4/6/2022 0 Comments Week 1: Pre and post flightStarting off at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, my flight was on April 2, 2022. The procedure of getting onto the plane was the same as before the pandemic. The only difference was the proof of COVID-19 PCR Test. Luckily, my friends and I who were going to Keio University booked the same flight to make it more convenient. After getting into the airport gate for my flight, I noticed there were different types of people in the same flight as me. There was a mixture of Japanese citizens, Hawaiian citizens, and military personell. I found it interesting because the only people that were allowed to enter the country were Japanese citizens, and people entering for business and study abroad reasons. This was very suprising to me because almost all the seats were filled. The most difficult part of the flight was after landing and completing the Covid requirements. I needed to download multiple apps before I got on the plane, and was required to fill out multiple forms. Luckily, completing the requirements before my flight made the process go faster, but it was still a slug. One of the requirements was to take a Covid saliva test. There was a strange thing I noticed while trying to complete the test. As a way to promote salavating for the test, they had a picture of a lemon slice and some ume (sour plums). After finally finishing the Covid requirements and immigration, we were able to exit the airport. My friends and I booked hotel rooms as our dormitory check in-date were two days after our flight. Immediately leaving the airport, I was hit with multiple moments of culture shock. I learned the subway stations are interconnected with the airport. This meant, after you buy your train tickets, you can immidiatley hop into a subway. Our hotel was located 30 minutes away from our dormitory which was in the Kawasaki Nakahara Ward. The hotel itself was located in Ginza. My friends and I had extreme difficulty trying to move our luggage. The subway and its stations were small and did not accomodate for people that brought multiple cases of luggage with them. Once we exited the station, it got harder to move as it was raining and cold. After we were able to make it to the hotel, we decided to head out for dinner. As we were walking around the are, it reminded me of Waikiki. There was a bustling road with lots of people walking around, many building were large and fancy. To add on, the large buildings consisted of shops of many luxury western brands such as Louis Vuitton, Coach, Gucci, and Tory Burch to name a few. On the move-in date for our dormitory, I continued to move my suitcases through the subway and streets and was finally able to check in. One of the resident assistants helped introduce me to the dorm and its facilities. Afterwards, I went out to buy an assortment of essential goods for my room. 100 yen stores such as Daiso greatly helped me out with finding the may things I neeeded. More updates will come soon as I continue to get accustomed with living in Japan and starting classes. My dorm room is the size of a studio but slightly smaller because there is no kitchen.
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