Though I set my alarm early, I didn’t get much sleep at all before leaving as I woke up after a few hours to keep fiddling with the contents of my suitcase, spend extra time with Scout, and try to tidy my apartment a little more both for Scout’s sake and for those coming to take care of him.
Scout tried his best to help me pack both by sitting on the suitcase and by bringing me the drain plug from the bathtub. What a cutie. What a weirdo. I love my cat so much.
I didn’t accomplish everything I’d wanted to before I left, and I was so excited, nervous, and worried about leaving Scout that I burst into tears just before zipping up my suitcase to leave. Scout knew I was going off somewhere, and seemed kind of annoyed with me, but he was completely okay when I went to Toronto, so I had to have faith he’d be fine this time too. I said I love you, have fun, I’ll be back, and いってきます, and then I finally left to catch the train and the bus to get to my parents’ house. There, I would be dropping my apartment key so that they could take care of Scout for part of the time I was away (my spare key went to my friend Stephany, who will be doing most of the caretaking of Scout while I’m away).
We’d had out first big snow the day before (which I’d been delighted about) but it also made the sidewalks snowy, slushy, and kind of slippery.
Hmm… what sticker should I add to my suitcase this time?
When I finally arrived at my parents’ house, there was a package sitting on their front porch… the memoir my mom had been writing via Storyworth, and which I had helped edit at the end. It was a relief to see that project come to a close, and the book was of incredibly good quality.
My parents gave me a direct ride to the airport, which I was very grateful for, after lugging my suitcase on and off public transit, and then… it was time.
I checked my suitcase and, feeling much lighter, I went off to go through airport security. They’ve completely updated security for domestic/international flights at Ottawa Airport, and moved it to a new location. It was a very smooth experience, probably because there weren’t many people there at that time of the morning.
A did a little bit of walking around but then just stayed put, buzzing with anticipation. I still couldn’t believe I was actually going back to Japan again after over two and a half years of postponement. My purse and bag were of course decked out in アリス九號. お守り and other things that I like , which made me feel centered every time I looked down at them.
I travelled in style. Well, a style, anyway!
Finally it was time to board the plane for the flight to Montréal, and when I went to present my ticket and passport at the gate, the agent paused, frowned, and then asked his fellow agent if she had a pen. She handed one to him, and he said, “you need to sign your passport.” I felt kind of ridiculous, but it was a huge relief to know that that’s all the hesitation was for. I signed my passport and he sent me on my way. Which is to say, I almost went down the wrong hallway (following the person in front of me who had also turned down the wrong way) and then the person coming behind us called out with a bit of a chickle, “I think it’s this way!” and they were right. We both course-corrected and were back on track.
It was a full flight and we were on schedule… until we got to the runway and the captain suddenly came on the intercom to tell us that we were returning to the gate to pick up a ‘must-fly’ passenger. I was kind of dumbfounded at this, because I’ve never experienced that happening before… luckily, it was this short flight to Montréal, and not the one to Narita! So we did turn right around and go back to the gate. I think we ended up being a good forty minutes late, all told. I felt a bit annoyed, but it didn’t impact me being able to make my connecting flight in time, so I let the annoyance slide when we were finally in the air.
I’ve taken this flight path enough times in my life now that it felt normal, like I was a bird on its annual migration; I had to keep reminding myself that I hadn’t done a trip, any trip like this in the air for nearly three years. Aside from wearing a mask, enough of the heightened health measures had relaxed that the experience really didn’t feel all that different from how I’d remembered it.
My trip to Japan still didn’t feel real. I walked around the international terminal until it was finally time to board, and then made my way to my seat without fanfare. I didn’t start feeling sparks of excitement until I saw TOKYO-NARITA written on my personal TV screen. And then again when I changed the language of the interface to Japanese. And then again when I watched a movie in Japanese and imagined myself back in similar settings, similar landscapes.
The in-flight food? Let’s just say, my digestive system wasn’t enjoying it. I watched some pretty good movies, though.
Get Out was chilling and clever; it deserves all the hype it got.
KODOKU~孤独~, a short film, was a collaboration between 3 family members, shot in both Japan and Canada.
家族のはなしが素敵だった。感動しましたよ
Cyrano featured a beautiful performance by Peter Dinklage. I loved the musical numbers… and the final scene between Roxanne and Cyrano was so beautiful. Cue me crying discreetly in my seat.
Le Renard et L’oisille was a lovely short without any dialogue, just expressive animation.
I believe I started watching another film but didn’t finish it because I kept nearly falling asleep. I’m pretty certain the only reason I was awake for landing was because I was busy trying to beat the last passenger’s high score in Bejeweled. Which I did.
But before you feel impressed, you should know that the previous passenger’s score was… not very high. Still, for someone trying very hard not to nod off, I didn’t do half bad
Getting through customs definitely took much longer due to the extra steps involved, but I’d registered all my information online beforehand, so I was able to bypass a few of the checkpoints. Aside from the additional waiting, the whole process was well organized and before long, I was officially past customs and out on the other side. Of course, I still had to figure out how to pick up my JR Pass; something I’d never done before. It was after hours so the desk clearly marked for that purpose (in person and in my instructions) was closed for the night. Thus began another long wait in a line up for what I hoped would be the place to pick it up after hours. Thankfully, I guessed right, and the agent behind the counter set me up with both that and ticket on the NEX to finally, finally get going to my hotel.
The one good thing about heading to the hotel so late was that I didn’t have much commuter traffic to deal with once I arrived at Tokyo Station. I did, however, walk in a big circle while lugging my suitcase, before I realized that the next train I needed was just one platform over from where I’d gotten off the NEX… it was a short, simple ride once I’d figured that, out, though.
I did need to haul my suitcase up several flights of stairs though, because the elevators only went so far in the underground. I was sore, I was tired, I was grimy from travel… so after checking in, taking a hot shower, and enjoying an onigiri, I finally relaxed, and let myself start to imagine the アリス九號. live I would be treated to the next day.
