Japan to Canada via U.S.A.

Day 1 (4 Sep) — A long day

Japan to Canada via U.S.A.

The long-awaited day of departure. For this day I had lived frugally for half a year. On the winter trip to Canada a year and a half earlier we flew direct from Narita, but this time Centrair was our starting point. Via Narita and Portland in the USA, we were headed for Vancouver, Canada.

At Portland we had to change to a flight for Vancouver, but there was only a little over an hour to connect. Connecting in the USA means going through immigration, and there was a long queue that barely moved. Thinking we wouldn't make it, I told a staff member and they let us through with priority. To make things more annoying, we had to collect our bags once. The next flight was getting close, and we panicked. When we got to the gate, the electronic board showed a different airline from the one on our tickets, and outside sat a really small propeller plane. I was a bit worried, but the staff told us it was the right one. Apparently it's a partner of Delta. Changing planes twice is a hassle.

We arrived in good old Vancouver.

A year and a half ago you had to take a bus from Vancouver Airport to the city, but now the "Canada Line", a linear-motor train built for the Winter Olympics, can be boarded right outside the arrivals lobby. Very convenient.

We arrived in downtown Vancouver. Terribly sleepy... I wanted to relax at the hostel soon, but today's lodging wasn't in Vancouver, or even in Canada. To rent the car that would be our reliable partner on the long journey ahead, we had to cross the border to Seattle in the USA.

We went to Seattle not by plane but on Greyhound, the long-distance bus famous in the USA and Canada. Why do something so apparently pointless when we'd been in America only moments ago? Money. Renting a car was overwhelmingly cheaper in the USA than in Canada. For example, renting for three weeks in Canada would cost about 160,000 yen, partly because of an extra charge for being under 25. Rent in America, on the other hand, and it comes to about 100,000.

We took the bus to Seattle. When crossing the border, all the passengers have to get off the bus and go through immigration. You have to take your bags with you then, but I didn't understand and left them on the bus, which was embarrassing.

We arrived at the night's lodging. I hadn't slept at all on the plane or the bus, and the exhaustion was unreal. I feel like I'd been awake for about 30 hours... Mao was constantly fast asleep, but we were both tired.