How many times have I flown from Vancouver to Japan? Too many to count. I've flown direct, I've flown through Seattle, LA, and San Francisco. I've flown by Air Canada, Northwest Airlines, JAL...
One thing that never changes is that I cross the dateline. I arrive in Japan The day AFTER I leave Vancouver.
And that is the point. The very important one point I forgot last night. My dad had been talking about the 15th and I got stuck on that. I didn't go back to check the flight info he had sent me in September.
As we set out to the big station 40 min away to meet the limousine bus, I checked the Narita arrivals info and discovered his flight was 90 min delayed so we ate dinner and then headed to the bus waiting room one bus came and went without dad. I wasn't too worried, it would have been a tight connection. The second bus came and went. I was worried but not overly so. But when the final bus came and went, and my dad had not appeared, I got worried. His plane had arrived more than three hours earlier and I hadn't heard from him.
I posted frantic updates on Facebook and tried calling him at home just in case (it was just after 5 am) but no answer. U decided dad had gotten on the wrong bus to a similar sounding station and started calling hotels in the area. I was checking email and hoping dad would email in response to my frantic "where are you??????" message to say he was at a Narita hotel.
I tried calling my aunt (I really really hope I didn't wake her up!!).
It was past midnight and both U and I were mentally and physically exhausted. I had given myself a bad stomachache.
And then came the email from my dad.
"I'm at home, getting ready to go to the airport in a few hours - see you tomorrow!"
Dateline.
Yup.
Idiot.
Yup.
It is now the 16th, my dad's flight arrived 5 minutes late and U and I are en route to the station. Hopefully we won't spend as much time bonding with the bus company clerk. Hopefully we'll meet my dad.
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