To get from Germany to Japan includes quite a sizable set of different transportation modes. Going from my hometown near Frankfurt, Germany to my hotel in Kumamoto, Japan took the follwing steps.

  1. Walking. From my apartment to the nearest tram station.
  2. Tram. To the city’s central plaza.
  3. Bus. To the airport
  4. Flight. From Germany to Shanghai.
  5. Flight. From Shanghai to Fukuoka.
  6. Subway (or walking). Airport to the train station.
  7. Shinkansen. From Fukuoka to Kumamoto.
  8. Tram. From Kumamoto train station a couple of stops.
  9. Walking. To my hotel.

All in all it took me about 24 hours in total to complete the itinery. Roughly half of it was spend on the two flights.

It was dark and very cloudy. Nothing to see.

arriving

When getting to Japan the first time there are a couple of things to do. All of these can be done at most, if not all, airports.

  1. Cash. ATMs should be located around the airport. Alternatively, a konbini should have one. Withdrawing cash here should be free (excluding your own bank’s fees).
  2. IC Card. Places that sell bus or train tickets most likely also give out IC Cards. These enable you to use a lot of public transportation in Japan. Also a payment option in some places.
  3. Charge the IC Card with Cash. It should be possible to charge the IC Card with cash close to where you’ve got it.
  4. Drop off any luggage to you don’t want to carry around on the train. At most airports there should be options to deliver your luggage to your hotel or other places for cheap.
  5. Getting to your hotel. If you can get to your hotel with the help of local public transport, use your IC card. If you need to use the Shinkansen buy a ticket at a ticket vending machine and pay with your IC card or cash.

Navigating the different airports and train stations, Chinese and Japanese, has been relatively easy. People in general were helpful and would quickly point me in the right direction if I seemed lost. Signage and UIs were available in English for almost everything.

After having done all of these things and walking around Kumamoto for a bit to ward of the impeding jetlag I fell asleep at 2100 local time. I slept on and off for about 8 hours. Getting up at around 0700.

Kumamoto castle after sunset

no rawdogging here

An eleven hour flight can be long. Take something to read, watch and listen. Don’t expect the airline supplied earbuds for the entertainment system to be sufficient. Mine were succumbing to the plane’s droning, making it impossible for me to watch (or rather hear) anything. Wisely, I had prepared some videos on my phone and could use my own earbuds. Still, sitting around for this long, perched between 300+ other people coughing permanently (bring a mask) and intruding in your personal space is both physically and mentally exhausting. The last two hours of the first flight were definitely the worst out of the whole 24.

Luckily, at the Frankfurt airport I’ve met two fellow travelers also going from Frankfurt to Fukuoka. We kept each other company during the waiting times for the flights, sharing plans for the trip and helping each other. At Fukuoka airport one of them assembled his bike he took with him on the trip. After that we had a quick snack at a 711, swapped contact information and went our ways, as they were staying in Fukuoka and I was headed towards Kumamoto. Thankfully, this made the trip way more enjoyable.

That’s it. Have a good morning.

Written sitting in a hotel bed in Kumamoto at 0715.