Before we dive in, I want to take a moment to thank everyone who has flown with me on this blog. Writing about these adventures has been a privilege, and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading them as much as I’ve enjoyed sharing them. If you like what you read, please consider liking, following, and subscribing.

Now, on with the post.

Every Journey Has a Snag

Every journey hits a snag somewhere along the line. It’s just part of the natural order of things. Even humanity’s most choreographed travel, manned spaceflight, has entire buildings full of people monitoring every detail, and still, things go sideways. I’m not saying every trip ends in an explosion or cannibalism, but even the best‑executed plans have glitches thanks to variables no one could predict.

Challenge #1: Check‑In

To pick up where we left off, my partner and I crossed the threshold from the parking garage into the airport. Our first challenge appeared immediately: check‑in.

We couldn’t use the self‑service kiosks because the airline wanted to talk to us. Unfortunately, we were so early that no one was at the counter yet, so all we could do was wait.

Fortunately, we are both avid people‑watchers, and airports are a never‑ending buffet of humanity. We passed the time inventing stories about the travelers walking by, who was having an affair, who was on a mission trip, who did the walk of shame in the Caribbean, who successfully smuggled drugs through TSA. It was us at our worst and our funniest (we’re hilarious, damn it, even if nobody else thinks we are), rolling around in the mental slop of airport people‑watching.

Finally, the counter opened. My partner was nervous; I could practically hear her thoughts: Did we miss a step? Did we do something wrong? What if they don’t let us on the plane? I reassured her it was probably just because we’d never flown with this airline before. Sure enough, the attendant simply needed to confirm our passports, verify Sapporo as our final destination, and check that we had onward tickets. Once our boarding passes were printed and our luggage weighed in under the limit, my partner visibly relaxed. If this was the glitch of our trip, we were off to a good start.

Challenge #2: TSA — The Universe Laughs

For context: I have TSA PreCheck. I despise airport security in all its forms, but I especially loathe Clear, a rant for another day that is outside the scope of today’s topic. The perk of PreCheck is that I don’t have to take off my shoes or unpack my life like a raccoon digging through a trash can.

My partner, however, does not have PreCheck. So, every trip forces a moral dilemma: Do I breeze through my special lane and wait for her, or do I stand in solidarity with the plebs? Because I am a decent human being (and because I don’t want her facing the rubber‑glove guy alone), I chose the pleb lane.

Karma, however, is a fickle beast. The TSA agent took one look at my boarding pass and asked, “You have TSA PreCheck. Why are you in the regular line?” I explained the situation. He nodded and immediately pulled me aside for extra screening because, apparently, no one with PreCheck voluntarily chooses suffering. Suspicious behavior, indeed.

Meanwhile, my partner was already halfway through her screening, looking, dare I say, triumphant. I can just feel her gloating all the way over here that she’s the silent winner of today’s trip through security. By the time I finished taking off my shoes, belt, answering extra questions, and watching TSA go through my carry‑on like a bunch of middle‑schoolers dissecting a frog in science class, she was waiting for me with a smile. She listened to my tale of woe, chuckled, and said, “Next time, take your PreCheck lane. I’ll be fine.”

Truly, she is a blessing.

Challenge #3: The Long Wait

After clearing security and the international departure checkpoint, we headed to our gate, which required a short train ride to the island terminal. Because we arrived early, we had more waiting to do. But waiting at an international gate is its own kind of joy.

My partner settled in with her book. I wandered off to watch the choreography of airport operations: ramp crews loading cargo, mechanics refueling aircraft, tugs pulling carts across the tarmac. It’s a never‑ending parade of motion that keeps the modern world stitched together.

Challenge #4: Boarding — My Favorite Moment

Eventually, we were called to board. This moment never gets old for me. Travel turns me into a teenage boy again, buzzing with excitement, ready for adventure. My partner understands this and lets me revel in it.

We found our seats, buckled in, and listened to the announcements in three languages. I love that. It is a reminder that we are part of a global community, sharing a planet even when we don’t speak the same language, or when our governments pretend otherwise.

The engines roared, pushing us back into our seats as we began the first leg of our journey.

Somewhere Over the Pacific

I have never been able to sleep on planes. So, as always, I stared out into the infinite blackness that is crossing the Pacific in the middle of the night. Somewhere between a surprisingly decent in‑flight meal and my partner’s triumphant claim to the aisle seat, it finally sank in that we were really on our way to Japan. After months of dreaming, spreadsheets, negotiations, and one near‑religious debate about airport transfers, we were crossing the ocean toward the house we bought sight unseen. It felt surreal, exhilarating, and just chaotic enough to be perfectly on‑brand for us. I smile as I look over at my partner, who is settled in and reading as she starts nodding off. We still have several hours to go until we touch down, but all is well with the universe. We continue to speed through the dark, racing the sun on our path to Asia, chasing the dreams of our rich life that we set into motion.