Flights

Japan Trip Series, Part 1

​This post marks the beginning of a new series chronicling my November 7–21, 2025 trip to Japan. I’m still not sure how many entries this series will ultimately contain, as my trip was jam-packed with activities and sights, and there are a couple ways I could divide things. I’ll try to keep each post focused and digestible, and throughout this series I’ll intersperse posts on other topics that catch my attention. But for now, we begin where all long journeys begin: In the air.

Leaving Winnipeg

​My trip started, as many do, in the dark with a 6am Air Canada flight out of Winnipeg. I aimed to arrive at the airport a little more than three hours early. Partly to clear security before the crowds arrived and partly to give myself ample time to handle any unexpected issues. The chance to experience that liminal quiet that airports have before sunrise was a nice bonus. 

Winnipeg Richardson International Airport - November 7, 2025

​Once boarded, I settled into a comfortable rhythm of reading on my Kobo Aura One. I’d just started ‘For We Are Many’ by Dennis E. Taylor (Bobiverse #2), a light, playful sci-fi exploration of identity, multiplicity, and what it means to have many versions of oneself scattered across the cosmos. A few hours later, during my Vancouver layover, that same eReader met its end. Screen failure that no amount of powercycling or resets could resolve. 

​Fortunately, this story has a happy ending. A Kobo Libra Colour was on sale at Chapters when I got back home to Canada, and the upgrades to USB-C and storage are much appreciated. It’s nice when most of your devices use the same cable. 

Leaving Vancouver - November 7, 2025

Ten Hours Over Water, Mountains, and Time

​My 10.5-hour Vancouver–Narita flight had long stretches of nothing, punctuated by moments of spectacular views. Our route took us over part of Alaska, where frozen mountains and tundra stretched out in vast, sparsely populated silence. It’s a reminder of how much empty space we traverse to reach Japan, and how much of the world remains virtually untouched by humans.

Alaskan Mountains & Tundra - November 7, 2025

​I alternated between games, music, and movies on both my phone (Hoopla for ‘The Recall’) and the in-flight entertainment system. Wesley Snipes as a grizzled, alien-abduction-surviving mountain man was the best part of ‘The Recall’. I also rewatched ‘M3GAN 2.0’ and most of ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’. Both are highly rewatchable films, but ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ reigns supreme on that front. 

​The food was serviceable. Not bad. Not memorable. Just “plane food”, occupying the neutral zone between fuel and comfort.

Arriving in Japan - November 8, 2025

​By the time we landed in Narita around 4pm on November 8th, it would have been roughly 1am back in Winnipeg. If anyone is planning a trip from Winnipeg to Japan, I genuinely recommend an early-morning departure. Stay awake, ride the momentum through your flights, and then collapse into bed early local time. My sleep cycle aligned surprisingly well, giving me a far smoother start the next day than I expected.

Narita International Airport - November 8, 2025

Oita to Tokyo: A Different Kind of Order

​Past the mid-way point of my trip, my Japan Airlines (JAL) flight from Oita to Haneda stood out for the boarding process and gorgeous views of Mount Fuji. 

Oita Airport - November 18, 2025

​After passengers needing assistance and premium seats, JAL boards rear-to-front and window-to-aisle. It’s astonishing how much smoother this feels. Fewer passenger “traffic jams”, less struggling with overhead bins, and more continuous flow. Even without the famously orderly queues Japan is known for, this system simply makes sense. I wish we’d adopt something similar in Canada.

​The highlight of this flight, though, was catching a clear view of Mount Fuji from the window, its iconic symmetry rising through the clouds. Mount Fuji is officially on my list for the next time I visit Japan. I don’t know when that will be, but I know I’ll return. Japan has that effect. It’s endlessly convenient, endlessly surprising, and endlessly full of places to explore.

Mount Fuji - November 18, 2025

Riding the Jet Stream Back

My return flight—from Narita to Vancouver—was noticeably shorter at around seven to eight hours. The polar jet stream does most of the work here, pushing west-to-east flights along at higher ground speeds while making east-to-west flights drag on. You can see this difference geographically. My outbound route arced over Alaskan mountain ranges, while my return was a near-straight line across open ocean until we reached Vancouver Island.

​I passed the time with a double feature of ‘Dune’ Parts 1 and 2, music, and a few mobile games. The meals were similar to the earlier flights: All right, functional, and forgettable.

Homeward Bound

​My final flight from Vancouver to Winnipeg passed in a blur of partial sleep and friendly conversation with nearby passengers who were curious about my Japan adventures. Deboarding went smoothly and my checked luggage appeared on the carousel almost immediately. By the time I stepped into the Winnipeg air, I was grateful for the adventure and ready to collapse into my own bed.

Two Small Notes About Japanese Airports

Two observations worth sharing:

1. Smoking areas exist inside Japanese airports and many other locations such as hotels. This caught me by surprise considering how little we accommodate smoking in Canada.
2. Prices at Japanese airports aren’t wildly inflated. Food and drink seemed maybe 10–20% higher than outside, comparable to what I observed at the Grand Sumo Tournament in Fukuoka (a story for a later post). It made me wish Canadian venues would adopt similarly reasonable pricing.

Closing Reflection

​Flights are the connective tissue of any long journey. They’re liminal, transitional, typically not the most comfortable, and occasionally marked by great views, conversations with fellow passengers, and moments of quiet reflection. They give you time to read, to think, to stare out at frozen mountains and oceans that remind you just how large the world is. They also teach you that travel can be as much about the spaces between destinations as the destinations themselves.

​Next up: The trip on the ground. But for now, I’m still thinking about that first glimpse of Mount Fuji from the airplane window. It is amazing how something so monumental can appear so suddenly and silently. It’s a reminder to stay open to new opportunities and that wonders can often be found while you’re simply passing through.

Mount Fuji - November 18, 2025

​Note: All photos in this post were taken by me with an iPhone 17 Pro.