The PCS Files: We've Arrived in Japan!

Travel Day 2 was intense. We woke the kids up at 2:00am to go get our boarding passes and as soon as we had them, checked our bags, and went through security, we headed off to find the Children's Play Area in the airport. I got the kids some food and they played in that playroom for almost 4 hours! They made several little friends, and by the time we left, they looked like they were getting crazy tired. We got to board our plane around 7:30 and we scheduled to depart around 8:30 or so. We got on the plane, got settled and then passed out - all four of us. I woke up about an hour later to find that we were still sitting at our gate. Apparently, flights papers weren't matching up right so we just had to sit there on the plane until everything got straightened out. So, the first hour of our flight to Japan was spent sitting still. When we finally got moving, we were told the flight would be around 9 hours, 45 minutes.

Want to know something shocking? My kids only slept about 2 hours during that entire time! After being awake since 2am!! They really did remarkably well, only have a couple of meltdowns when it was obvious they were tired and just couldn't fall asleep. When we began our descent into Japan, Thing 1 looked like a zombie. She was barely keeping her eyes open.

We can see Japan!!

 

A little closer

 

Flying into Japan was great. It is beautiful! So green! And with lots of mountains and forests - it reminds me a lot of East Tennessee. It also felt a lot like home when we stepped off the plane into some killer humidity. We were soaking wet by the time we got inside and picked up all of our bags. Most people getting off the plane with us had to ride a giant tour bus to base, but we were lucky in that a Chief from the Command was sent to pick us up in a nice van. As soon as got on the road, the kids passed out. And though it was only a 50-mile drive, it took about 2.5 hours because the speed limit is lower in Japan and there wasn't really an interstate to take. We were driving through the main streets of towns. I probably should have taken more pictures while we were driving, but I was just taking it all in. I couldn't believe we were in Japan!

Since the kids had been getting by with 1 or 2-hour naps all day, I figured that once we arrived on base, they would wake up and push through a few more hours before going to bed at a slightly earlier - but time-zone-appropriate hour - that evening. Boy, was I wrong. They were done. Done with travel. Done with being awake. When we woke Thing 1 and asked her to get out of the van, she said she was too dizzy. When we got inside the hotel lobby, The Hubs went to check us in while I talked with our Sponsor and the Chief. I looked over, and Thing 1 was leaning across one of the end-tables sound asleep. And drooling! Ha! We got them up to our hotel room around 4:00pm and they didn't move a muscle.

Our home for the next month

 

 

Of course, now we are sitting up at 1:42am because they got plenty of sleep and are ready to start the day. Ugh. I have a feeling the day is going to draaaaaag. I may try to make them go back to sleep for a few more hours before morning. The Hubs has to go have breakfast with some of the higher-ups in his command while the girls and I go downstairs to the Housing Briefing at 8:00am. I thought we had to go through a week of orientation before getting on any of the housing waiting lists, but we can do it as soon as possible! Yay!!

The Hubs is also getting a little anxious about all of his responsibility. He got bombarded with information last night by our Sponsor, who also happens to be who he is replacing. I'm sure he'll do fine, but I know he's a little overwhelmed at the moment. Our Sponsor also said he would try to drive us over the commissary and exchange today so that we can get some groceries and get cell phone plans. He also offered to take us somewhere for lunch and give us a tour of the base. I'm sure if the kids will hang in there for all of that, but I hope so. I'm VERY interested to find out about housing and I should probably have another blog post coming up about that shortly.

We are in JAPAN. Hard to believe. But I'm excited to finally settle in and make a home for us for the next three years.

 

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