Upgrade upgrade upgrade!

Konbanwa!

Upgraded to Premium Economy on Japan Airlines. What a way to start the trip! For those who are not in the know of what PE (Premium Economy) has to offer (that used to include me, by the way), it has a decent recliner AND a leg rest. Nice! I thoroughly enjoyed being upgraded even though it was only one step up :)

We had a smooth flight overall...minor turbulence. Just an FYI, I don't deal well with turbulence. The worst of it was right before we landed so I didn't have to spend the entire plane ride clutching my arm rests with the white-knuckle kung fu grip. And the big question that ALWAYS seems to come up...was there a baby on the plane? Yes. Was it crying?....yes. I was able to maintain the sanity of all passengers in Premium Economy by making funny faces at her. The mother didn't speak English, but from her excessive head nodding and smiling at me, I could tell she was VERY grateful. So what did I learn? Do I want a baby? Yes, eventually. Will I take it on 10 hour international flights before it has developed the ability to pop its own ears? NO.

Immigration, baggage claim and customs all went smoothly. I lied at customs and didn't claim the 6 oz of perfume in my luggage (it asked you to claim all perfumes over 2 oz), but they didn't seem to be privy to that information. After successfully entering the country of Japan, we met up with the Gilroy Takko Student Exchange Program (GTSEP) and were on our way to Hachinohe. Two trains, one bento stop and nearly seven hours later, we're here in our business hotel about an hour out of Takko! The group traveled very well together and the five girls that are essentially the maiden voyage of the GTSEP program are excellent travelers. One of the girls had never been on a plane before today (no wait...yesterday?). What a flight to be your first!

Tomorrow is a BIG day for us all. First stop is the Yochien (kindergarten), then the junior high and high schools, Yakuba (city hall) and finally end with the Welcome party! I'm anxious to be back in Takko with some more familiar faces.

Ja mata ne!