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11:00 EDT
Layover in Chicago, realize I get access to the fancy pants lounge for all the classy people. Elegant food, big comfy chairs and individual bathrooms bigger than ours at home!
Noon EDT/1 am Tokyo
Board the plane and promptly get lost. Think I just went down the wrong aisle. No worries, I'm a resourceful lady: read the seating chart and head back to the beginning to try again.
Attempt #2 seat numbers are counting higher instead of lower. Realize I'm lost again. Turn around and wait for a break in the foot traffic. Think I find my opening but soon have to squeeze past onboarding passengers who know where they are headed.
Decide to play dum American instead of trying my Japanese, it's less embarrassing this way right?!?
Attempt #3: I found my seat!!! And holy moly it's big. Have to move my seat forward in order for my short legs to reach the ottoman. Begin studying the seat brochure to figure out how this seat into a bed contraption thing works. Don't want to be the silly new business traveler who can't figure out how to make the bed.
Flight attendant introduces herself and I begin busting out my Japanese, ありがとがざい! I promptly don't understand her followup question, but it's a beginning.
1:30 EDT/ 2:30 am Tokyo 11 hours to go
We've taken off and here comes food service, excitedly choose the Japanese Cuisine. Fall in love with the hot scented towels they offer. I try lots of things. Much of it is good, really good. Especially love the attention to detail and floral inspired vegetable shapes. Can't bring myself to taste the meat suspended in gelatin, nope.
4:30 EDT/ 5:30 Tokyo
8 hours to go. Geek out over the different map options from the plane. Discover how to set up auto play so it continually scrolls through. Love watching the little airplane icon float over new landscapes.
Realize one of the options is a camera mounted on the wing! So exciting! But in reality we're headed west so much of the picture is just sunglare. Still I check every so often and catch a glimpse of ocean, fluffy clouds and mountains.
5 hours to go. Do some time zone math and realize they'll be turning on the lights for breakfast right at my body's bedtime. Should probably take another nap.
See that bunny there? Courtesy of my toddlers (and their uber creative teachers!) While trying to explain that Japan was really far away I mentioned that: It's dark there, when it's daytime in Ohio, it's night time in Japan. Well like awesome toddlers that they are they latched onto this concept, often interrupting conversations about Japan to announce "it's dark there" While brainstorming what I needed to take to Japan with me they decided something, I needed a lovey, to snuggle with since in Japan, it's dark there. So smart!
2 hours to go
Right on time the lights start coming up and my neighbors start moving around. Try to shake the naptime fog outta my brain.
Skip the traditional breakfast foods after all my body thinks it's nearly midnight. Ramen is it. The best tasting ramen I've ever had. If airplane ramen is this good I can only imagine how it's going to taste on the ground!!!
Tuck away all my bedding and realize the "obstacle" I was feeling as I slept was my shoes tucked way to the back of my cubby. Good thing I found those.
Check on my maps, getting super close now!
Should probably listen to some podcasts and refresh my Japanese memory.
Landed! And begin the whirlwind of immigration, customs, train navigation and a blessed hot shower!
Side note: Japanese customs is awesome! Super helpful in finding which line I need to be in, guiding me through my "special procedure" status and gently correctly my form when I still filled it out wrong (even with the help from Jesse!)