First Night in Japan: The Long Way Round

The familiar hustle of Sydney's international terminal wrapped around us as we navigated the morning customs process, our thoughts already racing ahead to Tokyo. We found ourselves in that peculiar liminal space that airports create - no longer in Australia, not yet in Japan, but somewhere in between, suspended in the anticipation of reunion.

Fortune smiled upon us with our seating arrangement - middle aisle with a blessed empty seat beside us, a luxury on any long-haul flight. As our aircraft carved its path through the sky for nine hours, we settled into that unique rhythm that only long flights can create. Sal seized the opportunity to chip away at her university work, while we later lost ourselves in five episodes of Seal Team, catching up on all we'd missed since embarking on our nomadic life at the year's beginning. The plane's progress map became a constant companion, each refresh bringing us closer to Japan, closer to Torrin, our excitement mounting with every passing mile.

The wheels touched Japanese soil just after 8:00 PM, but our journey had another twist in store. Despite Anth's meticulous preparation with electronic customs forms - meant to expedite our entry - technology had other plans. In a cruel irony, we found ourselves becoming the very last passengers to clear customs, watching as our fellow travelers disappeared into the Tokyo night ahead of us.

This delay cascaded into missing our express bus to Narita airport, where we'd planned to spend the night before our morning flight to Hokkaido. Instead of the streamlined 40-minute bus ride we'd anticipated, we found ourselves on a regular train for what would become a two-hour journey. We tried to find the silver lining, imagining the glittering Tokyo skyline that would unfold before us. Yet even this small consolation was denied - the train spent most of its journey burrowing through underground tunnels, offering nothing but darkness as our companion.

The night grew longer as we finally reached Narita, waiting for the courtesy bus to ferry us to our budget hotel. By the time we collapsed into bed, it was past 1:00 AM. Yet despite the exhaustion that weighed heavy on our limbs, our hearts remained light. In just a few hours, we would be reuniting with Torrin - our first embrace in almost a year. Every delayed minute, every missed connection, every dark tunnel seemed a small price to pay for the joy that morning would bring.Read more