Author: jmodule

On this flight they actually had the in-flight data display working (we were on another Boeing 747-400). That is where the main movie screens periodically display the airplane’s position, altitude, airspeed, etc. I took some notes when the numbers interested me:

• The total flight distance from Kansai Airport (KIX) to Detroit (DTW) was about 6,842 miles, and the trip took about 11 hours and 26 minutes.
• Soon after take-off we had reached 2,800 ft above sea level and were going 288 mph.
• Once we were above 10,000 ft we were travelling at 370 mph. Over the Pacific the plane was flying at an altitude of 33,980 ft, going 646 mph., and the temperature outside the plane was -12 degrees Fahrenheit.

We hit some rough turbulence about 30 miles out from the airport. It made all the other turbulence we hit on the flight over to Japan look like a calm day by comparison. We bounced up and down, side to side for about 5 minutes. Fortunately CDF and MDF were already asleep and didn’t feel the effects as much. I managed to avoid getting sick, but I was happy when it was over. Fortunately we didn’t hit anything like that again.
MDF made two more friends on this flight. First we met a flight attendant at the back of the plane as we walked around and around the two aisles. We met the lady again at the middle of the plane a little later and MDF sat beside her on the seats reserved for attendants and talked for a while. Then the lady got MDF her own helping of apple juice that she could drink with a coffee stirrer straw.
The other friend was a little girl, maybe about 9 or 10 years old, who thought MDF was very cute. After we had gone back to our seats, the girl and her father came down the aisle to bring MDF a paper flower the girl had made. She said that she loved babies and wanted to give MDF a gift. MDF accepted it and promptly pulled the “flower” off the stem (but thankfully after the girl had walked back up the aisle).

We’re home now (and have been for almost a week). It’s taken a few days to get adjusted, and we’re still feeling the effects of jet lag (I’ve heard it takes a day for every time zone you cross… so we’ve have two weeks to suffer!). MDF has probably had the worst of it, especially since she picked up a cold along the way and now just doesn’t feel well anyhow.
Anyway, enough complaining.
Our trip back seemed to go better than the one going. At least as far as rushing around in train stations and airports. This time we knew where we were going, and were more familiar with the process. We had less trouble with the trains too. Now that we realized that the escalators were easier to navigate with lots of luggage than the stairs were, we knew how to go.

MDF waiting for the train at the Iwakuni Station.

We (actually I) got mixed up abou the train we were supposed to catch in Hiroshima, so we rushed down to the tracks without needing to. The train we were going to ride actually would be arriving 15 minutes later than I thought. We were riding the Shinkansen (bullet train) again. On the way to Shin-Osaka station, a message flashed up on the destination marquee saying we were traveling at 300 kph.

Bullet Train at Iwakuni Station

One thing I noticed on the final leg to the airport was that it is on an island by itself, and the only access is by the train bridge going out to it and one (I think) highway. The train bridge took a while to cross too.
We ate lunch in a McDonalds on the second floor of the airport. They only difference between there and the ones in the States is that the bergers seem a little smaller (drinks too), and the mayonaise tastes like it has soy sauce mixed in!