I swear, they were JUST about to break into a musical interlude with a song about moral superiority.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Oompa Roompas
Woops! I forgot the photo of the miniatre ground crew.
I swear, they were JUST about to break into a musical interlude with a song about moral superiority.
I swear, they were JUST about to break into a musical interlude with a song about moral superiority.
Big in Japan
So there are a bunch of pre-conceived notions Westerners have about Japan, and I've bought into many of them.
First, the Japanese tend to be anal retentive and excessive about packaging. TRUE.
I've known this all my life, but also found that even in the stripped-down world of economy airfares, it still holds true. Each item in my ANA flight lunch, from the entree, to the side dish, to the soba noodles, to the damn sugar packets for my coffee had no less than two layers of packaging around them. Here's my mom expending massive energy just to get one of the packages open. (Movie on her screen: Ratatouille. Sweeeet.)
Corollary to the anal retentive and excessive packaging law: If you can put your logo on it, do it. TRUE.
It's so nice to have a real French Chardonnay mise en bouteille for ANA. If you consider tacky "nice." Oh well, at least there's... wait for it... REAL CUTLERY! In ECONOMY CLASS!
Anyway, back to my original train of thought... another pre-conceived notion of the Japanese: They are prone to go apeshit for photos while on vacation. TRUE.
The proof? I'm only half Japanese and I had both my SLR and my point-and-shoot out... and this is just during the flight! But hey, that's how I get cool shots of god knows what going on in southern Alaska.
On to the next stereotype... The Japanese like to have a group identity, and live for things that are exceedingly cute. TRUE.
If this picture of in-seat exercises just before landing doesn't prove it, I don't know what does.
And the final stereotype: The Japanese tend to be on the small side. TRUE.
Dude. I'm a half-breed and at 5'7" I feel HUGE. I tried out the foot rest on the plane for shits and giggles. It felt like it was made for dwarves. I let my seatbelt out all the way so I can still wriggle around in semi-comfort, but the thing was nearly taut on me while maxed out. The gentleman at the end of my row never had to get up for me to go to the bathroom. He'd just pull his knees in a bit, and it was as if no one was in his seat. Then there's the ANA ground crew once we landed. In their little uniforms, they looked like a bunch of well-coiffed Oompa Loompas ready to whisk our baggage over to the carousel.
And now, here I am in a departure lounge at Tokyo Narita airport, waiting for my flight to Osaka. While my mom is absolutely loving these chairs, I feel like I'm in one of those little kid desks from a 2nd grade classroom.
First, the Japanese tend to be anal retentive and excessive about packaging. TRUE.
I've known this all my life, but also found that even in the stripped-down world of economy airfares, it still holds true. Each item in my ANA flight lunch, from the entree, to the side dish, to the soba noodles, to the damn sugar packets for my coffee had no less than two layers of packaging around them. Here's my mom expending massive energy just to get one of the packages open. (Movie on her screen: Ratatouille. Sweeeet.)
Corollary to the anal retentive and excessive packaging law: If you can put your logo on it, do it. TRUE.
It's so nice to have a real French Chardonnay mise en bouteille for ANA. If you consider tacky "nice." Oh well, at least there's... wait for it... REAL CUTLERY! In ECONOMY CLASS!
Anyway, back to my original train of thought... another pre-conceived notion of the Japanese: They are prone to go apeshit for photos while on vacation. TRUE.
The proof? I'm only half Japanese and I had both my SLR and my point-and-shoot out... and this is just during the flight! But hey, that's how I get cool shots of god knows what going on in southern Alaska.
On to the next stereotype... The Japanese like to have a group identity, and live for things that are exceedingly cute. TRUE.
If this picture of in-seat exercises just before landing doesn't prove it, I don't know what does.
And the final stereotype: The Japanese tend to be on the small side. TRUE.
Dude. I'm a half-breed and at 5'7" I feel HUGE. I tried out the foot rest on the plane for shits and giggles. It felt like it was made for dwarves. I let my seatbelt out all the way so I can still wriggle around in semi-comfort, but the thing was nearly taut on me while maxed out. The gentleman at the end of my row never had to get up for me to go to the bathroom. He'd just pull his knees in a bit, and it was as if no one was in his seat. Then there's the ANA ground crew once we landed. In their little uniforms, they looked like a bunch of well-coiffed Oompa Loompas ready to whisk our baggage over to the carousel.
And now, here I am in a departure lounge at Tokyo Narita airport, waiting for my flight to Osaka. While my mom is absolutely loving these chairs, I feel like I'm in one of those little kid desks from a 2nd grade classroom.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
I Am Not Ready
My flight leaves in eleven hours, but I'm not quite packed.
I gathered a bunch of stuff and have a selection of suitcases and backpacks, but I still don't know what I'm taking.
When I did gather all that stuff, I couldn't find my passport. I panicked, stressed out, cussed out almost everyone I care about, and - eventually - I wound up finding it.
I haven't printed out any itineraries, hotel reservations, flight e-tickets... I haven't called my banks to let them know I'll be out of the country, nor have I gotten any foreign currency.
I've only minimally studied the language, and studied the guide books and the web site even less so.
You know, all those things I normally take care of in advance? Non-existent. I've spent the last two months focused on my trip to Europe and my work week in Tennessee, with absolutely no time to think about the next trip. Since I punched out of work today, I've crossed the threshold from two months where my every move was planned and coordinated to fitting fairly strict itineraries, to a time where I don't even know where my airline tickets are, how I'm getting to the airport, or where the hell I'm staying.
In short, this is the least prepared this usually well-prepared traveler has ever been for a trip overseas.
And I'm overjoyed about it.
This is going to be totally different. It's going to be surreal. It's going to be a strange sort of trip as far as my trips go.
Because this time, for the first time since early childhood, I'm heading back to (one of) my motherland(s): Japan.
With my mother.
I gathered a bunch of stuff and have a selection of suitcases and backpacks, but I still don't know what I'm taking.
When I did gather all that stuff, I couldn't find my passport. I panicked, stressed out, cussed out almost everyone I care about, and - eventually - I wound up finding it.
I haven't printed out any itineraries, hotel reservations, flight e-tickets... I haven't called my banks to let them know I'll be out of the country, nor have I gotten any foreign currency.
I've only minimally studied the language, and studied the guide books and the web site even less so.
You know, all those things I normally take care of in advance? Non-existent. I've spent the last two months focused on my trip to Europe and my work week in Tennessee, with absolutely no time to think about the next trip. Since I punched out of work today, I've crossed the threshold from two months where my every move was planned and coordinated to fitting fairly strict itineraries, to a time where I don't even know where my airline tickets are, how I'm getting to the airport, or where the hell I'm staying.
In short, this is the least prepared this usually well-prepared traveler has ever been for a trip overseas.
And I'm overjoyed about it.
This is going to be totally different. It's going to be surreal. It's going to be a strange sort of trip as far as my trips go.
Because this time, for the first time since early childhood, I'm heading back to (one of) my motherland(s): Japan.
With my mother.
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