Hajimete no Nihon

I spent two years learning Japanese and studying Japanese business culture at Waikato University in New Zealand’s North Island. By the time I finished my final language course, I could speak, read and write basic conversational Japanese. Sadly, I never maintained the discipline and my language skills slowly waned. Almost 40 years later, I can only recall a few passing phrases.

At the time, I was motivated to learn the language thanks to Japan’s ascendency as New Zealand’s largest trading partner. Japanese technology, lean manufacturing and Kaizen business practices were also globally revered market-leading innovations. However, despite my studies, more than a decade passed before I finally visited Japan.

I spent a week in Honshu in April 1998. I flew into Osaka in the early evening of 6 April and departed again seven days later on 12 April. I booked the trip as a short break between jobs. I’d just resigned as a junior industry analyst with International Data Corporation (IDC) to take up a role at Recognition Public Relations.

My trip coincided with the spectacular Sakura season. Sakura translates simply as Cherry. Every year in Spring the island nation’s cherry trees burst into a riot of white and pink-hued blossom. It’s a magnificent spectacle. Everywhere you look, parks, roadsides and hills are cloaked in pastel hues. Then, as the blossom fades, paths and parks are carpeted in a sea of fallen petals.

The emerging blossoms are an eagerly anticipated event. Every year, the Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) and the general public track the sakura zensen ("cherry blossom front") as it moves northward up the archipelago. As the warmer weather approaches daily blossom forecasts close off the weather segment on the evening news. Many popular events and activities are also staged to commemorate the season. I experienced a few of these during some unscripted moments.

I chose to base myself in Osaka as it was centrally located for exploring southern Honshu’s most iconic destinations. I made full use of my Japan Rail Pass, scheduling daily day trips that took me as far south as Hiroshima and Iwakuni, and as far north as Hakone. In between I visited classic tourist hotspots in Himeji, Nara and Kyoto. In fact, the only place I didn’t spend time in was Osaka itself. I eventually returned 15 years later to explore the city with my mother.

As part of my retrospective blogging project, I’ve prepared a series of posts covering my most memorable day trips in Japan. Read and enjoy the links below. 

• Geeking out over the brand-new Akashi Kaikyo Bridge
• Seeing Mt Fuji for the first time on the Hakone Circuit 
• Reliving the horror of atomic warfare in Hiroshima 
• Exploring Japan’s most famous Samurai castle in Himeji 
• Seeking enlightenment in the temples and shrines of Nara and Kyoto.

One final memory before you go. My flight home was an unexpected highlight. The Qantas flight was packed with only a handful of seats to spare. Shortly after boarding, the cabin crew approached me and asked if I’d yield my bulkhead seat with its extra legroom to accommodate a passenger flying home with an injured leg. The crew wouldn’t (or couldn’t) upgrade me. Out of the kindness of my heart, I agreed to take the passenger’s middle-row seat further down the cabin.

The crew reappeared as we were preparing to push back. They’d found me a “better seat”. The captain had invited me to join him in the cockpit for take-off. I accepted his offer without a moment's hesitation. For the next hour, I sat in the cockpit jump seat enjoying a spectacular nighttime departure from Kansai airport. 

We took off down the runway lined by symmetrical ribbons of light and flew out over an inky black Inland Sea. As we slowly climbed, the jaw-dropping lights of Kobe and the Asahi Kaikyo Bridge punctuated the darkness. Above is an image I ripped from the Internet that captures this view.

As the aircraft turned south towards Australia, the captain took a moment to properly introduce himself. When he heard that I worked in the IT industry, he proceeded to take me on a tour of the aircraft’s avionics. For almost an hour he systematically took me through the cockpit controls flicking one switch after another as we settled for an overnight flight. As a child, I’d always dreamed of being an airline pilot, so his unexpected tutorial was a dream come true.

The following morning, I was invited back to the cockpit to enjoy a stunning early morning landing at Sydney Airport. The dawn sky was bright and clear as we flew in from the north, made a scenic loop around the city, landed on the main runway from the south and taxied to the terminal. Sadly, the events of 9/11 have put an end to these cockpit encounters. I count myself lucky to have experienced an opportunity long since consigned to the annals of history.

Should you ever want to retrace my steps yourself, here's a summary of my Japanese itinerary. As my retrospective posts reveal, each excursion is a viable day trip from Osaka.  If you have the time, I'd add a few days to include Tokyo, Nikko and sights further north. To facilitate this, I'd simply transfer to Toyko after spending the day in Hakone. Alternatively, I'd drop Hakone and spend a day in the Five Lakes district before venturing to Tokyo the following morning.

DAY	DATE	ITINERARY
1	6 April	Arrive in Osaka
2	7 April	Nara
3	8 April	Hiroshima, Miyajima & Iwakuni.
4	9 April	Asahi Kaikyo Bridge. Himeji.
5	10 April	Kyoto
6	11 April	Hakone Free Pass Circuit
7	12 April	Half Day Kyoto. Depart Japan.
8	13 April	Arrive in Sydney

Oh yes, the title of this post?  Translated it simply means "My first time in Japan". Enjoy!