08022013 Haneda Airport to Okinawa

4 years ago was the last time I set foot in Haneda Airport during my JENESYS stint. Though Narita is Tokyo’s primary international airport, I preferred the convenience Haneda offered, since it’s smacked right in the middle of Ota-ku, and easily accessible.

Since we were taking a domestic flight from Haneda out to Okinawa, the hotel which I had booked for the night offered free bus tickets to Haneda airport. Caught the 7.10am bus out from Kamata station to the airport, and got some sandwiches before we took the bus. It was rather full, so stood all the way there and got off at Terminal 1.

Compared to our previous flight on standby, this was pretty fuss-free since there were plenty of seats available. The staffs even offered us an earlier flight but decided to go with the original flight, as it would give us some time to have our breakfast and do some sight-seeing around the airport.

The airport had lots of posters up for the then TOKYO 2020 Olympics bid. Showed my parents the wide range of omiyage (gifts or presents) which Japanese would buy for others especially when visiting. There was also an observation deck up on the highest floor, so we decided to go take a look.

When we stepped out onto the outdoor observation deck, it became apparent why no one bothered to come up here, because it was too cold! The cold strong wind blew into our faces and it proved to be a challenge to even try to take a decent picture of the airplanes parked in their bays or the air traffic control tower. Defeated by the cold, we headed back inside for the assuring warm and comforting indoors.

Flight from Haneda to Okinawa took about 2 hours and 30 minutes, and on Japanese domestic flights, meals are not served. My station manager once told me it was because long ago, when the Japanese traveled by train, they would usually bring their own food on board with them. So when flying became fashionable, the practice was also brought over and only drinks are offered on domestic flights. For Malaysians, it might sound absurd, no food for a 3 hours flight, but the Japanese were clearly accustomed to it. Once the seatbelt signal went off, you could heard people unwrapping their bento (boxed meal), and the clear smell of food began to waft into the air.

That being said, I was extremely lucky to have caught a glimpse of the elusive Mount Fuji from my window seat. Saw it on the flight here to Narita from Malaysia the previous morning, and here I am flying past it again. The very first time when I flew from Kansai Airport to Haneda, the teachers who were chaperoning us pointed out that we could see Mount Fuji, and immediately everyone in the cabin rushed over to the windows to see it. Back then it was the best feeling, because we saw the grand Mount Fuji which represented Japan so much, and here we were, making it very surreal.

My brother had arrived at Naha airport ahead of us, because he took the Jetstar flight out from Narita earlier, and brought us to the guesthouse which I had booked for the next few nights. There was only a monorail serving Naha, and it was evident that Naha isn’t the bustling metropolitan Tokyo is.

Our guesthouse was located on the 4th floor, and it proved to be a bit of a hassle, trying to carrying all our baggages up with us. The owner of the place was Nori-san, and she was very friendly and offered us advice on the best car rental, and also how to get to Kokusai Dori, one of the most happening place in Naha.

Our room was on the 5th floor, and we had a whole room to ourselves, but the only downside was the wifi was rather weak because our room was right far back at the end. The shower room was opposite our room, but my mother wasn’t too fond of the idea of shared toilets or bath, and we got into a little disagreement over it because she felt that we could have splurged on a proper hotel, while I was trying to explain to her how expensive hotels in Japan could cost, and I was trying to find a place which suited our budget. It was difficult, and occasionally over the next few days, the 3 of us had to put up with a little of her nagging, but nothing the family couldn’t handle.