13 Hr Flight to Japan: Complaints and Compliments

First, I am so thankful for everyone’s prayers for our safe travel to Japan.

Honestly, the long flight was easy compared to the progression of train rides from Narita to Aomori. All five children fell asleep on the last train and _would not wake up_ at our stop. They were each like 30-60 pound rocks, respectively.

The “winter mix” of sleet and now made the floor of the train as well as the platform extremely slippery. I literally held my hand in the train door to keep it open and stopped while Tom carried kids out by their shirts (Thomas has a mark on his neck to prove it) and ran back and forth for more kids and luggage. It wasn’t pretty. Tom and I were both fighting tears by the end of the ordeal.

When we arrived at the station, Tom had hoped to get a rental car but the office was closed. Tom determined that taxi availability to Goshogowara was limited, and it would not accommodate the number of people we have in our family as well as the luggage. Realizing how bad the situation was, Tom humbly called the Ghents, the pastor and his wife, from Tsugaru Gospel Church. The met us at the train station at 9pm.

I was warmed to the heart. We barely know them, and they helped us carry children and luggage to the car, drove us 45 minutes to our destination in the middle of a SNOW STORM (even stopping to check on a driver stuck on the side of the road) and then helped carry children and luggage (which had been shipped from the airport to the hotel and was waiting for us in the lobby upon arrival) up to the 10th floor. Tom’s co-worker Mike also met us at the hotel to help. Their love for the Lord was very evident. I can’t wait to go to church!

Back to the long flight.

In order to stay together and to be situated near the bathrooms, our family reserved seats in the very back of the plane. I was in the second to last row of four seats, as was Tabitha and Micah. We had an extra seat. Across the aisle in a row of two seats were Tom and Leah. In the two seats in front of them were Thomas and Aiden, who were playing their Nintendo DS’s throughout the entire flight.

In front of the boys sat a young Japanese man, perhaps in his mid-twenties. There was no one else in his row, and he had an extra seat to himself. I noticed that he was constantly talking to the flight attendants, and they were bringing him alcoholic drinks.

About two-thirds of the way through the thirteen hour flight, the managing flight attendant came over to my seat.

“Are you the mother of these children?” she asked, in a condescending tone.

“Yes,” I said, smiling purposefully.

“This man says that your children are being very unruly. They are loud and have bumped into his chair and are really annoying him”

I glanced over. The boys were sitting in the exact position they’d been sitting in for hours, playing their Nintendos.

I looked at her right in the eye and spoke in a nice, but firm tone.

“It’s possible that they bumped into his seat when they got up to use the bathroom, but his seat is reclined and I don’t think that can be helped. As for their behavior, the man is lying. I can see he’s managed to get several free drinks out of you.”

The managing flight attendant could see I wasn’t backing down and that it was very possible I was correct.

“You could ask any flight attendant who has been working in the back of this plane – my children are being exceptionally well behaved. In fact, the flight attendants have complimented the children on their behavior as have some of the other passengers. I assure you that I am keeping an eye on my children and that IF they do misbehave, they will be in trouble.”

Her face changed. “I can see they’re being good, and no one else has complained. I think he just doesn’t like children very much. People like him should just get themselves a Business Class ticket if they don’t want to be around other people. Let me know if I can get you anything.”

She said it, not me! :)

All of the children except for Tabitha fell asleep just before landing. Thomas had his head on the left aisle seat armrest. He was was so zonked that when Tom picked up Thomas’ head to wake him, a large quantity of drool sloshed out of Thomas’ mouth and landed on the floor! There was a little crying, but only because i had to *eek* lightly smack Thomas’ face to wake him.

As we exited, the flight attendants were lined up by the door. They thanked the children for being so well behaved :)

(I wiiiiiiiiiin!)

(Now, if only they could keep up the good behavior here in Japan!!)

During the flight, btw, the children played Nintendo, found pictures in I Spy books, colored in jumbo Hello Kitty and Pirates coloring books with triangular crayons that wouldn’t roll off of their trays, listened to Psalty (thanks, Grandpa!!) and Jack Johnson on the iPods, and “enjoyed” (haha) airplane food. Tabitha also completed several word puzzles, and Thomas did several math puzzles. Geeks.

The audio was broken for much of the flight, but I did catch bits and pieces of Baby Mamma – which restarted four times!