved as the Japanese only wear short in August)
3 work trousers
1 pair of shorts
8 pairs of socks
5 pairs of underwear
Toothpaste
Japanese-UK plug adaptor (doesn't alter voltage, you'd need a transformer to do that - they are expensive and bulky, so I didn't bother. Japan operates on 100V so UK appliances (240V) run very slowly (my mobile needs 13 hours to charge here) but North American appliances (110V) should be fine.
Torch (in case of earthquakes/ powercuts)
2 belts
4-way adaptor for all my gadgets
Business cards (these are not essential but it has been said that you don't exist in Japan if you don't have a meishi/ business card and mine are very pretty!)
2 toothbrushes
Comb
Mini-shampoo, body wash etc.
Body puff
Shaving stuff
Deoderant (apparently this is hard to get hold of in Japan)
2 towels
Waterproof trousers (rainy season (tsuyu) is from mid-May to mid-June)
Gloves, scarf and hat (I haven't needed these so far and it is mid-January so maybe not needed if you're sticking to Tokyo or the South/ West, but definitely recommended for higher altitudes and any further North/ East)
Lightweight coat (Japan is generally quite humid so light clothes will do well)
Batteries
Tissues (although don't blow your nose in public, sniff yes, but do not blow!)
Plasters and medicine (you might not be able to get hold of medicines you want in Japan)
3 business ties
Sunglasses (I thought it would be wishful thinking to bring suntan lotion but apparently it is difficult to get high quality stuff here in Japan and anywhere South/ West of Tokyo can hit 40C in summer so be prepared!)
Swimming shorts
Penknife (make sure it's in your HOLD luggage, not your hand/ cabin luggage - it will be confiscated!)
Copies of my CV/ resume
Books
Sentimental things to remind you of home e.g. family photo, favourite toy (these can also be good conversation starters in English lessons!)

What I wore on the plane:
Jeans
T-shirt
Comfortable zip hoodie
Trainers
Coat

Well that concludes the first half of this post. Now, on to the flight!

My family all drove down to London's Heathrow airport to wave me off. Another contingent drove up from Wiltshire as well so I had a full entourage at the departure gate.

I had checked-in online the previous day on BA's website, but other airlines probably offer the same service. I heartily recommend that you do this. At first I thought "No, it's too much hassle. Too many things to do before you've even got to the airport!" But if you don't do it online, then you have to do it at a touch-screen with a queue behind you anyway. Plus, as you can check-in from 24 hours before your flight, you can see what seat you've been allocated and change it if you want to. You then print your Boarding Pass, it can be in black-and-white or full colour, or if you don't have a printer, you can still check-in online and they print it for you at the airport!

So we arrived and I was extremely nervous. I kept going over everything that could go wrong in my mind, every little detail, but most of all, the thought that I WAS LEAVING HOME! I was leaving my family, friends and country for the first time in my life. I'd said my goodbyes the night before; if any of you have seen the episode of 'Friends' where Rachel says goodbye to the group the night before she was going to fly to Paris, then you'll understand.

I collected the yen I had pre-ordered online from the Travelex desk. Money Saving Expert.com says that this is one of the best rates on foreign currency exchange you can get so it's worth it.

Then we sat in Wetherspoons and waited for more of the family to arrive. They came soon after we did and we all had lunch (I only had a little bit, my stomach was all over the place) and drinks. They gave me some letters and a couple of extra lovely sentimental things, which I have on my desk or in the bookcase.
All too soon, 13.30 came and I knew it was time to leave them.

We went down to the departure gate and my Aunt asked someone if this was the right one for Tokyo. It was. My nerves close to imploding, I turned to them all. I knew I couldn't say goodbye again, it would cause too much of a scene. I hugged every one of them tightly and I think everyone had at least a tear in their eye. Some had several! But, as hard as it was to leave them, I knew I had to do it. So I picked up my bag and went through the Boarding Pass checking gate. Then I wound my way through the barriers until I reached the end of the queue for the Security Checks. I turned back and waved to them every time the queue's path allowed me to. And they were there, waving, until the last corner, and then they (or I, depending on your viewpoint) were gone.

Security went without a hitch for once, I always set those things off! I had to take my shoes, belt and coat off and put them in separate trays. I also had to remove my laptop bag from my rucksack and put that in its own tray. Everyone had quite a few trays each!

Then, it was a hurried walk to Gate 30, where my flight was on its Last Call. I spent as much time as possible with my family, and it turns out that I timed it just right. Except I didn't think I had time to buy a bottle of water, when in fact I did. The man in front of me was upgraded and I crossed my fingers (wouldn't that be a great start to a gap year trip?! "Excuse me Sir, we've upgraded you to First Class. Champagne?") Only in my dreams...

There was no problem getting on and I found my seat easily - 30C, an aisle seat. I wanted an aisle seat because I'm quite tall (6'2'') and, although I enjoy the view from the window, I enjoy the use of my legs more. I sat down and tried to get comfortable. It wasn't too bad. My coat and rucksack were stored safely in the overhead compartment and I was ready for take-off. Unfortunately the plane wasn't. My 14.35 flight left at about 15.15 so I had plenty of time to text family and friends to let them know I was on the plane safely and would let them know how I got on when I landed in 12 hours. I knew it would be the last time I used that phone to ring or text for quite a long time because only 3G quad-band phones work in Japan. Check with your retailer if you're unsure if it will or not. Although someone said mine would, and they were wrong... Dead wrong...
I hope that person hasn't randomly died, otherwise I'm probably going to prison...

Then the flight commenced. We were off and everything was fine. I tried not to think about the upcoming hardships and trials. I knew there would be many, and probably quite soon, but I didn't want to worry myself. I wanted to live in the moment (easier said that done I know, but I've tried to adopt that here and it's worked well so far). So I enjoyed being able to watch Ugly Betty, The Simpsons, Joey and Casino Royale on my personal touch-screen TV. I tried to sleep halfway through but it just wasn't happening. I was too worked up and my bodyclock wasn't right to sleep then. So I rested my eyes for a few minutes.

All the toilets on the left-hand side of the plane were out of order due to the extreme cold conditions outside in the air and on the ground. In the air it was about -60C. Which is COLD! I enjoyed plotting our progress on the moving interactive map on the screen too. But I'm a bit of a Geography-geek like that.

All too soon for my liking, we were over Northern Japan, and then Kanto, and then Tokyo, and then Chiba, and then we were descending on Narita Airport.

Narita is easily the strangest airport I've ever been in. It was so calm and quiet. There were hardly any people. Immigration was very easy. They took my fingerprints and photograph, as they've started doing with all foreigners now and stamped my visa and did all the things they had to do, then let me through.

Then I made my way down to the carousel to collect my bag. I was dreading seeing it split open because, despite re-arranging the contents a couple of times, the zips appeared to be quite strained when we did it up, but it was absolutely fine. I wheeled it over to one of the Customs desks (I wasn't sure which one to go to so i queued for a green 'In Duty-free Limit' one and that seemed fine). We had been given landing cards and a Customs card to fill in on the plane so I just handed that over.

Then I wheeled myself and my bags out of the doors and into Japan.