International Wings, part one

Oh goodness. Where to begin? We had been planning this trip for months and almost cancelled it the week before. But we did it. 
Kai got to finally, at the ripe old age of 18 months, visit his other motherland, Japan, where he has citizenship and a passport to. 
The week or two before our trip, a huge earthquake hit Japan, followed by a disastrous tsunami, followed by a nuclear explosion and meltdown.  We got advice, did online research, watched Japanese news.  I prayed.  Four days before our trip, Ryuta, managed to get our flight changed into a different connecting airport.  Instead of connecting at Narita in Tokyo which was closest to all the damage and radiation, etc., we got to fly into Kansai/Osaka. (Although Ryuta failed to mention the FIVE HOUR LAYOVER BOTH WAYS!) I was nervous about radiation levels possibly affecting Kai, plus my mom put a small fear in me of becoming sterile (what?!)
So, let me just start off by saying that after this little adventure/traveling exercise, any future air travel that is just a handful of hours will be CAKE.  Overall, we had amazing time getting spoiled rotten in Japan, but traveling with a toddler who doesn't want to sleep AT ALL while in the airplane or at the airport is absolutely INSANE. Kai had a blast, but, we were run ragged.  If this situation ever, ever occurs again, I vouch for:
(1) grandparents as travel buddies
(2) the "leash" (I never thought I'd consider it, but when your kid is a runner in a crowded airport or up and down and up and down an airplane..)
(3) a car seat (which once Kai turns 2, I think we'll have to purchase him a seat anyways..)
(4) DRUGS!


hours and hours of entertainment on the people movers..

I counted about 20 hours of travel one way. 1 hour to the airport. 2 hours at the airport. 13 hours to Osaka. 5 hour layover. 1 hour trip to Fukuoka. 1 more hour with bags and driving home. Okay, actually, 23 hours! whoa. Kai slept 3 hours on the first plane. Then the one hour flight to Fukuoka. So 4 hours of sleep for a kid who usually sleeps at least 12-15 hours a day...ummm...INSANE!
He had a total blast though. He spent our first flight running up and down the aisles.  Ryuta was hunched over holding onto the back of his little t-shirt.  The plane had a slight incline, so when Kai ran to the back of the plane, it was like running downhill. There was a young japanese family in the back of the plane with a 2 year old boy. They were really nice and shared some of his toys with us.  There were only so many times we could read Kai's 3 books to him and watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the i-touch. So, it was really nice of them to give him some little foamy puzzles of letters and numbers.
At Kansai airport, there were lots of shops and restaurants and people.  We hit up Lawsons for onigiri and then Uniqlo to look up the sales.  I don't know if Kai completely understood that he was in a new country, but the second one of us put him down, he'd slyly turn his head into his shoulder, walk away slowly, and then.. RUN!!! Ryuta and I would look at each other and decide who'd chase after him.. We were so surprised that Kai still had SO. MUCH. ENERGY. It was the middle of the night back home and he was ON.