First Day: "The Landing"

The Landing - The First Steps Off the Plane

"It's like being on drugs, but I'm not...." gren

For more posts similar to this one, see The Series of Firsts

You made it! You’re getting ready for landing….finally. For me, the first flight to Japan was the longest time I spent sitting in one place in my life. Adrenaline is probably kicking in and you are primed and ready to get off the plane and get some sushi and start the experience.

Once off the plane, the first thing you will notice is that you can’t read a freaking thing. More than likely you won’t have any idea as to where you are going, so you will just follow everyone else and hope you get to the right place. You do eventually get to immigration and when you finally get your bags and walk up to the passport check booth.

Oh, NO!!

Did you try to speak English to the immigration officer?

If you uttered a phrase in English, you will be pleasantly surprised that nine times out of ten the officer will not have time for your silly English. So, if this is your first experience with this kind of situation, I hope you don’t get super anxious, like some people do, and fumble around like a complete lunatic. This is just the beginning. If you’re already having panic attack at the visa checkpoint, it’s going to be a long first few months for you.

If you’re lucky, you will have someone waiting for you from the organization you will be working for. Most of the mega-English factory companies will ask a group of FOBs (newbies, newbs) to schedule their flights to arrive on the same day at around the same time to make this step easier for them and you. If this is the case, a representative will be waiting right outside the exit from immigration.

However, most companies do not have the resources (manpower) to provide this kind of service.

So, when you finally get through immigration and put your first foot down on Japanese soil, there is a chance that you will be entirely on your own in a remarkably non-English speaking environment. However, the airport is the best place to be. International airports always have plenty of English speakers at assistance desks and ticket counters - somewhere. But you might not realize that yet - Just remain calm and find someone to point you in the right direction.

Hopefully, someone from the organization you will be working for gave you at least some kind of detailed directions and a map to get you to your destination. You’re destination will usually be a company office or group rendezvous point. I hope you have enough yen in your pocket, because if you need to use a cab from the airport, it can get pretty expensive quickly.

Well, off you go……….Good luck!

Do you have a question about Japan or a topic that you are interested in that you haven't found on this blog? If so, please tell me about it in a comment. I will get a post up about it as soon as possible. Thanks for reading!!