The First Trip

"Where is the check list?? Oh! Have I picked up everything? Ok! Kept Passport. Got Tickets. Forex also collected. Oh! Have I picked up everything?" Something like this was the state of my mind when I was supposed to leave for Japan. Yah, That's right... My First Trip to Japan.

It all happened 8 months back, when I got the news that I will have to fly to Japan for a project. When I got the news, my first reaction was a mixture of excitement, confusion, anxiety and I don't know what not. Suddenly, I had so many questions and at the same time I was totally blank. Anyways, the preparation for the project began. It was hardcore study for 4 weeks after which we were supposed to travel.

Travel date arrived. Till then, people had told me enough about Japan (like they eat Frogs, Lizards and Snakes there). Though food is not an issue with me. As long as some thing is edible and tastes good, I am cool with it but frogs and lizards... Yuck!! Who is going to eat that ? So, with this apprehension, I boarded the flight.

Reached Japan. Kept waiting for the checked in luggage to arrive but it never came. Everybody went off and my team members were waiting for me but how could I come? My bag had not come out yet. After a while, a Japanese lady came to me, she seemed to be very polite and she asked me something in Japanese. I told her that my bag has not come out and she again repeated something in Japanese. Suddenly I realized, I am in Japan. No one speaks English here. In the mean time she said something again and my reaction: HUH??? So from here, sign language came into picture and I was again in stone age where they was no language just symbols. So, we played like this for a while and after some time she managed to tell me that my baggage was coming in a different flight and they will deliver it in 3 days. My reaction: WHAT??? This cant be happening with me. I told her my bag has all my stuff and I cant wait for 3 days. After a long discussion and sign language game it was decided that she will try to send the bag on same night to my hotel. I had a map of my hotel in which there was an address that I gave her. So, just keeping my fingers crossed, I came out of the airport with my colleagues but the day was not over yet.

With a lot of difficulty and by pointing again and again on map we were able to explain the taxi driver where we wanted to go. The complete journey till the hotel was in prayers, "Please god, Please get me my luggage!!!".

Reached hotel but there was no one at concierge. We started asking each other the same question, "Are you sure we are at the right place?" So after another horrible 1 hour (since no one on street also spoke English), we came to know that we are at a wrong hotel. In fact, the complete map and address was of some different hotel and we were supposed to go to a different hotel.(Since everything was written in Japanese we could never know just by looking at the map). My heart suddenly came into my mouth. I had given this address to the airport staff and airport was around 2 hour journey. We called our manager(who has been in Japan for a long time now and knows Japanese very well) and he told us how to get to "our" hotel. I also told him about my luggage "situation". Luckily I had given his mobile number to airport officials for "Just in case" situation.(and It was a "Just in case" situation).

At 1130 at night I got a call from hotel reception. He somehow managed to tell me that someone called from airport and my luggage is going to come to the hotel in some time. My reaction: "Thank god... Thank god ...(around hundred times)".

Finally the moment arrived. Door bell rang and there he was, standing, with my bag in one hand and receipt in the other, smiling away to glory. I don't know how many times did I Thank him that night.

The day had finally ended.

After that there had been 2 more trips which were equally adventurous. May be will write about it some other time.

By the way, (Just for the sake of information) people dont eat frogs, lizards and snakes here.