Four flights to Japan: My adventurous travel report from Berlin to Fukuoka

I'm in Japan for a year on a working holiday visa because I needed a new adventure. And the day finally had to come, the journey:

Travel planning and route

As I hadn't booked my flight far in advance, but still wanted to fly cheaply, I thought about a route that was cheap and time-consuming. The reason was that every euro I would save in Germany could be spent in Japan.

The following route was planned:

Berlin - Budapest, Budapest - Beijing, Beijing - Osaka, Osaka - Fukuoka

Of course, there were also more pleasant routes, but this was clearly the cheapest.

The journey begins - flight by flight

The journey began with my alarm clock ringing at 03:00 in the morning. My parents kindly drove me to the airport and saw me off there. And then my first flight took off at 06:00 with Ryan Air.

First flight: Berlin - Budapest

Fortunately, the first flight was quite short, only 90 minutes. I was quite happy about that, because flying with Ryan Air is never the best experience. But take-off and landing were pleasant and there was no turbulence.

Once I arrived in Budapest, I had four hours to check in my luggage again and get myself together for the long flight ahead. Unfortunately, I have had a fear of flying and heights for many years, but I can say this much in advance: Thanks to all the flights in this short time, I have been able to overcome this fear almost completely, because each flight became more and more relaxed for me and on the last flight I no longer thought it was at all likely that we could crash. Maybe it was a kind of intensive confrontation therapy, who knows.

Second flight: Budapest - Beijing

However, I was still really scared of this flight. 9 hours flight and over Russia. That were enough details to get me down. But although there was some major turbulence from time to time, it was only because we were flying over mountains. And flying with Air China was a direct upgrade compared to Ryan Air, because even though the cups were only ever half full, at least there was food and drinks, three times in total. So I didn't have to buy any food during the whole journey. Unfortunately, because of my anxiety, I was only able to sleep for 30 minutes during this time. At this point, I would like to say that as a frequent flyer, I have never experienced such a pleasant and professional landing, especially with an aircraft of this size. This could be due to the aircraft's suspension, but I think the pilots were incredibly precise here. It really was world class.

I arrived in Beijing at 03:35 at night due to the time difference. The airport was accordingly empty, but still impressive.

But getting Wi-Fi to let my family know that I had landed safely was a big problem. Beijing is the capital of China and so of course there was only censored internet. No WhatsApp, YouTube, emails or Instagram. Even Google was not available. Luckily, a single message got through to my sisters via Instagram, so my family knew everything was okay.

On top of that, I had a small carry-on suitcase that was actually too big for the given dimensions. Not so bad in itself, sometimes you can ‘smuggle’ something like that through, but every five minutes the loudspeakers at this eerily empty airport announced that it was strictly forbidden to take larger luggage with you and that you might not even be allowed to fly as a punishment. I know these are normal rules, but at an empty airport in China, with censored internet and some strange looks from airport staff over the eight hours, it had an intimidating effect on me. And so I ended up spending 8 hours there, without internet and with worries that I might get stuck here in China. And again, I couldn't sleep during those eight hours, and although I hadn't slept for 24 hours by the time I boarded the third plane, if you don't count the 30 minutes on the plane, at a certain point I didn't want to. I wanted to quickly adjust my sleep rhythm to Japan, where it was already 1 pm.

Third flight: Beijing - Osaka

Once again, I flew with Air China and was able to eat and drink something. And after all the tiredness and relief of getting on the plane, my fear of flying was as good as gone. There were a few turbulences, but not enough to disturb my zen state. On this 3 hour flight I tried again not to sleep as it was already the middle of the day there. I also managed this with the tactic of always having something to do. So I was able to watch films on the second flight to pass the time, but here I had to come up with something better. The tiredness was very present, and it always came in waves that grew and grew. But I played chess on my mobile phone, learnt Japanese and focused on the people on the plane. Coupled with eating and drinking, this time passed slowly but surely.

In contrast, my subsequent stay in Osaka was more than stressful. I only had 2 hours 50 minutes to change planes and I had to check in my luggage again. But there were masses of people queuing at immigration. And so I queued there too. Fascinated by the Japanese characters, which I could read sporadically compared to those in China, I was wide awake again.

And then came one problem after another...

I queued, got my turn, was sent back. I queued again, at another queue, was sent to another one after that. An hour passed and I was finally with special staff, alone without people, and I got my Japanese ‘resident card’. I was finally through and looked for my suitcase. But it hadn't been on the conveyor belt for a long time. I asked staff, who fortunately could speak English, but they didn't know anything either. Finally I found someone who had kept my suitcase and gave it to me. But then came the next problem. I only had 1 hour 45 minutes to get to the right terminal, and it was apparently a long way away. I ran through the crowds of Japanese people and missed the first bus to Terminal 2, my destination. Once there, I immediately asked if and how I could still check in. The lady told me that I still had three minutes to check myself in and drop off my luggage, and left. Full of excitement and overtired, I forgot my booking number at this important moment, but at the very last minute I got my ticket from the machine with the help of another official. I was told that I would also have to hand in my ‘oversized carry-on bag’, which I didn't care about at that moment. The main thing was that I would get to Fukuoka. And then, for an extra €18, ridiculously little if you ask me and remember that it would cost around €70 on Ryan Air, I handed in my carry-on bag. I made my way through security one last time and was finally seated at a collection gate, where the individual flights were always called out in Japanese and broken English.

I had made it, and I was proud, relieved and also happy to finally have internet again. I now had half an hour's break before boarding began, and now I experienced the reward for my constant fatigue and exhaustion: I sat there, wide awake at one moment and waking up every 20 seconds from a microsleep. I must have looked ridiculous sitting there twitching in this crowded room. But I somehow managed to stay awake for those 30 minutes. And then I boarded an aeroplane for the last time for this trip.

Fourth flight: Osaka - Fukuoka

This flight was with the airline ‘Peach’ and could be compared to Ryan Air, but I didn't mind, because this flight was only about 1h 15min and coincidentally the two seats next to me and my window seat were completely free. So after the security briefing and an annoyingly long 10 minutes of my twitching, I was able to sleep, completely sweaty and exhausted, but finally content. I'd been awake for 30 hours, the longest I'd ever been awake, and I'd thought to myself: ‘All right, you'll still be tired when you get to your flat, treat yourself to a little sleep. I don't want to fall asleep standing up there, or on the underground and miss my stops.’ And so I slept on the plane for two 15-minute naps, feeling calm that I had almost completed the whole journey. And I didn't even care that a newborn baby had been crying the whole flight, I even smiled about it.

The way to the accommodation

Like a newborn, apart from my wet T-shirt, I got off the plane, picked up my suitcases, which incidentally can be done within 5 minutes in Japan, and went to the underground. Quickly bought a ticket and off I went. 2 stops on this line, 2 stops on that, and I came out of the station, marvelling at the city and the buildings for the first time. I walked for 10 minutes and collected my key, and walked another 2 minutes to open my door on the 12th floor. And there I was, amazed at how easy it was now. I put my things down, went to the nearest supermarket and picked up some instant meals to prepare with boiling water. I told my family, watched a quick 20 minutes of self-indulgent YouTube, finally had a shower and then slept for 12 hours. I woke up at 12 noon today. I guess I haven't quite got the sleeping rhythm thing down yet. I'm still tired. But maybe I'll get it sorted by Monday, when school starts. Until then.

Conclusion

To come to a conclusion: I think my trip could have ended very differently and I'm grateful for how lucky I was in the right places on this trip. It worked out perfectly and apart from a few worries along the way and a little more coordination in Osaka, I couldn't have done anything better. And so I can also advise with a clear conscience that travelling to another country with many stopovers can be an adventure in its own right, and although exhausting, it is also rewarding. But please make sure you have enough time between flights. The three hours in Osaka were simply not enough!

Are you interested in what I will miss about Germany? Click here for my last article: The little things - what I will miss about Germany.