In Japan

Well, we made it.

First, there's a nine and a half hour plane ride, which isn't too bad until you realize you've been on a plane for about six hours, and it hits you, and all the suffering and swelling kicks in, making up for the time you didn't notice.

The first sign we weren't in Kansas anymore (although, I don't think I've ever really been in Kansas), was the obvious lack of English, anywhere. I realize its arrogant to just expect to see English everywhere, but its something you get used to seeing, and you miss it. The Japanese are great about pictures though, and there is some English to guide you along the way.

Then, figuring out how to go through customs, which required us to pick up all of our bags, go through, then re-check all of our bags, during which time no one looked in them, although they were scanned, and we had nothing to declare (which I wasn't able to say, as I was told by the movies everyone says when they go through customs).

I exchanged some money for yen, which gave me two paper bills and several small plastic-like coins. I used them to buy some water. We thought about getting food but nothing looked good enough to experiment with. We found the correct bus and even got off on the right spot. We then found the correct gate, figured out when to board, and got on the correct flight.

Its very hard to mess up, they are sooooooo awesome with customer service here, like no one has ever imagined. I'm afraid I lightly offended the nice man on the bus when I started unloading my bags from the bus (this is before we re-checked them in) and didn't let him get them all. You can literally ask anyone for help. Imagine asking someone working at a T-mobile booth how to get to the Verizon booth and them not only helping you, but smiling, joking, and then walking you all the way there. Thats how cool it is.

And then we flew from Tokyo to Fukuoka and that was only an hour and a half, which is nothing now. The Navy bus was waiting and we drove for two more hours to the base which is where I am now, about to go to sleep.