#106 One week to Japan

Well, it's actually five days until I depart Ireland, but my first official day there is next Monday.

Here's where I'm at;

Packing
I just finished packing today, after a few trial runs last week. Basically, I threw in the clothes and stuff I wanted to bring and weighed the cases to see roughly how much space I had. I actually had quite a few kg left in each case which was a great surprise, so I gathered more clothes to put in. Earlier today I packed the cases again and the weight is perfect, happy days! Packing four days in advance basically means I can sleep easily for my last few days in Ireland, and spend it hanging out with family and friends instead of panicking and stressing about it the day before.


Flight details
We're flying Dublin - London, then London - Tokyo with British Airways. They have one free 23kg check in bag, carry on hand luggage and then also a handbag or briefcase. I think 23kg check in is a tiny allowance for moving around the world for a year, but thankfully they only charge €75 for another 23kg bag, so I've got 46kg total, plus a carry on bag and a handbag.

As an interesting side, you can check out what the onboard movies, tv shows etc will be on your flight on your airlines website before you travel (I think most airlines do this). For BA, it's here: http://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/entertainment/in-flight-entertainment

Hamamatsu, Shizuoka

Excited to announce this is the exact place I'm going! It's a city of about 800k people, situated on the bullet train line and halfway between Tokyo and Kyoto, about 1hr 30mins from each. The bullet train is expensive, and I can get a bus to Tokyo for much less but it takes like 4-5 hours. Overall, Hamamatsu seems to be a good location for travelling easily around Japan.

Tying up loose ends

There are things to do before leaving your home for any length of time. I decided to get my laptop fixed - it's been overheating and I felt it was easier to get it sorted before I go. I threw out a lot of clothes I hadn't worn in the past year or so (well, gave them to charity shops). I cleaned my room! I'm meeting up with some old friends this week. I guess it just depends on the person what needs to be done.

#74 France: The Travel Show

I have been to Paris four times. Once during Halloween with a youth group when I was 11, again with my family for New Years when I was about 13, with a youth group at Halloween again when I was 14, and then during Easter on a school tour when I was 16.

Shamefully, I have never been outside Paris, and I have a keen interest in returning to France, this time without a visit to the capital. I think this is probably an issue for the country - tourists fly in to Paris, stay a few days, see the major sights, and leave. France is quite a large country with a lot to offer, and I am embarrassed to have been there so many times without seeing the rest of the country.

Paris, and the Eiffel Tower

That being said, Paris is a really beautiful city. Some say the French (and in particular Parisians) are rude, but I will give them the benefit of the doubt, and say that I had a wonderful time there each time I visited. Since it uses Euro it is convenient for the Europeans out there, and although prices aren't cheap and a tiny coffee could cost you €6 or more in one of the quaint cafés, it isn't too unreasonable if you know where to look.

The most obvious highlights in Paris include the Eiffel Tower, Arc De Triomphe, Louvre Museum and Disneyland. Although Disneyland has been criticized for being an eyesore etc etc, I think it is a magical place to visit on a day out, especially if there are children or young people involved. It's impossible not to have a good time there!

Halloween decorations at Disneyland Paris

I'm not sure if things have changed much in the past 5 or so years, but the lines to go up the Eiffel Tower used to be a massive pain - you just had to line up and wait to get in. Newer attractions like SkyTree in Tokyo have a system where you buy a ticket straight away and are given a time, one or 2 hours, to return, and then you can go almost straight up without hours of queueing. Hopefully they have brought in a similar system in Paris! Also, for anyone who thinks walking it could be fun (or because the wait is shorter for the stairs than for the elevator) it's very tiring and takes a lot longer than what you think.


One of the really cool places outside Paris is Mont Saint Michel. Basically, it's like a really old town and castle built on a little island. It reminds me of something from Lord of the Rings! You can easily get to Mont St Michel from Paris, either using a day tour operator (expensive but convenient) or going yourself by getting a train and then a bus. You can get there in about 3 hours or so. I haven't been there, but since I discovered it (embarrassingly, only last year) I can't wait to visit it.

Mont Saint Michel

France also has a lot of nice lovely and quaint villages and towns, and the further south you go, you can also find some really warm weather and gorgeous beaches.

Since I am in Ireland, I have two options to get to France, I can fly to Paris and then get a train or bus, or I can get the ferry to somewhere like Cherbourg, and then go from there. France has an excellent train network, and also buses which take longer but are often much cheaper.

This article is linked to my student radio show - The Travel Show. To listen back on the show (originally aired 4th October) click here http://www.ulfm.ie/week-4-listen-back/#tabs-1701-0-4

#7 Flight Plan

Today did not start well. I was awoken rather rudely at approximately 7.30am by a phone call, which had stopped by the time I fumbled to find my phone and forced my weary eyes open to see an unknown, foreign number. I called it back, and was directed to the company HQ in Japan. After being put on hold for quite some time I was put through to someone who told me that my Certificate of Eligibility, which I bring to the Embassy in Ireland to get my Japanese visa, will be sent out shortly. So things were looking up.

For such a simple form it causes mucho stress

I went back to sleep and around 11am I woke up again and checked my emails, to see that my flights have now been booked. By some miracle, I have been put on the flight I wanted - Emirates Dublin to Dubai, and from there to Tokyo. I am now a very happy camper.

I will depart Dublin in the afternoon of the 20th August, and after a 7 and a half hour flight I will get in to Dubai shortly after midnight on the 21st. I will proceed to wander aimlessly around the airport for about 3 hours until my next flight, nearly 10 hours to Tokyo. All going well I should be in Narita International Airport in Tokyo by 6pm on the 21st of August. Splendid!

Oh, and I will be leaving from terminal 2 in Dublin. A very important but admittedly very petty detail which had been bothering me.

Dublin Airport Terminal Two. . .the place of dreams!

I was on the Emirates website and I was able to look up the planes I'll be on and their facilities, although I am travelling economy and not first class it still looks pretty swish. For the slightly longer journey from Dubai to Tokyo I'll be travelling on the A380, the largest passenger plane in the world (apparently it can fit 555 people). It has two levels - the first being for first and business class, while the lower deck is for the plebs in economy. The economy layout is three seats - aisle - four seats - aisle - three seats. If you follow. More chance of an aisle seat, but less chance of being seated at the window. I'll try survive though!

Check out this badboy! [credits: Emirates]

The next step was to look up luggage requirements, which is thankfully 30kg and not the 23kg I expected. Although the first 30kg is free, I am only allowed an additional 2kg (which will cost €100) so I spent a few hours today doing a trial run on the weight of my suitcase. It looks like I will be needing to cut back a little, but generally you will fit a lot in with the 30kg.


And finally, I will be doing the same trip home on the 21st of December. It will take me a total 16.8 hours flying time to get from Dublin to Tokyo, but strangely enough it will take me 20.2 hours in a plane to get from Tokyo to Dublin.


It seems after months and weeks of waiting things are starting to move very fast, before I know it I will be there and back, and on to Sweden.

Soon. . .

#6 Twenty-Five Days

Yesterday morning I received confirmation that on the 20th August 2012 I will be getting a flight to Japan. That is roughly 25 days time. I have been given a list of things (teaching materials) to bring with me, to add on top of the things I already have. My suitcase has been semi-packed for the past few weeks, but it's time to check I have everything I need in there and buy whatever's left. I have also been given a lot of materials to read over, as well as some questions to fill out, which will keep me busy up until I go.

I have also received confirmation that I will be not be teaching full time, but rather working in an office, helping out with examinations and occasionally subbing in schools. I will also be staying around Tokyo, which I am definitely happy about, especially on my first visit to Japan. This may change, but for now this is what I can expect.

View from Tokyo tower, with the streets laid out to look like Tokyo Tower.

#5 I Am Not Rich

I have a concern that anyone reading this thinks I'm super rich and can easily afford all the associated costs with going to live in Japan and Sweden, especially consecutively. This is definitely not the case; there are a variety of factors that allow me to do this at a relatively low cost. In Japan I will be working as an assistant English teacher so I will be earning while I'm there. In Sweden I will be attending college and it is unlikely I will get a job, but as part of the programme each student gets a grant to help.

The Japan facts:

• To start off with the most important bit, the company pays for my flights to and from Japan. This is a HUGE factor as they would have cost me around €1,000.
• Another big factor, my accommodation is arranged on my behalf and is paid out of my gross salary, which brings me on to my third major factor: I earn about €600 a month, basically just for food and other living costs.
• The company also provides the following: free orientation and teaching materials as well as a hotel stay and transport from the airport on arrival in Tokyo, free health insurance cover, free transport within Japan from Tokyo to wherever I will be placed, and from my accommodation to the schools I’ll work in.

So as you can see, this is much cheaper than a holiday in which I would have to pay for flights, insurance and accommodation and the rest myself.

The Sweden Facts

• These are a lot less clear at the moment, but I do know that I will be receiving a grant of up to €1,500, which will go a long way.
• Flights with luggage etc will set me back about €150 return, it sounds like a lot but it costs €26 return on a bus to college from my house – so that would equal about 6 trips home if I were in Ireland (and I would go home more than that).
• As for accommodation, it’s looking like €400 a month, which is roughly the cost of my accommodation at home anyway – although I have to buy things such as bedding and stuff which I would have normally just have brought up from my house. I’ll also have to fork out for travel to college (I'm told a 3month travel card for the bus, train and metro will set me back about €135) while in Ireland I was in walking distance from college.
• As for things like food, there are shops like Lidl (which is quite low cost for anyone who doesn't know) which I would often shop in Ireland too.

I still believe that going to college in Sweden won’t cost me too much extra than at home – although I will probably not realise the extent until I return home this time next year.

I see this in my future (credits: World Of Stock)

So while I have outlined that my trips are not as expensive as they may seem, I have had to fork out for things such as more climate-appropriate clothes, plus a few expensive extras such as a video camera.

#2 Japan Flight Assumptions

Although I do not book my own flights to Japan (the company books them for me), I have spoken to a friend who works with the same company and I can assume that I could be travelling BMI from Dublin to London Heathrow, and then Virgin Atlantic to Tokyo Narita. This arrangement means I would have to depart from terminal one in Dublin Airport, instead of terminal two. This upsets me greatly as I was looking forward to heading to the new terminal, where so many of my peers have tagged themselves before they leave to go on a wild J1 to America, or to find a job in Australia. For me, terminal one is for cheap family holidays to Gran Canaria or cheap drinking holidays for the students to Santa Ponza. But we'll see. Maybe I can leave Terminal two for my flights to Stockholm. Maybe.

I had originally thought I had to arrange my own flights, so I was checking online and the cheapest flights I could find were around €535 (one way) which was Dublin to either Abu Dabi or Dubai, and from there to Tokyo. These were operated by Etihad Airways and Emirates. I was looking at the Virgin website and the flight I was quoted was £1,022 one way! That is way more expensive than most of the ones I had found online. The prices will be going up the closer it gets to when I leave, so I am happy I won't have to worry about that.

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