Sayonara

Day 33 11th September 2010. Osaka.

We turned off the water and electricity, pulled down all the roller shutters and locked the doors. We don’t know exactly when we will return, probably April or May. I like the place and would be fine with living here for a bit but Shizuka doesn’t like the neighbours across the road. Japanese people can be very sensitive and superstitious and no amount of logic and reason will persuade them.  We will go back to NZ for the summer and contemplate on our next move. Most likely we will put it on the market for sale. Judging from the prices people are asking for houses in the area we would do all right by selling it. I would like to do another similar project again next summer so I will keep a look out for a suitable property to buy.  The good thing about Japan is that I have no worries about leaving it empty for 6 months. You can be sure that no one will break in and ransack it or that a bunch of squatters will move in. We drove down to Nick’s place in Osaka where the Kei truck will live until duty next calls.

KIX departures...unloved

Kansai International Airport is another one of those white elephant projects that Japan specialises in. it’s huge, efficient, clean and empty. The idea behind it was to relieve the Itami Airport just north of Osaka city. An island was built 3kms offshore in Osaka bay and an architect was commissioned to come up with an iconic building for the terminal. Both were a stunning feat of engineering and design. Also stunning was the price tag. The Skygate Bridge from the mainland to the island on its own cost US$ 1 billion. The cost of building and running the airport has meant that the airport company has never and will never make any profit from it. It is a perennial loss maker and has to be subsidised by the government.   Osaka people don’t like to use it because of the long and expensive train ride just to get to it. Airlines don’t want to fly into it because of the exorbitant landing fees which are among the highest in the world. To aggravate matters the whole island is slowly sinking into Osaka bay and will need to have major work done to combat this. All this didn’t stop the airport from embarking on construction of a second runway.  All proper airports have 2 runways don’t they? Never mind that Kobe has just built another international airport a few miles away. For Japan’s local governments an airport is a must have status symbol. Never mind that the traffic to support them isn’t there….just build them.  Of course nobody wants an airport in their backyard so the fad of building islands off the coast is all the rage now.

The Koru.....homely

NZ98 is an eleven hour non-stop marathon across the pacific from Osaka to Auckland. I have lost count of the number of times I have taken this flight. I find it hard to sleep on airplanes but the entertainment system is superb and I watch movies all the way home. All countries have their flag carrying airlines but Air New Zealand is special. Unlike big countries that have several airlines, we only have the one so it’s become more than just a company that moves people around. It’s said Kiwis are the world’s greatest travellers and the vast majority of them travel on Air NZ. The crews and the airplanes are sort of like part of the family and the fortunes of the company a national concern. For Kiwis all around the world the big Boeings are our link to home. For me the sight of the Koru on the tail brings a sense of connection to home even though I may be thousands of miles away. All Air NZ aircraft are a little piece of NZ and stepping onto the plane means I’m already home. The atmosphere is casual and friendly but more importantly it feels genuine. After a month of fake smiles and service that comes straight from a training manual, it’s good to deal with people who can think for themselves and are actually interested in what you have to say. This feeling is stronger on the Asian flights as quite often I am one of only a handful of Kiwis in a plane load of Asians. Sure some of the hostesses are a little long in the tooth and may not be supermodels but they have always been good to me, from getting good seats to making sure I have enough to eat and drink. They have never lost my bag, oversold the flight ,left me stranded in a foreign airport or got upset when a group of car dealers took over their galley and had a party there. I’ve been upgraded to first class and business class many times. I’ve used other airlines like JAL, United and Qantas but nowhere else have I had the same feeling as I get when travelling on our Airline. Auckland airport is another contrast. Small, busy and a bit ugly since they added the new extension, it is never the less welcoming and interesting. The customs people are friendly and the facilities for shopping or resting before another flight are good.  I have the new black NZ passport and can breeze through the automatic immigration checkpoint. Shizuka has to line up with all the Aliens. The only downside to the whole experience is the stupid and tiresome arrival card and the equally tedious food /quarantine x-ray check. The NZ government insists that these things are neccessary to proctect the country from pests, both human and animal. I do wonder about this however and suspect that it's mostly propaganda and job creation.

So that’s it. It’s been an adventure.