The Hustle and Bustle of Tokyo

By: Anna Kenney, 11/1/2016

Today’s flight from Seattle to Tokyo didn’t feel as long as I had thought it would, despite my inability to get any sleep on the plane. The hours “flew” by extremely quickly with the help of good company, exceptional service from the flight crew, and endless movies. All I kept thinking in my head was, “You’re going to Japan!”

In the moment that my ears began to pop from the altitude change that signaled our descent, I could feel my heart skip a beat. Surprisingly, the last 40 minutes of the flight were the longest because they were filled with anticipation! When we finally landed, I grabbed my bags and hurried to get out of the plane, ever impressed by the flight crew’s hospitality and kindness towards me as they waved me off.

Even though I was technically standing in Japan, I desperately wanted to get outside. However, I thought that the arduous task of entering a foreign country would take a very long time, so I swallowed my excitement. Surprisingly, the efficiency of the passport and customs officers got everyone through in record time!

Finally, I was about to walk into the Tokyo airport lobby as a legal, American student. As I grew ever closer, I realized that despite having studied Japanese for over a year, I could never have prepared myself for what to expect on the other side of those doors.

My first thought was that it was busy, too busy. Everywhere I looked, there was movement. There were so many people living their lives in such close proximity to each other, it felt difficult to even take a breath. I felt like I was caught in a riptide as I joined the hustle and bustle of the chaotic airport’s pedestrian stream.

We thankfully found our Kakehashi tour coordinator pretty quickly, and her calm, assured facial expression made me feel a little better about having no idea what to do. Endo-San, our coordinator, quickly passed out our name tags. Giggles erupted from our group as everyone took in the fact that our name tags said our middle names, rather than our first. Who knew there were so many strange middle names?

After that, we had the opportunity to exchange money, and boy, was I excited! As I held the crisp, large bills in my hand, it all started to dawn on me. I was standing in Japan, holding a large amount of yen, about to set out on an adventure of a lifetime!

Giddy with excitement, we all poured out of the airport and onto the conveniently parked bus nearby. As we drove to the hotel, we were given a brief outline of our schedule, some wonderfully informative references to the historical sights around us, and a couple mini-heart attacks from the erratic driving of everyone around us. This was only amplified by the fact that everyone seemed to be driving on the wrong side of the road!! However, all of the excitement had started to take its toll, and I could feel the sleepiness seeping into my bones like a sickness. I needed sleep and food. We all did. And as we pulled up to the hotel, I could hear a sigh of relief roll over the group. We had made it.

We got our room keys, put away our stuff, and headed to dinner. I was shocked by how prepared everything was at the restaurant. Before we even sat down, our first course was already laid out for us. The food was amazing. I even got to try raw shrimp for the first time, along with many other strange but enchanting things.

With full bellies, heavy feet, and several good yawns, we all filed into the overly cramped elevators. Having completed a successful day of travel, we felt accomplished and ever more excited as we crawled into our firm beds to do sleep, finally.