Standing at the airport bus stop in the
freezing rain was no fun, but the Japanese believe a little hardship
makes you stronger. I don't know about that, but a little shivering
on a bus stop would certainly make me appreciate the sunshine in the
Philippines.
I still can't get over how quiet Tokyo
airport is. Not just on this visit, but on EVERY visit. Tokyo is the
biggest city on the planet, 30 million people live in the greater
Tokyo area, it's a Friday night, but Narita Airport is like a ghost
town. Strange. When we were checking in, the counter supervisor
looked carefully through my passport inspecting my visas.
“You've been to Iran?”
“Yes “
Pause
I'm worried that I might have to
convince him that I really did go there for a holiday.
Pause. Flicks though more pages.
“Have a nice flight”
Phew
Security clearance takes about 5
minutes as there is no one else at the airport.
The seating area next to our gate is
packed. Are all these people flying from Tokyo to Manila? There are
loads of Americans. It turns out that flight NW1 is a flight from Los
Angeles and all these people are in transit.
I had to show my passport 4 times to
check in personnel before getting on the plane. An American (female)
security guard takes me to one side:
“Where were you travelling from
today?”
“Chiba”
Blank stare - “Where?”
“Tokyo”
“Oh. Have a nice flight”
What was that about? I never get
stopped when I fly on Asian airlines.
The flight was uneventful and 4 hours
later we land in Manila.
