Osaka, Japan
June 23, 2009
Less than two weeks before my flight to Japan, WHO declared the swine flu outbreak a pandemic. By then, the A(H1N1) virus had circled the Pacific Rim, having started in Mexico and now spreading like a viral Susan Boyle video in the Asia-Pacific region.
Friends were dissuading me from travelling, but that swine bug proved no match to the travel bug. So it came to pass that on June 23rd I found myself on a Cebu Pacific flight to Osaka with my travel companion, Cindy.
The flight was rather bumpy as it traversed Japanese airspace notorious for aircraft-jerking turbulence. Our little Airbus staggered mid-air like a bus on a dirt road, which I had expected. But the strange engine noises were disconcerting. It sounded like a sputtering car that stubbornly refused to run after repeated flicks of the ignition. Definitely not a sound you’d like to hear 30,000 feet up.
There were other disturbing sounds. Constant coughing of some passengers made us don surgical masks. Media reports of tourists dropping like flies certainly fed our paranoia, although I had serious doubts about the virus-deflecting effectiveness of a flimsy mask.
Thankfully, it was a short flight: three and a half hours. At KIX, Kansai International Airport, we had our first taste of Japanese modern technology, efficiency and civility, as well as Japan-style superlatives. KIX had the longest terminal in the world, but I hardly noticed its gargantuan size. After deplaning, we hopped into the Wing Shuttle, the train-like people mover hanging at the side of the terminal, that whisked us in no time to the immigration area.
We were greeted by smiling assistants, mostly middle-aged men (not nubile young things you might expect for this kind of job), who checked our forms and gave directions. No running back to collect a form forgotten by yours truly. More importantly, these father figures acquainted us to the habit of bowing, which I would see and do quite often in Japan.
And it came to pass that, despite the swine flu scare and my perennially limited budget, I made it to Japan.
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thanks for my starbucks TOKYO MUG guys!! I sooooooooooooo love it!! mwaaaahhh..mwaaaahhh!!!
you’re much welcome , Ms Antonov gurl!!! tttsssuuupppp..
Starbucks Roponggi and Kyoto naman next fly to “Godzilla’s” home….
You can say that again!
R’member ?? I won the game, AJ !! .. ” Ms Cebu Pac Close Up smile ” (with my mask ) bwahahahahahaha
Well, We had an awesome experience AND a remarkable time of exploration !
Tokyo has the power to make me go ‘WOWWWW!’
We spent days in cities such as Kobe, Osaka, Kyoto (Kinki area) gorging ourselves on temples, shrines, museums, o-sake brewery packed with treasures from Japan’s “superlatives” and artistic heritage. If modern culture and technology is your thing, Japan is indeed a wonderland – a glimpse into the future , trend-setting cafés (butler’s cafe, maid’s cafe, cats and dogs cafe ) and cozy izakayas.
I’ve got bitten by a travel bug ! ( swine bug ???/ hmmmmm..)
Tara na , byahe tayo ulit !!! next destination??? INDIA..
Hahaha yeah I forgot to include that – how you won the in-flight Best Smile contest even with your mask on! LOL!
But before India, I wanna see Japan again…in autumn, or winter, or sakura season. Any season except summer!!! 🙂
You’re a full-fledged Travel Photographer …have spare set of batteries ..
I’m sure, thousands of pix again !!!! soooohhhhh……zooooom in ~~
to achieve perfect angle and be able to find the shot that most accurately
depicts another precious moments in Japan……………Winter or Sakura…
BJ talagahhh!!!
“Japanese airspace is notorious for aircraft-jerking turbulence. “,kaya pala parang babagsak na yung plane noong pabalik na ako from osaka.di pa ako naka experience ng ganung turbulence sa tanang buhay ko.akala ko magagamit ko yung travel insurance.hahaha
I’ve read several articles about it. Ang tagtag lang talaga, db? But thank goodness you didn’t have to use your travel insurance! 😀