Arrival

3/30/07
Kansai International Airport. Has it been less then a year since I visited? I always get the chills when I see aerial photos of the airport. This is what I'm talking about. Yep, its a man made island. Since there was a limited amount of land space the only way to build is outward and onward into the sea! On a serious note the airport is actually very safe. It has withstood the Kobe earthquake and a recent typhoon and people bad mouthing it saying it would sink (which it slowly is but only by a little).
I made it in safely was a little worried when no one was there to pick me up. I got to the point where I thought about taking a bus or a train out to Kobe and see if I could meet up with Justin. It sounded feasible but in my head I was thinking there's no way I'm going to drag this giant bag around town. Luckily for me at that time Sakai-san showed up. Apparently she had been waiting at another area of the airport. We jump into the car and drive off making small chat along the way. I begin to fade out of the conversation as the sights rolling by catch my attention. ports, cranes, and freight cars, as far as the eye can see. The traffic is what catches my attention next with random assortment of trucks and cars. I distinctly remember one truck carrying what looked like an old and tattered amusement park ride. We stop at a rest stop with a view of the ocean. I sit down and look out into the deep blue and take a heavy sigh, the first of which will probably be many sighs.
After a little more driving up into the mountains through long and winding tunnels we make it to the apartment complex. There I am shone around the building and the apartment. Sakai-san goes down and buys some sandwiches from the convenient store across the street. We eat and I thank her as politely as I know how to in Japanese. With that I'm told to rest at my leisure. She shows me where the bus stop is and tells me where to meet her the following Monday. That's when I run into the infamous Justin Bacon, Evergreen student from last years exchange program. Next thing I know I'm on a trip into the neon lights and nightly glitter of Kobe.

More to come soon... pictures too!