Reunited At Last (or...More Stuart Airport Adventures)

I woke up this morning with no plan in mind. My 9 AM breakfast was delivered on schedule, I watched a little TV and thought about what I wanted to do to pass the time. Cliff's flight was due to arrive at 9 PM, which meant if I left the hotel at 8 PM I'd make it to the airport in plenty of time. That's a lot of time to fill on my own. I called to book a massage, but the only time they had left was 6 to 7 PM. I figured it was better than nothing, so I took it.

I had some assorted shopping to do to make our room more...cozy. Luckily, all of it was available on the premises. The New Sanno is really awesome!

Shopping List:

• Dark Godiva Chocolates (Cliff's fave)
• Fresh baked Chocolate chip cookies from the general store (my fave)
• Milk to go with cookies (if you give a Carrie a cookie...)
• Candles (forgot mine from home)
• Cute Japanese dish from gift shop which can double as candleholder
• Lighter
• Sweet, silky dragon robe from gift shop for Cliff (Rahr!)
• Fresh flower arrangement
• New Dooney and Bourke mail pouch purse (OK...so this wasn't on the list...but it was SO cute!)

I guess that about does it! So, then I wandered around the compound, locating each of the 5 restaurants...ate lunch at the deli and went back to my room to take a nap. I just really wasn't in the mood for any sight-seeing or doing anything besides making the clock tick faster.

Spent some time chatting with Coree on Facebook and got a typhoon update...still TCOR 3. That's something I failed to mention. When I landed in Tokyo, I learned that there was a typhoon headed for Okinawa. Really? I get prepared as soon as typhoon season begins (June 1) with my flashlights, water and crank radio...my peanut M & M's (Hey! There's liable to be a run on the commissary when they announce TCOR 2...I'm not taking a chance!) and my board games...and NOTHING! Until I abandon my four children on this island, that is...THEN the typhoon rolls in! Anyway, my lovely friend Susan and her son Andrew came over and helped the kids to batten down the hatches.

I made my homecoming sign with the supplies I packed:

(mini-homecoming...mini fanfare)

Attended my massage...the fastest hour of my life. It was mostly non-painful (I specified non-painful...I don't get the whole pain thing...who likes that?) and very relaxing.

I was still full from lunch and too nervous to eat anyway...so I did some last minute preening and was on my way...



waiting for the elevator outside of my room

Everything went SO smoothly! Someone from the front desk went out and hailed me a cab in an instant. He took me right to the door of the monorail station, I got on the train right away (on the correct side) and I was off!


monorail in motion


my new, cute purse and fanfare riding the monorail with me.

Coming to the end of the 20 minute ride, I realized...the email Cliff sent me, while it contained his flight number and time, it did not list the airline. This is pretty important info, especially in such a huge airport where the boards are primarily displayed in Kanji. I was pretty sure he told me on the phone it was ANA...but I wasn't positive. I had flown JAL...which is terminal 1...a different stop on the monorail. I decided to just go with terminal 2...I'd probably figure it out, right?



I eagerly scanned the arrival boards. Nothing from Osaka at 9 PM. The signs only briefly switched from Kanji to English before switching back...so it took me several tries to read the whole thing. There was nothing from Osaka at all. I attempted to ask an employee. No English. I asked another..."Does the Osaka airport have a different name? Is it called something else?" No English.

The one counter that did have someone who spoke English had a line a mile long. The flight was due in 5 minutes. I decided I must have been wrong and followed the signs to terminal 1...about a 7 minute walk underground. I checked the board and JAL had a flight listed from Osaka...but it was coming in at 9:25. I was desperate and decided to call home from my cellphone to have someone double check the email. When I opened the cellphone, I saw that I had just missed a call. Guess who? Cliff had a phone card with one minute left on it...just enough time to leave me a message which said something like, "I'm here...I only have a minute left on this card. I'm waiting by a big, black wall with a forest mural on it near a sign that says "meeting area". I'll be waiting for you here. Love you. Bye." The whole time I'm listening to the message I'm pleading, "Please say a terminal number, please say a terminal number"...but in vain.

I started the trek back to terminal 2, laughing to myself at his "helpful" information. He had no way of knowing I must have past 4 "meeting areas" between the 2 terminals. The airport is SO enormous. I just retraced my steps and figured eventually we'd find each other.




And find each other we did! I had to stop in front of him and wave my fanfare, just so it wouldn't go to waste...even though things hadn't quite played out the way they were supposed to. (I knew things were going WAY too smoothly!) Turns out, Cliff arrived on some sort of phantom flight. They never did list it on the arrival board. Have you ever heard of that happening?

The important thing was...he arrived safely and I could wrap my arms around him, and kiss him...in as much as we felt the Japanese spectators could handle, anyway.

By now I was feeling like a seasoned commuter...and got us back to our hotel room, easy-peasy!

To be continued...