When I arrived at Tokyo Haneda Airport, the first major scene I recall was the multiple queues and various machines people were standing in front of. Since I had filled out my immigration form online before landing, I was given a QR code. I then scanned it and was given my residence card after being asked a few questions by the officer at the desk. Unfortunately, during immigration, I was somehow separated from the other students from my university. At the time, I had thought I would just wait at what I thought was the gate for my classmates to catch up. But we didn’t know we had to self-transfer our luggage so that we would be given new tickets with updated information. Once I arrived at the waiting hall, I noticed it was very quiet and calm, which surprised me, given it was a large city. As the time for the plane from Tokyo to Nagoya grew near, so did my anxiousness. I decided to ask for help with the Japanese I knew to one of the nearby officers, but after a failed attempt, we ended up communicating via a translation application. Eventually, several other staff members guided me to an information desk.
What surprised me most about that interaction was when I asked the officer if I could call my classmates, as I had no data on my phone at the time. I was almost surprised that he said no. However, looking back on it, I would also be hesitant to allow someone I didn’t know who approached me to do the same.
There, I was able to regroup with the other students and figure out what to do next. After that, we took a bus from immigration to another region of the airport. At the time, I was grateful for how late it was, especially since it was quiet and peaceful. Looking back now, it’s interesting to reflect on how a bus was used to transport us from one side of the airport to the other. In the U.S., particularly in Texas, airports often utilize a train (sky tram) to transport passengers between different regions of the airport.
The rice balls were one of the first things I ate when I landed in Japan. My favorite one was the Tuna Mayo. The town we visited before going to Nagoya was called Tokoname which is known for its pottery walkway and large cat statue.
