Whenever I fly west out of Tokyo I always select a window seat on the right side of the plane hoping for clear weather. Today I was not disappointed.
Category: Travel
Tokyo HND—Kochi KCZ
This morning (Friday) I’ll fly from Tokyo to Kochi where I’ll stay tonight. Tomorrow (Saturday) I’ll head down the Muroto Peninsula (blue rectangle) for a few days.
Geek Heaven
With permission, stuck my head in the cockpit where the three pilots were performing pre-flight checks. “Come in,” they said. I asked for, and got, a trading card! (This is a service that Delta doesn’t advertise.) As a bonus, I chatted up the gate agent and got a seat set aside for off-duty pilots. (I won’t be using the curtains.) Please don’t judge me, I’m a geek!
Airside Oasis
Walked through the well-maintained airside gardens at Honolulu HNL, with sections reflecting multicultural Hawaii and its historical connections with Asia. These include gardens dedicated to China, Japan, and Hawaii itself. The scents of vegetation mingle with the occasional whiff of aviation fuel.
Honolulu to Tokyo
This afternoon (Wednesday) Dwight flies home, arriving Minneapolis early Thursday morning, and I fly to Tokyo, arriving Thursday evening. In Tokyo, I’ll check into an airport terminal hotel. Friday morning, I’ll fly to Kochi on Shikoku, one of Japan’s four main islands.
Swings and Roundabouts
Japan is on sale: the Yen is 30% off its February 2021 dollar price. I kept that thought in mind today when I paid in Yen for an all-Japan rail pass. The price jumped 70% last October, the first increase since it was introduced in the 1980’s. Japan’s hotels continue to be a bargain.
Riding the Rails in Paradise
Gave my HOLO transit card a workout, 4 buses, 2 trains, expertly guided by Google Maps. Rode the first phase of the Skyline LRT which opened last year.
One-Stop to Aloha
This evening we’ll be in Honolulu. The one-stop journey via Los Angeles saved a bundle of Delta SkyMiles compared to the non-stop. We’ll have lunch at LAX during a two-hour layover.
Plant Parenthood from Afar
Packed bags, checked-in flights for tomorrow, and corralled plants await our departure. Dwight has consolidated the houseplants and hooked them up to the watering system. While he insists on manual control, albeit remotely via the Internet, cameras offer visual and auditory (pumps whirring) assurance of their well-being.
Detergent Sheets
Packed 15 laundry detergent sheets, all of 2 ounces, for the upcoming 50-day trip. They’ve been working well at home, and these 15 sheets will suffice for 15 large loads or 30 small loads. Since Japanese hotel washing machines often dispense detergent automatically, I may bring some sheets back home.