On My Way!

[SHAD0W]

So, As a few of my friends on here will know, I'm going to Japan in May 2010 and today I finally booked my tickets!

I'll be leaving from Manchester Airport and flying to Narita but.. I've only just realised.. I've never been on an aeroplane before.. so.. what do I do? Any tips? Comments? All will be appreciated

[noodle]

For a long flight like that, every once in a while, get up and stretch your legs! Plus if you have ear problems like I do, take a couple sweets or chewing gum! It will hurt when you're taking off and landing!

[SHAD0W]

thanks but what about before I get on the plane? Closest I've been to an airport is standing on a hill overlooking a runway..

[Aniki]

Originally Posted by SHAD0W

thanks but what about before I get on the plane? Closest I've been to an airport is standing on a hill overlooking a runway..

If you have a laptop, then take it with you, don't put it the bag, same goes for other fragile stuff. But don't take any sharp objects with you, like small scissors or nail clippers, otherwise you will be hold up and thoroughly checked after putting your stuff through the X-Ray machine. Also, if you have any piercings, you should take them of, that way there will less problems going through the metal detector. One last thing, while waiting for the plane, I recommend getting a bit...drunk, that way the lift of will be less bothersome and it will be easier to get some sleep.

[reihiino]

as far as piercings go, i've yet to encounter a problem with them. depending as from the airport you're flying out of you may need to remove your shoes. & most of of the security there are no nonsense type of people...i've seen people try to mess with them jokingly...not a nice sight.
other than that it should be smooth sailing (or flight as the case may be)

[Aniki]

Originally Posted by reihiino

depending as from the airport you're flying out of you may need to remove your shoes. & most of of the security there are no nonsense type of people...i've seen people try to mess with them jokingly...not a nice sight.

You got that right. In Barcelona I had to do the fastest strip show in the world because of one serious security guard who found my belt along with my jeans suspicious.

[SHAD0W]

Originally Posted by Aniki

In Barcelona I had to do the fastest strip show in the world because of one serious security guard who found my belt along with my jeans suspicious.

Sounds like I'm going to have loads of fun then..

So what happens after you like.. walk inside the airport?

[Allene7]

Originally Posted by SHAD0W

So, As a few of my friends on here will know, I'm going to Japan in May 2010 and today I finally booked my tickets!

I'll be leaving from Manchester Airport and flying to Narita but.. I've only just realised.. I've never been on an aeroplane before.. so.. what do I do? Any tips? Comments? All will be appreciated

If you have any kind of motion sickness or anything like that take some medicine for it because the taking off and landing can sometimes be rough on people. I've seen so many people throw up from that.

Originally Posted by SHAD0W

So what happens after you like.. walk inside the airport?

I hope you don't mind me replying to your question to someone else....

When you first get to the airport you have to check in at the counter where your airline is that you're flying with. You check your luggage and get your tickets. After you have your tickets you locate your gate which is written on your ticket. Then when you get to your gate you just sit and wait for the plane to start loading. If you're unsure where your gate is or are having trouble finding it you can just ask one of the airport employees and they'll help you. There's usually people walking around so it's not too hard to find them.

[Columbine]

Originally Posted by SHAD0W

Sounds like I'm going to have loads of fun then..

So what happens after you like.. walk inside the airport?

Before you get there, do a little prep. Make sure you have your flight number written down and all your relevant paperwork somewhere easily to hand. Also, take some clear sandwich bags for your hand-luggage liquids. They can't be in any container more than 100ml. They'll confiscate it if it's over 100ml or 100ml but not in a bag, which is a pain on a long haul flight. Wear layers. It can get stuffy on-board or you can be sat under the AC and freeze so you'll want to be able to adapt, plus the obvious differences vis british weather and Japan. Wear shoes you can slip on and off easily. Cattle-class has ok leg-room, but not enough to bend down and mess about with laces every time you need to pee without annoying everyone. Consider flight socks, my legs get achey without them, other people are fine. You might well get some free on the flight anyway.

Check-in depends on what ticket you have; some do online check-in these days, others do it in the airport. I imagine you'll be on option B. It's pretty simple; if you get stuck just ask for help, BUT- British airports (esp. Heathrow) take a long time to get through security and it can take a long time to find/walk to your gate. SO GET THERE EARLY. There's a reason they put 'come three hours before take-off' and at the moment it's no exaggeration.

Go in and check the departures board. Your flight should be listed and have a check-in gate marked as soon as check-in opens. Go and line up and let the nice lady tell you what to do. It will help if you check with the airline what your luggage allowance is and try not to exceed it. It's stingy in the uk, normally about 20-30kg only, usually veering more towards 20kg and you can get fined if you're too much over the limit. They'll give you a boarding pass and things so take that and head through to the shopping area. There may or may not be a checkpoint. Boot about in duty free, keeping an eye on the boards which will list your flight number and (hopefully) a gate number. When it comes up, head towards your gate. It shouldn't be too hard to find, but it might be quite a distance as I say. Not sure about Manchester as i've never flown from there, but for example certain gates in Gatwick airport are a 25-30 minute walk from the entrance. It took me almost 40 mins to find one in Dublin air-port, but that's unusual.

At some point, you'll have to go through security. Usual rigmarole; empty your pockets into the tray, take off your watch/belt, other metally bits and put them in the tray. Bags on the conveyor belt, laptops have to be taken out and scanned sperately. No sharps or lighters/matches etc. If you buy liquids in duty free, like bottles of booze, they'll be sealed in special bags and you can carry them on even if they're over 100ml BUT if you have a change of flight, you might have to go through another lot of security and you can stand to lose it.

They won't seal up bottles of drinking water either, so drink it or ditch it before you go through security. There are a million signs telling you what to do so you can't possibly forget. Carry on.

There's usually a waiting area at your gate but it might not have toilets or shops/cafes , and as it can take a while to seat everyone etc, sort yourself out before you get stuck. You will be an unhappy panda if you don't and something goes awry before take-off. I've spent two hours sat in my seat before whilst they tinkered about with an electrical error and the loos are off limits when the plane is on the run-way. When it's time to board, just line up and hand your boarding pass and passport over to the person at the desk; they'll check it and wave you through.

Other than that, you're a-go. Just set your watch to Japan time and try and stick to it if you can. It'll help with the jet lag. So will forgoing booze and caffine. Some people find it helps them relax but air on most commercial flights is poor quality and highly conditioned so you're more prone to dehydration and other side-affects.

[Sangetsu]

I've done the round trip to Narita from America at least 5 times now, and I've grown to hate it. It typically takes about 18 hours of travel time when I travel from America to Japan (or vice-versa).

Since this is your first flight (and your first flight to Japan), you probably won't be able to sleep much (if at all). You can bring a laptop pc to help pass the time, but odds are 50/50 that you won't have a place to plug it in, and even with a large battery, you won't get more than a few hours use out of it. You should bring a book, one that takes several hours to read. Reading will pass the time, and might make you sleepy enough to sleep for a few hours along the way.

Body piercings won't really set off airport metal detectors (unless they are really large), but they might arouse the interest of immigration/customs officers in Japan, who (like most Japanese) don't care too much for tattoos and body piercings. The only acquaintances of mine who have ever been delayed by Japanese customs are those who had visible tattoos and/or body piercings. They were let through, but not before getting their luggage thoroughly searched.

Speaking of searches, don't bring anything illegal into the country. Obviously this includes drugs, but also includes vegetables and fruits (don't pack oranges or apples for a snack), meats, or rice. Hardcore porn is not legal in Japan, so don't bring any of that either.

Choose your seats on the airplane carefully. You have booked your flight early enough to have a little flexibility in choosing your seat. If you are flying economy, try to get a seat on an exit row, this will give you a little more foot-room. Do not get a seat in front of an exit row, you will not be able to recline your seat fully. Aisle seats are also preferable, you can get up and move around without bothering anyone else. Try to get a seat as near to the front of the plane as possible, that way you'll be one of the first people off the plane, and you can get to the immigration windows more quickly. Japanese immigration now photographs and fingerprints all visitors, so the line can move very slowly.

Once you get through immigration and customs, you'll find yourself in the public part of the terminal. There are currency exchange booths in several places, but I recommend exchanging your currency before you leave the UK. By the time you arrive at Narita, you are going to be sleepy and unfocused. There are good shower facilities at Narita if you want to freshen up a little bit. I always have a shower after my flight, and it makes me feel much better. A shower costs 500 yen, and is a good deal. The facilities are spotless, and the water is very hot.

As you probably know, Narita is pretty far from Tokyo (where I assume you'll be heading). There are 3 ways to get there, by train (the Narita Express), highway bus, or taxi. A taxi ride to Tokyo will cost about 20-odd thousand yen, so that's probably not an option. The Narita Express is comfortable and inexpensive, but only stops at major stations. Japan's train system can be confusing to foreign visitors, especially if they've been traveling for the past 24 hours. Tokyo station can be very difficult to get around in, between train lines, subway lines, the Shinkansen lines, shopping malls on numerous floor levels, it's quite easy to get lost. For these reasons I recommend the highway bus (Airport Limousine). The bus takes about the same time to get to Tokyo as the Narita Express, but goes to more locations and costs less. You'll see the Limousine Bus signs and ticket counter just outside the door to customs, whereas the Narita Express platform is on a lower level, some distance away. The Airport Limousine counter has clerks who speak English, and their buses run to all major train stations, hotels, shopping districts, and even the Disney parks.

You should look up and print out maps of the area around your hotel, and memorize where the nearest train station is. Google maps has a street-level view of most of Tokyo, so you can see exactly what the areas around your hotel and the station look like. There are police boxes all over Tokyo, and most of these will have a map on the wall or a signboard outside. These maps are usually bilingual in Japanese and English, and are helpful.

Good luck and have fun. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.