My
Background
This is the tale of a
trip I made, a flight to the US, to see my family for the first time in years,
and to meet the woman I love. It has been a rollercoaster adventure, especially
now that it’s over, but I feel I need to chronicle this. Hopefully it is fond
memories for those involved, and a warning for those not.
A
little background for those who might not know. This adventure took place
during December of 2021, but the planning began much earlier. This was the
covid world, and still is depending on when you read this. I currently, as of
this writing, live in Japan, in the northern city of Obihiro in Hokkaido. The
covid situation was getting better, as Japan was shortening the quarantine bit
by bit. Then two things happened. We got a new PM and Omicron happened. These
two things panicked the government so much that huge restrictions from the
start of the pandemic were brought back. But flights had already been booked on
my end. Plans were made. I needed to make this trip. It would be the first time
meeting my family in 5 years. And the first time ever meeting the woman I love.
It would be a Christmas holiday to remember! And boy, was it…more on that
later, but the basics are that Japan has been going up and down with
restrictions for two years without ever really slackening them to a huge
degree. Who’s to say that next year it wouldn’t be even worse? I couldn’t just
sit and wait for the situation to get better. So, my love, my family, and I
made our preparations. I had to have 6 separate hotel bookings, just in case of
quarantine shenanigans, several different flights booked, and a metric ton of
paperwork ready, just in case.
In
order to leave Japan and return, you need to have a residence visa. When you
leave the airport, you need to make note with the immigration officer that you
want to return. More than that, you will need a ton of paperwork before and
after this process. In order to enter the US in quarantine time, you need a
covid test done 24 hours or less before your departure. This is really
inconvenient. In order to get back into Japan, you need a covid test done 72
hours before departure, you need a written pledge that you will abstain from
several acts while in quarantine, you need a covid test certificate filled out
by your doctor before you depart your home country, you need to pre-download
two apps, My SOS and COCOA or, if your phone cannot support them, you have to
rent a phone out of your own pocket money for the duration of your quarantine,
you need to prepare a questionnaire before you return to Japan using their
online website, and woe betide you if your state or country is on Japan’s
naughty list, as your quarantine will be even rougher. Some areas have a
mandatory quarantine under government watch in a government hotel of 3 days. Or
6. Or 9. Or longer!
One
more free tip, if you are booking a Japanese domestic flight, make damned sure
you keep the order number, all numbers on the receipt page after you book a
flight really, when you pay for your flight. You will NEED it to check in,
though weirdly, not to cancel. I didn’t know this and so…it was a pain trying
to check in to my domestic flight. They will NEVER give you any other copies of
the order number, only the one you get on the one page when you pay. You can
still check in at the airport and Japanese airports are very streamlined, so it
shouldn’t take too long, but still, be warned.
I
prepared all these documents and flights, at least the ones that I could,
before I left Japan. It expedited my process somewhat, but the level of stress
was insane during my travel. If there is one thing I would have wanted to be
different, I would have preferred to not be out of my mind with worry when with
my loved ones. With that said, let’s get to the travel.
My
Departure
I
started my journey by leaving Obihiro. Security checkpoints in Japan are so
much quicker and more convenient than in the US and I was checked in and
through in like 5 minutes. The JAL flight was lovely as well, with more space
and service than what I’m used to from a domestic flight. Afterwards, I crashed
in my hotel in Haneda, HOWEVER, we had to do more paperwork before we left. The
biggest issues with traveling during quarantine is a lack of clear, consistent,
and transparent information. So, I had to run errand boy between Delta, my
flight, and the covid clinic in the airport. I had to do several bits of
re-booking at the clinic because my initial booking wouldn’t give me a physical
piece of paper saying I’d passed the covid test, just a digital form. And I had
to go to Delta to get paperwork done digitally to allow me to safely travel. I
advise talking to the staff and getting the QR codes you need to do this, it’s
basically just a few questions about you and travel for contact tracing and the
like.
I
ended up traveling for roughly 24 hours in total. I left the hotel and got my
tests done, then I headed over to Delta and had to wait for their counter to
open up, then it was onto check in. It was fast, though stressful, as I’d made
promises to my employer to not leave the country unless I knew I could come
back. So, until I got my re-entry permit, I was sweating bullets. But I got it,
ate a short lunch before the flight, and then boarded. The international flight
wasn’t…fun, exactly, it was 13 hours of being cramped in a loud, vibrating
metallic tube shooting through the sky, but there were so few people traveling
internationally, I could stretch out in my seat and be a bit more at ease. We
had to wear masks during the entire flight, and let me tell you, that was
tiresome. I watched Fantasia, played some games, tried to sleep, and listened
to some podcasts.
When
I landed in Detroit for my transfer flight, I was struck by how much angrier
everyone seemed than in Japan. I’m American, but the change in transition is
always jarring. True, Americans are more personable than Japanese people but
throughout immigration and customs, it felt like I was being interrogated
ruthlessly. After that, there were 5 hours of waiting for my next flight and it
was an agony. I wanted to sleep, as I hadn’t been able to do much rest on the
plane. When I finally got on the flight, it was so much more cramped and so
much worse than the international one. I hate flying domestically and it made
me feel sick being in the plane. I made it though, and was finally able to find
my family, waiting for me in Raleigh’s airport.
The
Adventure
Seeing my family after
such a long absence was a joyous occasion. I was able to reconnect with my
father, mother, and brother and it felt different, but still familiar going
home. I stayed in my parents’ cottage, which they are retiring in. The bed was
a tad small but it was such a surprise being there at all. Christmas had
already been mostly planned out and I was interested in seeing those close to
me and enjoying some amazing food. I got a chance to meet my brother’s family,
who I’d only had brief interactions with before. Including meeting my niece,
nephew, and my brother’s mother-in-law. They were all lovely people and I was
surprised to get a massive Christmas present of a new computer from my family.
This…was a small problem, as the space in my bags, even after taking out all
the presents for my family, was limited. Haha, I had to make some quick
changes. Speaking of quick changes, the original plans for Christmas were
modified by everyone trying hard to accommodate me. This was sweet, but I would
have rather they relaxed and just enjoyed the time with me. We did shopping for
new coats, for computer parts, for specialists to help with the computer…but
the parts I enjoyed most was reconnecting. I got to eat lots of yummy food,
Mexican, Chinese, BBQ, Mexican again, Christmas turkey, Christmas ham, etc.
while staying with my family and I got to see all my old friends I’d left when
I moved to Japan. It was nice. Like old times. I was very happy that they were
willing to drive as I was jetlagged all to hell. I also saw my aunt and uncle,
and met my dad’s new puppy, who was a cute little guy. Sadly, there will always
be stress while traveling, and I needed to get a massive amount of data moved
from one computer to another, especially when it became clear I couldn’t take
my old laptop with me, I only had room in my bag for one. So…I was busy this
Christmas.
After
Christmas with my family, it was time to meet the woman I love. The domestic
flight out to Detroit was truly horrendous, as I felt sick the entire time(not
covid sick, stomach pains) but when I finally got a chance to meet my lady, I
knelt down, kissed her hand, and we proceeded into a super fun four day
adventure. We walked and talked a lot, getting groceries for delicious meal
plans. We watched some comfort food shows like Milo Murphy’s Law, the
Librarians, and Love, death, and Robots. We also watched some movies, like my
favorite Clue, Shrek, Unconditional Love, and the quirky Saint Young Men. Meals
were a real treat, as my love is an amazing cook. We had fruit curry, pizza,
chicken noodle soup, battered chicken and vegetables in orange sauce, cranberry
pork, and a fun little evening where I was given instructions to make a meal
for my beloved. We shared adventure in gaming with my Switch, her Lego worlds,
and she even showed me the wonders of VR which…I’ll admit, was a heck of a
trip. Much more than that, I think, will be for just me and her to know.
Through
all this, the best part of this adventure was simply being with the woman I
loved. She was cute and funny. Quirky and charming. Loving and creative all the
while. I think she appreciated that I did the dishes, haha. Even during the
stressful times, she helped me get through it, like when I had to get my
stateside covid test for Japan. We were lucky to find a clinic that would do
the paperwork and the test close to her.
Luck
is one of the themes of this adventure, as I think you’ll find out when I
mention my return.
My
Return
Leaving
my love was one of the hardest things I’d done in a while. I cried as I was
waiting for my flight. And, that last flight. Oh, dear god. So, I got on the
plane, supposed to land in Atlanta for my connecting flight to Japan with an
hour and a half to spare. So, I got on the plane…then we had a delay of 20
minutes. Then we had to get on a different plane. And all the while I was
having a panic attack. My nice hour and a half window was cut down to FIVE
MINIUTES. I ran off that plan after nearly losing my marbles for about two
hours and miraculously, my gate was right across from where I got off and…I
missed my flight. I was too late. I fell to my knees and cursed the heavens.
And then, got up and tried to rebuild. I headed to the Delta service counter
and prepared for an even longer flight that would make all my plans go up in
smoke. Then they told me to run back to my original gate. Lightning had caused
the plane’s departure to be delayed…and they were coming back to get me. I
couldn’t believe my good luck. Coincidentally, I watched Saint Young Men with
my love last night, so I feel both Jesus and Buddha had a hand in this. A true
act of gods saved me. And I got on my international flight. And we left. The
flight was again, not great, but I was so hopped up on adrenaline from the
running and the panic that it was hard to settle down for a bit. It was a long
13 hours and the plane wore on me. Then we landed…and the paperwork began.
Paperwork.
Walking. Waiting. I landed at 3:30 pm and left the airport for my government
quarantine hotel at 7pm. Good god, it was rough. We started out by being told
that my checked bag didn’t make it. I was fortunate that I had my clothes and a
spare blanket from my mum with me in my carry on. I was able to change clothes
after and rest with some of my comforts of home. Anyway, we started out with
presenting various different bits of paperwork, most notably the covid test
certification from when I got my test in the US. After that, we had to get a
covid test, nothing too major just spitting into a vial, and then we had to go
through many many MANY checks of what we already had. The questionnaire which
could only be presented in QR code form, the pledge, I needed my boarding pass
and passport at the ready in case I needed to have my seat checked to see if
anyone close to me tested positive. We walked and did paperwork. Walked and did
paperwork. And then I had to get a rental phone because mine couldn’t download
the My SOS app, so that was more money down the tube…except they wouldn’t take
my credit or debit cards. Ugh. I was fortunate that I had cash on hand. Then
more waiting, I was given…basically a keeper after the covid test so that I
wouldn’t get lost on the way through immigration and the bus taking me to a
government quarantine hotel. I went through immigration, then I had to talk to
Delta reps about my lost bag, fill out special paperwork for it, and hope that
I could get it after the mandatory quarantine. The customs check was a bit
weird as my declared stuff was in my checked bag. Eventually they let me
through. I was taken to a bus with others like me, and here we start feeling
like in prison, and shipped off to a government run quarantine hotel.
My
Quarantine
Prison
is kind of true here. Though I had a shower, a personal room, a bed, and a TV,
the hotel was of relatively poor quality. Not the building or amenities per se,
but the quality therein. So, here’s how quarantine works. You cannot leave your
room. At all. You will be checked on by the My SOS app multiple times a day,
sometimes asking for health checks, sometimes just to have you say you’re
there. Sometimes with a video call. I personally emailed the health center a
lot for clarification on issues with it. I also had to contact the call center
of the hotel every day to report my temperature, which their thermometer often
felt very faulty, because the app they wanted you to use to report didn’t seem
to record data properly. It all felt very half baked. Then there’s food. You
get three meals a day, left hanging from your door at specific times. The food
is incredibly bland and always cold. I got three Japanese style bentos but none
of them reached the level of quality I would call good. All of them stayed in
the meh, to terrible situation. We got water and green tea only. And alongside
the meh food, internet was incredibly slow and prone to outages. I also may
have had the worst pillow I have ever used in my entire life. It was like a
tiny piece of cloth in a pillowcase rather than a proper pillow. The entire
affair was a joke, as far as I can tell. I spent most of my time sleeping,
playing Switch, or trying to reconnect with family to let them know I was okay.
After three days, we were given a covid test and then eventually allowed to
leave. I say we because this was a group of foreigners in the three day
bracket, some had to wait longer. I was fortunate, in that after my quarantine
ended, I could pick up my bag from Delta and then make my way over to the hotel
of my choice.
All
of this sounds pretty minor, right? Well, I assure you that the lack of even
the ability to move around really made the stay tiresome and frustrating. And
the short paragraph does not even begin to explain how exhausting and tedious
the entire stay was. To add onto that, let’s talk about My SOS. This thing,
this app, will be your parole officer. 4-8 times a day, AT RANDOM, you will be
contacted on this thing. They may ask you to simply click your, I’m here,
button to show you haven’t left quarantine, or you could have to register your
health and temperature, or you could have to have a short video call with a
human or an AI computer. And woe betide you if you have a nap, or long shower,
or whatever, as you may miss it. Missing it a few times isn’t so bad, but you
could be checked on or penalized if you miss these too often. It can be quite
frustrating.
My
Holiday
My
time in the US was an adventure, but my holiday would be a time for rest,
because I was still technically in quarantine. However, there were some key
differences once I got to the hotel of my choice. For starters, I had to pay,
haha. Anyway, I stayed with the Haneda Excel Tokyu hotel and their service was
quite good. In the quarantine hotel you had English speakers, but that was less
common here. Still, they were able to consolidate 4 separate bookings(I had to
have 4 different bookings due to the unpredictable nature of the quarantine and
covid tests) and move them all into one booking with one room I wouldn’t have
to change. This was a huge load off my shoulders. They did still request I tell
them my temperature each morning, but beyond that I was allowed to go out into
the airport terminal for food. It is so liberating to be allowed to go free,
even if you must wear a mask and return in relatively short time. The internet there
was better, the room was bigger, more pillows, better bathroom, I could have
the room cleaned if I needed to, a working refrigerator, etc. This was still a
quarantine, I was unable to return to work until January 15, but I almost
enjoyed myself there, especially with my bags back. Almost. The time in a
single room wore on me. I missed my regular home. My bed, my bath, my food, I
was limited by restaurants and convenience stores in the terminal and I NEVER
ate in due to the fact that I was in quarantine. Takeout only. It wore on me,
day in, day out. I could exercise, read, write, play games and use the
internet, but there was very little else I could do. The lack of freedom and constant
checks from my phone made me very cross and upset throughout the stay. I was
more than ready to leave when the time came.
I
dumped the phone I’d rented in a bag and gave it to a mail service to return,
all pre-filled thankfully. I made my way to the flight, which was fast and
easy, and took a bus home. I took a taxi to my school, picked up my house keys,
and got home. Bought food, did laundry and FINALLY I could rest in my own bed.
It
was good to be home.
Grand
totals, I spent 8 days in America, 3 days total traveling, 14 days in
quarantine, and two months of stressing over getting it all together and managed.
Not counting the stress during traveling. It’s been an odyssey, but it was
worth it for my family and my love. I hesitate to say I would do it again, at
least during quarantine times, but I can say I am glad I did this one.
If
anyone has comments or questions specifically about paperwork or quarantine,
feel free to leave them below and I’ll answer them as fast as I can.
