YVR to NRT

YVR was buzzing with acitivity on Saturday. With all 82 JETs on the AC flight, I think we managed to slow the plane down and it left a little late out of YVR. On board, the flight was smooth and tried to make up for my all-nighter by sleeping on the plane. A goal that was partially accomplished.
Arriving after 9.5 hours in Narita, we managed to get in a long line to clear immigration. Luckily I was at the front of the economy class so I got through immigration, baggage and customs in a record time. Coming through the gates, we were greeted by many JET Programme staff and the current JETs acting as TOAs (Tokyo Orientation Assistants). I especially got a warm welcome from the third JET TOA I encountered. He is an UBC alumnus now in Hokkaido who recognized me from my days as a Peer Advisor at Arts Advising. It truly is a small world. Not only did I meet him but also an incoming JET, Sarah from Toronto who I had been in correspondence over the summer. I looked at this familiar face as I was washing my hands in the Narita Airport and yelled out “Sarah! It’s me Susanne!” followed by a big hug. She was pretty floored to find me so quickly, too. Then, the elaborate welcome route set out by the staff and volunteers soon separated us.

Sean, the TOA from Vancouver who recognized me

All smiles at the Narita baggage claim
With a TOA or staff member every 10 feet, it’s impossible to get lost. One TOA remarked to me that, “there just weren’t enough JETs available to hold everybody’s hand.” He was joking of course but with over a 1000 participants going to the orientation, it was necessary to keep us in a good, efficient order. One suitcase was forwarded directly to my contracting organization, Hidakagawa-cho BOE. The other was on its way to the Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku.

Chatting with a fellow Vancouver JET made the 1.5-hour ride into hotel pass by quickly. Since I was the first into my hotel room, I had some time to check out the view and the TV. There is hope for Korean-Japanese relations if the first thing I saw on Japanese TV was a very nationalistic Korean hip-hop performance. Check out the video.
Luckily, my roommates showed up shortly after and it was time to start mingling and getting to know the fellow participants.