In heaven, the chefs are French....and the toilets are Japanese

We arrived at Tokyo-Haneda right on time...but of course, do not get a jetway. Unlike in the US, however, non jetway gates are common and they have these things called stairs that you use to get off a plane--something that could come in handy in the US if lets say all the gates at an airport were busy and a plane was holding on the ground for a couple of hours. But that never happens...

I'm not one to complain about the lack of a jetway--I happen to enjoy the tarmac experience of seeing the various planes up close and personal--its definitely a departure from the norm, at least from the US norm.

Somehow, they managed to cram a 777 economy class worth of people on three airport buses--an exceptional feat, except when you realize that Japan is a country that employs train pushers at rush hour--people that actually push commuters into jampacked trains. I'm assuming that an airport is not the proper place to introduce visitors to a unique cultural custom, but who knows--that wasn't in the case in Vietnam with their airport taxi stand.

For the third time that day, I had to go through airport security--only the Japanese manage to somehow make it bearable and non-stress inducing. Seriously. The screeners are polite, they help you with your stuff, and if you happen to have a little water left over in your water bottle they don't make you pour it out--instead, they pour it out themselves into a special container for whatever reason.

It was at Haneda that I first encountered Japan's technological coup-de-grace--their toilets. I'm serious. Japanese toilets are simply awesome, even in an airport. Seats are heated, there are different levels/intensity of flushes, and there are even built in deodorizers. It is truly a throne, fit for a king. You know that old joke that in heaven, the trains are Swiss, the chefs are French, the policemen are British...? Well, add "the toilets are Japanese" to that list. I can only suggest a possible slogan for all potential Japanese toilet salesmen: "A can is just a can, unless it comes from Japan." See, catchy!

For as technologically advanced as Japan is, the one thing Haneda lacked was outlets for me to recharge my laptop. Fortunately, they have a paid lounge, and for the low low price of 1,000 yen--aka 13 bucks, I was able to use a common use lounge with all you can drink non-alcoholic beverages, comfortable seating, outlets, and free wifi--and was actually able to get some work done too during a 2.5 hour layover. Easily the best 13 bucks i've ever spent.

The Japanese emphasis on order stands as a contrast to other East Asian cultures--namely the Chinese and the Vietnamese, which seem to treat chaos like a prized cultural value--while getting in line to board my red-eye to Bangkok I had elderly retirees insist that I go before them in line, even after I deferred, conveying the universal "no...you first" gesture. Once on board, the lady sitting in front of the empty seat next to me actually asked if it was okay if she leaned her seat back--a first for me. On both flights, the flight attendants warned of turbulence, which either didn't happen, or was mild in comparison to the turbulence my flight to SFO experienced over the front range of the Rockies. For those interested, however, I only experienced turbulence when my plane was to the east of Shikoku, and while we were over Taiwan--in a place identical to where my Cathay flight back home was buffeted.

The good news for my parents is that that money that went in part to Japanese lessons through my school's tuition generated at least some return--I can now say thank you very much with the best of them--when one flight attendant heard my response, her face brightened and asked if I could speak Japanese in Japanese--a question met with disappointment when I looked at her like I had no clue what she was saying.

I tried to sleep, but I was too well-rested from the earlier flight to manage much--and the legroom generally wasn't that great either. At least the cabin was cooler!

Another note: it is remarkable just how dark and undeveloped Laos and inland Vietnam is. We flew right over both countries, and there was absolutely no illumination to be seen--it was identical to flying over water.