Tere!
The trip to Japan started from an airport!
This time I had two transits each way. The airports I used were Tallinn airport, Frankfurt airport, Tokyo Haneda airport as well as Kansai airport.
In this article, I will talk about those airports that I used.
Table of Contents
1. Outward journey
a. Tallinn airport
b. Frankfurt airport
c. Tokyo Haneda airport
2. Homeoward airport
★Summary
1. Outward journey
a. Tallinn airport
At Tallinn airport, the flight checkin was 4.40 in the following morning, so I planned to go to Tallinn airport by the last bus and tram, bringing one 23kg suitcase and one empty suitcase. However, for multiple reasons, I changed this plan. After cleaning Collin’s cage and feeding him, I did the last check on the luggages, and headed to Tallinn airport by Bolt (Estonian Uber). It was 21.30 at that time.
Arriving at Tallinn airport, I found a space to charge my phone. To avoid a too sleepy situation the next day, I tried to close my eyes for 15 minutes, but there were escalators in front of me. It was too noisy to take a nap.
When my phone charged more than 90%, I changed the place. At Tallinn airport, there are two massage chairs. Though the level of comfort was not as good as it looked, it was still better than benches. (I didn’t turn on the massage function. I was just sitting there.)
“From this point it’s hell!”
I thought.
It was around 23.00, and the checkin was 4.40.
Too much time left.
However, I could sleep for around three hours in total. It was away from the escalators, and there were few people because of the middle night of a weekday (Thursday).
After I repeated sleeping for a few minutes and waking up a few times, it was 3.30 already. One more hour was left.
Since it was quite tiring, I was in a daze for a while, and then it turned to be the time to check in.
It seemed that many people would transit in Frankfurt. Though it slightly took time, it wasn’t as bad as the situation of post COVID in spring, 2022.
As I put most stuff in the suitcase, it was smoother to take out my stuff from the backpack at the security check unlike travelling to other European cities. It might be a little thing, and yet personally it made me satisfied. 😂
Nevertheless I was very hungry, since it was still too early to have breakfast, I just bought a cup of coffee. Then I got ready for myself, and was waiting for the flight.
Surprisingly time flew.
b. Frankfurt airport
I arrived at Frankfurt airport at 8 in the morning. I desperately wanted to go to the bathroom, and I was starving. 😂
It was a long path from the arrival gate to the next departure gate, but I didn’t get lost because the structure wasn’t complicated at Frankfurt airport.
There was a big bakery at Frankfurt airport, and I bought a breakfast there. Since I couldn’t find the price tags, I just bought a ham sandwich, which cost 7.50 EUR…😂
Later, 15 minutes before onboarding, one concern that I had became stronger…
I didn’t get a passport stamp…
I asked some airport staff members, but they said they didn’t know, and I felt like crying. However, another staff member told me that I didn’t need it for sure, so I went back to the boarding gate.
In fact, I didn’t have any problem when onboarding and entering Japan without a passport stamp.
This is completely irrelevant, but there were lots of Japanese Brazilians at Frankfurt airport.
c. Tokyo Haneda airport
From Frankfurt, I arrived at the third terminal of Tokyo Haneda airport.
Since it was the arrival of the international flight, there were some people who checked the passengers’ COVID information before going to the arrival gate after landing. I had to upload some documents beforehand on an app called MySOS. It said that if I had a blue screen, it’s all good. However, in real life, they asked me to show a QR code. At Tokyo Haneda airport, the Wifi connection sucked, so it unnecessarily took time.
After that, everything went smoothly as I’m Japanese.
Since I had to renew my driving licence in Japan, I got an entry stamp on my passport after passing the autogate.
Then, I had to move to the first terminal of Tokyo Haneda airport because the next flight to Kansai airport was run by Star Flyer.
At the third terminal, when going forward to the domestic flight connection, there was another sign, so I followed it. I took a free bus. I’m still not sure how often the bus comes, but after missing one bus, the next one came soon.
When arriving at the first terminal of Tokyo Haneda airport, I still had a couple of hours, and yet I checked in, and went to the security check.
In case you think you will get hungry or you are already hungry, I recommend buying something before the security check at the first teminial of Tokyo Haneda airport. Around the boarding gates, there were only souvenir stores and vending machines (including light meals, drinks and ice cream). Onirigis (rice balls) In the vending machine with light meals were only tuna and mayonnaise or salmon. I highly regretted not buying anything at 7-eleven before the security check… (However, it was still not a big problem because I wasn’t starving.)
Around the boarding gates in the first terminal of Tokyo Haneda airport, there are some seats for using laptops or with plugs, so you don’t need to worry about waiting time even if you have a long waiting time.
Again, this is completely irrelevant, but there were lots of family passengers who seemed to have been to Disney resort, and it was Saturday (so it made sense).
2. Homeward journey
Let’s talk about a story on a homeward journey. I used Kansai airport.
I stayed at an accommodation in Rinku town, and headed to Kansai airport by train, departing at 6.00 in the morning. It was a little tiring, but I wanted to save money because it would cost 4,000 JPY by taxi to Kansai airport from Rinku town.
My first flight for the homeward journey was by ANA, and I had to go to Tokyo Haneda airport. Although it looked like a domestic flight, the staff members at Kansai airport let me go to the international flight check-in counter. I had two luggages to check in: one 20 kg suitcase and one 17 kg suitcase. I didn’t buy more than I expected. I could have bought more facial toner. 😂
On the outward journey, I had to take my luggages at Tokyo Haneda airport, so I expected to recheck in there, but they told me I didn’t need to do anything until I arrived in Tallinn.
Due to my experience at the first terminal of Tokyo Haneda airport, I bought some onigiri before the security check at Kansai airport.
However, Kansai airport’s domestic flights terminal was much more developed, and there was a convenience store and a cafe near the boarding gate.
I felt like I was an idiot. 😂
After that, I boarded the flight, realising the earliest next visit would be in two years.
★Summary
I know that the story about the homeward is shorter than the other because I was busier with travelling on the homeward than on the outward journey. Though I had plenty of time at Tokyo Haneda airport, since Lufthansa is often delayed, the flight from Tokyo Haneda airport was also delayed, and I walked fast to arrive at the boring gate at the boring time in Frankfurt airport. (Eventually, the flight from Frankfurt to Tallinn was delayed, too, though.)
Compared to Tokyo Narita or Haneda airports, there are smaller numbers of flights, but I still like Kansai airport. This is because I don’t have to move a lot on the ground, and it’s closest to my parents’ place and the base of my stay.
I think I will choose flights to and from Kansai airport next time too.
Aitäh! 🙂
zooks.ee 