1) Departure Flight
“Please fasten your seatbelt.” The air stewardess reminded the passengers while carrying out their patrolling check on each passenger on the flight, row by row.
I have settled down on my seat which was near to the window. I tugged in my backpack under the front seat. That was for my own convenient sake. I could pull out my jacket, water tumbler, mobile phone and earpiece any time I needed to without having to get them from the overhead compartment, frequently.
Next to my seat on my right was a couple around their mid-30s. The woman took the middle seat while her partner took the aisle seat. Once they have settled down on their seat. They quickly played the video via their mobile phone and her partner even put a stand-holder that could hold their mobile phone to their eye level. They had their earpiece shared, one each. They would be my short-term neighbour on this flight. I might need to bother them afterwards when I needed to go to the lavatory.
I should have chosen aisle seat… I forgot to do so when I bought the ticket.
I felt sleepy and tired as I departed to the airport at 4:30 a.m. early morning in order to board this flight to Osaka, Japan at 7:15 a.m. I closed my eyes and tried to take a nap, for as long as possible, during this nearly seven-hour flight. When I boarded the flight, I already asked the air stewardess about the time they would serve meal. It would be about two hours before landing, if I heard it right. So, still have quite a long time until someone wakes me up from my nap.
Let me just take a nap.
During the process of falling asleep, although with my eyes closed and my mind was left blank; I could still sense the flight took off, slowly stabled its flying position and following on its flying route. That’s the magnificent senses’ ability that each human beings own.
About two minutes after the seatbelt sign was off, noises from the passengers started to break the silence. Some passengers were busy taking their stuff from the overhead compartment, some went to lavatory while some conversed with air crew placing their orders and needs.
I couldn’t enter into sleep right away; I tried but still awake. So, I looked to the cloud outside of the oval shaped window of the flight. This flight would bring me and all the other passengers towards Japan – the dream country that I had planned to visit so many times but unsuccessful due to work needs and COVID-19 restriction rules in Japan. I could now finally have my childhood dream come true.
I should be feeling more excited but I was rather calm. Perhaps it was all due to last minute decision made to go Japan, just two days ago. I.e. Wednesday, I decided to go for a short trip to Japan; searched and booked for flight tickets departing on Saturday 4 a.m. Everything happened quick. Before I could book the hotels, I had to stress my brain reading the information and feedback on each place of interest, analyse the time and transportation, and then plan the itinerary route that best fit to my interest. I filtered and excluded some place of interests due to time and hassle on commuting. Finally, a one-week itinerary has been fixed and I booked for hotels, on Thursday afternoon.
The day before departure – Friday – was fully used for luggage packing and preparation on my solo trip needs, e.g. adapter, data roaming plan, the Japanese Yen currency that I changed eight years ago but no chance to use, and so on. I got all those done within two days.
I should be fine. Just search for direction via mobile phone’s map if plan change. This would be a free and easy trip and if I got lost and time consumed on identifying route, just slow down and do it step by step. No rush and I don’t have to feel stress for wasting anyone’s time since this is a solo trip. I don’t have to explain or responsible for anyone else but me.
The slight noise and the bright sky from the window view somewhat wooed me sleep. I dozed off soundlessly. But my nap was disturbed by a loud sound echoed in the air, within the flight. My eyebrows were frown and I slowly opened my eyes to spot the ‘culprit’ that broke my rest moment.
Who played the video out loud? Can’t they put on their headset or earpieces? Jeez!
My neighbour woman was also looking to the direction where the noise came through. It was all the act from a male passenger at the centre seat section. The loud conversation sound was from the video he played on his mobile phone. Neither did he mute the speaker on his mobile phone nor has his mobile phone earpiece-connected. He just let the video played out loud and ignored the disturbance he caused to the other passengers on the same flight. My neighbour woman shook her head and complaint to her partner about that annoying act from that centre-seat passenger.
I was really annoyed by the loud noise as I couldn’t take my nap at all.
What a low-EQ person. Even in a flight would he do such selfish act. We were in a flight, not a crowded MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) in Singapore where some people would ignore the manner to lower their voice when speaking in the MRT; they acted as if they were in their own house. I often saw such inconsiderable act during my everyday commuting via MRT. They played the videos or songs loud so that they can hear it without any headset plugged in. Never would they bother to understand that other passengers might not want to hear what he or she was playing. Were they feeling proud to have letting other passengers know about what they were watching or listening to? What a bunch of sickening people.
Jeez. Cut the crap. I can’t take it; I need some quiet time to sleep.
I pressed the ‘seek for assistance’ button on the arm rest of my seat. An air steward approached me and asked if anything he could help with. I told him about the loud noise from video played by the passenger at the centre seat. The air steward looked for person that I was mentioning and then asking him to turn the volume off and use his earpiece instead as his act has disturbed other passengers.
Finally, no more loud conversation noise from video came our way.
Thank you, air steward!
My neighbour couple, the woman only complained to her partner and her partner was only stared at that no-mannered passenger. Both of them, didn’t do anything about that other than complaining to each other.
What do you intend to achieve by doing so? Shouldn’t you tell it to the right person who has the authority to do something about the situation instead?
Anyway, I managed to have nearly four-hour nap, with on-and-off half-time opening my eyes due to the uncomfortable sleeping posture on the air-craft seat that can’t lean flat and due to the accidental elbow touches from the neighbour woman. But at least, I was refreshed and not so tired by the time the air stewardess delivered the in-flight meals.
I safely landed Japan and started my free-and-easy trip.
After a few days touring around this foreign country, to my opinion, it, literally, is rather quiet in this country, be it in the commuting train, the public areas or even in a restaurant (put aside those working professionals that dine with their colleagues after working hours or youngsters that hanging out together. But still, most of the locals has built in their DNAs to control their speaking voice so that they won’t cause much disturbance or inconvenience to the other people around them. I even saw a signage sticker that was put at my eye level, for every diner to read, while dining in the restaurant. It was written with gentle reminder to avoid putting any act that might cause inconvenience to other diners.
The seats in the café where diner enjoying their meals would be seated facing each other, were separated by a divider board made in either plastic or wood. The divider would nicely block any diners from directly looking or staring at diners seated at the opposite site of the dining table. Unlike what we have in Malaysia and Singapore, when we dined with our friends or family members, we often prefer to have the seats that facing each other. So that we can look at each other during our conversation. But in Taiwan, China and now in Japan, diners in a pair or a group would sit side by side instead.
“That way, easier for diners to move in or out when they were sharing or dining at the same table with other diners.” My Taiwanese friend told me so when I posted her with this question after observing the situation in the restaurant we had our Taiwanese local breakfast, years back.
In Japan, they were even more considerate and strived to reduce as much inconvenience as possible by having a divider board installed between two strangers that dined in their restaurant. Was that also meant to protect or give some privacy space to each diner?
Although I had a little cultural shock from such settings but thanks to that kind thoughts. I felt at ease as I don’t have to worry where my eyes should lay upon when I looked to the front and not feeling unease if my eating habit or posture annoys anyone that doesn’t come from the same cultural background as me. There was a male diner around his early 30’s sitting in front of me actually; so, without that wooden divider, I might have laid a few glances on him, the total stranger who happened to sit in front of me though.
The window seats were reserved for diners in group. For solo-diner like me should be more considerate in such arrangement by the café owner. I, too, joined the long rectangular sharing table, at the centre section. It was the clean wooden board that I looked at while I enjoyed my cappuccino but having my thoughts flew far away.
2) Return Flight
I checked into my wallet and there were some Japanese Yen in cash left. I planned to have another local meal before boarding the flight back to Singapore. In fact, I wasn’t too hungry as I just had my Cappuccino and yummy toast as breakfast, at round half past ten. And now, at the airport, it was just 1 p.m. So, I opted for sushi instead of full meals of beef rice set or ramen (noddle) set.
I paid for the 8-piece sushi bento set and carried it with a food tray in my left arm while dragging my hand-carry luggage with my right hand. I walked slowly so that I won’t tilt my food or knock into someone in this crowded food court, in the international Kansai airport.
A foreign traveller woman who sat with her family, dined in the food court, looked my way while I looked for a seat. She smiled at me when our eyes met. I retuned her with a smile as well. I wished her safe flight, in my monkey mind.
That’s very seldom to have foreign people initiated a smile to me, at a foreign country. Could it be that we were currently in the country that practices politeness and kind consideration the most – Japan? Was that somewhat leading her to automatically keep up and practice her courtesy gestures towards others as well? If that’s the case, then good for her and everyone else who was inspired to do the same. In my everyday life, I tried to keep my manners and moral in my actions most of the time, no matter where I was and with whom I encountered. But, 90% of the times, I received a stoic facial expression from other people. So, I retrained myself and just prepared to give a smile only when the person I had my eye contact with has the potential to share a smiling face. A simple smile made one’s day better; for both the giver and receiver of that smile.
I boarded the returning flight. This time, I got an aisle seat, at the centre section. Lucky! I logged into the in-flight internet and tried to read the novel I followed. After some times, the lights were switched off by the air crew, for passengers to enjoy their rest. I was still somewhat energized, so I wanted to continue reading the novel.
Hmm? It’s not working?
The headlight button on my seat wasn’t working at all. After several tries, I gave up pressing on that tiny button with a bulb sign on it. I found out that that my neighbour-seat passengers also can’t switch on their headlight on to read or watch the movie from their mobile phones. Then I looked around and observed that the whole air craft was dark and no one has their head light switched on.
That’s unusual. Could it be that the light setting was malfunctioning for all the passenger seats? No one has headlights on so far. And it was too dark for me to read those tiny words from my mobile phone. I would strain my eyes.
I called to the air steward and asked if he could help to switch on the headlight above me. He went to check at their main switchboard room. Suddenly, a bright light shined above me, a few minutes later. The service crew has it switched on for me.
Wow, I was like the super star who has the spot light aimed and shined on me, nobody but only me. Ha-ha.
“When you don’t need the headlight later on, just call any of us (service crew) to switch it off for you.” The air steward retuned and said to me.
“Thank you.”
Oh, so the headlight’s switch on the passengers’ seat was not working and they can only be switched on from the main switchboard. Alright, now I can read without burdening my eyes. The whole 7-hour flight, seemed to be that I was the only one who has the headlight on. I didn’t take a look at those passengers that seated behind me.
My neighbour-seat passengers, the couples, after complained about the malfunction headlight button to each other, they accepted to the situation and chose to continue reading and watching movie video from their mobile phone, in the dark.
Well, that’s your choice. I just don’t quite understand why one could complain about an issue to their friend or partner but not dare to say it to the right person who, literally, has the power or authority to do something about the issue.
What’s the point of you complaining then? Was it just to get one or more people to agree with you or pitying your situation? Do you need to have some liquor to brave yourself up in order to voice up your opinion or thoughts to the right personnel?
I wondered.
How about just say it out loud and address the issue to the right personnel? Chances are 50:50. You might get it or won’t get it. That’s not a 100% loss though.
As for this short trip to Japan, I had fun and enjoyed the beautiful sceneries. I’d be back!