I have quite literally travelled back in time: My flight took off in Tokyo at 11am, spent 12 hours in the air, and arrived here in Chicago at 8:45 in the morning — a full two hours and a bit before takeoff. Gotta love that international dateline.
My stopover in Tokyo was once again very pleasant, and a good reminder about why I love Japan. After breezing through the quick transit security check, I divided my time between browsing through all the fun Japanese snacks at the gift shop, and watching the Habs beat the Sens on streaming video using the conveniently-provided free WiFi at the gate.
My flight from Tokyo was uneventful, albeit long. After being served Saturday morning breakfast for the second time, I started to feel a bit like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. Overall, though, the flight was quite pleasant. I’d easily recommend Japan Airlines for overseas flights.
I am now back in the USA, albeit briefly. Unlike most sensible countries (like, say, Japan), the US still doesn’t have a transit status for passengers, so once again I had to go through the whole rigmarole of customs even though I’ll be here for less than three hours and won’t even be leaving the terminal. What’s more, I had to spend an hour and a quarter of that time in line behind a large mass of Japanese passengers undergoing fingerprinting and retinal scans, because there’s no fast-track line for Canadians. Layovers in the US suck. I know I say that every time I travel, but it’s still true. If you’re reading this and you happen to be in a position to do something about it, here’s a suggestion: transit lounges. Just saying.
Two flights down, one to go.