Japan - Fpi7 and cultural experiences - Day 1

Firstly, before you read any further, this is an ongoing entry. It will change a few times as I update it. Photos will appear (here and on Flickr) and more text will be added into the entry. So, on with day & 1/2 - the arrival:

Friday 12th May/Saturday 13th May
This was it. The day I'd been waiting almost 2 years for. The day that, for a variety of reasons, seemed like it would never arrive was here. Even the 6.30am start couldn't deter me. I got a lift to the Airport from Mark and Catherine and soon met up with Kara at the airport. After dropping off the baggage and collecting our travel money, we made our way upstaris to the departure lounge and then onto the 737 to Amsterdam. The flight took us south towards London and then east accross the North Sea. After landing at Schipol we faced a 3 hour wait for our connecting flight to Kansai. Half an hour of this was taken up simply walking between gates as Schipol seems to be one very large terminal. The trip between gates D to F took us over several travelaters. Upon finding a US-bound Airbus at our gate we duly wandered round for a few hours looking through the indentikit shops and Rembrandt "museum" before eventually our flight was called and we proceeded back to the gate to board our 777 flight eastwards. Straight away we were in the minority as Westerners, but after only a few minutes sitting around I'd become acustomed to the sea of Asian faces. We were sat apart from each other and I soon got a chance to practice my nascent Japanese as I had to ask someone to move so I could get to my seat. I managed to get out sumimasen, sore wa watashi desu (excuse me, that is me) whilst pointing at the seat. To my amazement the bloke actually understood what I'd said (or it could have just been that he understood my gesticulating) and allowed me to pass. Our lunch/dinner combo was a curious mix of sushi and beef stew. My cunning plan of avoiding jet lag by sleeping for 6 hours duly failed as I watched 3 films and a load of TV shows. I had resigned myself to the fact that I would have to go to the toilet on the plane (my least favourite thing ever), but miraculsly as the hours ticked by I felt no urge at all. Our flight took us over northern Germany, the Baltic Sea, Russia, China, then a little twist to avoid going over North Korea (possibly the reason the trip back from Tokyo is quicker than the trip back from Osaka), then South Korea and finally Japan. Kansai airport is a wonder of engineering. Built on a manmade island in Osaka Bay, it is one of the most expensive engineering feats ever undertaking (currently $15bn). The interest on the loan alone costs over $550m per year. The island sunk 8m more than was expected during construction and to this day, may sink further. The terminal building is the longest in the world and during the Kobe earthquake just across the bay, not even a single window was broken. Work on a second island for a second runway is underway. The price for the exuberance is that the landing fees are the 2nd highest in the world (ironically after Japan's other international gateway; New Tokyo International - Narita) so a lot of airlines (including BA) don't fly here - and if they do, they avoid landing 747s (it costs an airline $7500 for every 747 that lands) sticking to the 777 or Airbus planes. More bad news is that Kobe is building it's own airport across the bay which could steal a lot of KIX's traffic and worsen it's financial position. But enough with my mindless airport trivia.
To say the weather was bad was an understatment It was raining and was so misty that we could barely make out the mainland just over a mile away from the man-made island that Kansai airport is built on. Strangely, this made me feel a lot more comfortable. After all, we may be 6000 miles from home, but it's nice to know that they still get crap weather here just as we'd left back in Newcastle. Also the gloomy mist enveloping the tall buildings on the mainland cunjoured up images of Ghost in the Shell (set in Kobe) and Blade Runner. On the bus into Osaka we met another Fpi7-goer, Yvonne, (and I'm sure Ullrich Scherf was on the bus too) also staying at our hotel. As the bus dropped us off (not, as promised, at JR Osaka but a random Umeda bus stop) we made our way through the rain trying to find the correct exit from JR Osaka to our bus to the conference centre. Eventually we found it, more by luck than anything else and soon we were dropped off outside the Rihga Royal - the posh hotel where most people were staying. Not us however; we were in the cheap Hotel NCB down the road. After paying and getting our keys, we finally got to our rooms 19 hours after we left Newcastle, unpacked and had shower. The plan now was to stay awake, but after finding Kara had probably zonked out, I settled down to watch some baseball (which is the dullest game ever) and soon passed out. At 6pm we set out with Yvonne in search of a local restaurant. Eventually we found one we agreed on and went in. The ticket-vending machine style cut down on the interaction required and only required me to utter the phrase that we're going to use most this week: reshito wa arimasu ka (is there a receipt?). We got back to the hotel via a 7-11 and I promptly fell asleep, but not before daring to use the toilet; basic by Japanese standards, it only featured a bidet and spray function with adjustable pressure. No heating. The sensation was worryingly enjoyable - my quest in life now is to have a smart toilet in my home!