Arrival HH - Tokyo-30/31.03.25

After we decided to travel with a tour group for this trip, we compared various offers and then settled on Marco-Polo and Studiosus Reisen for the final selection. Although Marco-Polo Reisen offered a lower price and a wider range of places to visit, too much time was wasted on transport and there was too little to see on site. Additionally, everything had to be managed with public transport. Therefore, we chose the Studiosus trip 'Japan at a glance', which allowed for a compact journey across the main island of Honshū. The trip was planned for about 14 days, with an amazing program. https://www.studiosus.com/Japan/5410--Japan-im-Überblick--Fluganreise

On the Saturday before our trip, there was a lot of packing to do. It started off with stress as Anne couldn't remember her TSA lock code; after nearly an hour of searching and trying all possible combinations, she finally found it—her birthday. Thus, the first stress was already relieved, and we didn't have to buy a new suitcase. Additionally, we had to ensure we packed the right things, which wasn’t easy, as the expected weather ranged from 3°C daytime temperature to about 23°C, according to the weather app. After packing our suitcases, we also had a bit of stress activating and downloading our eSIM for Japan, which we managed quite well thanks to YouTube. Other than that, the preparation was relaxed, and we still had a full day before we needed to leave for the airport.

On Sunday, March 30th, we could sleep in comfortably and pack the remaining items. Our flight was scheduled for 9:30 PM, so we headed to the airport around 6:15 PM. The check-in at Emirates went quickly, and shortly afterward, we were already at the gate. On time at 8:45 PM, boarding commenced, and at 9:30 PM, we took off in heavy rain and strong winds for Dubai. We had pre-booked our seats and spent the flight comfortably in a two-seat row at the back. After dinner, we were even able to sleep a bit, as the flight was very calm.

After a 6.5-hour flight, we landed in Dubai at 5:00 AM local time. We then had to go through another security check and walk about '2 km' to our gate for Tokyo Haneda. However, we had plenty of time, about 2 hours, allowing us to grab a very good cappuccino before boarding our flight from Dubai to Tokyo. Boarding commenced shortly after we arrived. The flight was fully booked, departed with only a 20-minute delay at 7:45 AM local time, at 35 degrees. This time, we were sitting a bit further up in the economy class by the aisles, where it was a bit tighter than in the two-seat rows at the back. Unfortunately, those were already fully booked.

We had around 9 hours for eating, music, and movies, which we managed quite well thanks to our headphones. Around 10:30 PM local time, we finally landed in Tokyo Haneda. After passing through customs and collecting our luggage, we met our tour guide and fellow travelers, who all appeared to be a bit tired as well. We then took a bus to the hotel, and by around 1:00 AM, we were in bed. However, we only had 5 hours to sleep, with the first hour spent adjusting the air conditioning to the right temperature and noise level. Turning it off was unfortunately not an option, as it was very cold in the room.