LA 2 Tokyo

It was almost 4 years ago when I first came here. I was really excited, but nervous, too. I hate flying, and even the flight from LA to San Francisco is terrible for me. Just thinking about crossing the Pacific Ocean gave me the chills. After my first flight to Japan, I learned just what a nightmare air travel can be…

I tried not to think about it as I boarded the plane, and embarked on my first trip out of the country. Luckily, I chose Singapore Airlines cause they have TV screens in all the seats. I was able to watch movies and play video games and this helped take my mind off the flight. The food was pretty good, and the service was excellent. I started thinking, ‘Hey, this flying scene ain’t so bad after all.’

But things took a turn for the worse.

As our plane neared Tokyo Airport, the turbulence became extreme. It was like nothing I’d ever felt before, and a couple of times, the plane felt like it was about to take a nose dive. The sound was so intense, it sounded like we’d be ripped to shreds.

The guy sitting next to me pointed out the window, and I could see the wing flapping up and down like it was made of rubber! This went on for almost two hours and I could see on the GPS screen that we were just circling over Tokyo. I started wondering, ‘What in the hell is going on?’

Inside the plane, everyone was silent. The only sounds were the shaking plane and this peaceful, elevator-style, landing-music which only stressed me out more. I looked around, and saw the expression of terror in every one’s eyes. ‘At least I’m not the only one freaking out here.’ I thought.

Then my eyes caught a dreadful sight…a green-faced flight attendant grabbing for a barf bag!

‘We’re doomed,’ I thought, ‘Looks like I’ll never get to see Japan.’ Suddenly, I felt a panic attack coming on. The urge to escape, to run somewhere, to get off that death ship welled up inside…but I manged to hold it together, and stay put in my seat. (I don’t know if any of you’ve ever had a real panic attack before, but I can assure you, it’s not pretty. It’s pretty much the worst feeling in the world)

As these thoughts of dread ran through my head, I took another look out the window, and it appeared we were descending.

‘The nightmare is almost over…just hang on a little longer!’ I reassured myself. But the closer we got to the ground, the more intense the shaking got to the point where we were bouncing around in our seats like dying animals.

We were about to touch land when our plane suddenly veered straight up again, climbing back into the night sky. ‘My god!’ I thought, ‘Why don’t we just land and end this hell right now!’

Finally, the pilot got on the speaker to inform us that we were in the middle of a huge typhoon, and Tokyo Airport would not allow anymore planes to land. We were being diverted to Kansai Airport, in Osaka.

This is typical of my bad luck, but again, I was thankful I took Singapore Airlines. They took real good care of us once we got on the ground. All the hotels in Osaka were booked, due to the flight diversions, but Singapore hooked us up with reservations at The Four Seasons hotel in Kobe.

They rented huge charter buses to take our weary rumps on the one hour drive from Osaka to Kobe, and though I was unbelievably tired, I actually enjoyed the drive.

The whole way to Kobe, we drove right through the center of an immense harbor where the night sky was lit up by fire from smoke stacks, and oil refineries.

At the hotel, Singapore once again hooked us up with a free, all-you-can-eat, buffet, and I was famished. After eating like a pig, I took a much-needed shower, and passed out. The next morning we got back on the bus for the one hour drive back, and got on our plane to Tokyo, where we arrived safely.

So that was that. A real nightmare flight on my first trip overseas. But I feel it worked out ok, cause I got to see another part of Japan for free.

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