Day 1: The Flight to Tokyo

On the plane to Narita Airport, things were already different: a camera on the front and the bottom of the plane so you can see video of your take-off and the ground below...What an excellent idea!

And then the food. Of course, I was prepared for better-much better-food in Japan than what I was used to in the States (I mean, come on...what food is worse than American food? Especially American airplane food!!). But I hadn't realized that my experience in gourmet cuisine would begin on the flight over there. ANA (All Nippon Airlines) was featuring authentic, traditional food from Kyoto! Oishi desh-ta! (one of the few things I know how to say in Japanese...)

On a flight full of Americans, I always hear at least one loud conversation between two businessmen or strangers meeting for the first time, joking annoyingly with each other. In contrast, this flight was so quiet and peaceful. Everyone focused on getting comfortable and relaxed. I found that it helped me relax (not such an easy task for me!). In fact, I felt so good on the plane, I was even a bit disappointed when I heard we were going to land (honestly!).

I should mention that one reason why I felt so comfortable and secure is that I was with my business partner, Mune (he's from Tokyo and we were on the way to his house). So, I was in a very privileged situation--especially for my first time visiting an Asian country!

On the plane, the flight attendants were amazingly helpful in ways I wasn't used to. Actually, this wasn't so surprising because my students have educated me about the exceptional customer service in Japan. However, one thing did surprise me: I'd expected the customer service to be overbearing (you know, people trying too hard and too much). But if you didn't request help, no one bothered you. This is exactly what I saw in stores in Japan, too. I loved it! This is the way it should be everywhere, right?

Next: First impressions of Japan