On the way there, the domestic flight was delayed by 3.5 hours at the transit airport of Chicago, which took about twice as long. On the way back, the transit was 51 minutes in Houston, so the connection notice was shorter than that and made me anxious (when I booked a few months ago).
A side note: The flight time to Thailand in February was about 7 hours, so the connection and other things only added 5 to 7 hours – but the connection between BKK and CEI (due to the reduction in the number of flights) was bad.
In a word, I felt that my trip to America is a vast country, a country rich in resources, a country with an immigrant culture, a developed IT industry, a country with an individualistic society, a country that emphasis on the military, and a society that values children and family.
From here on, I will add some harsh opinions. It is a society with rough taste, a consumer culture, and a lot of waste, and a society where it is difficult to live without a car, and as a result, “money is important and the gap is increasing.” Values are often quite different from those in Japan. And using an airplane is the same as using a bus. There are major and regional airlines, but they are operated rationally and efficiently (I went to the Civil Aviation Bureau to interview them a few years after the liberalization of air competition in 1978, and it seems that they have been stable after a turbulent period. (Impressions of the three airports). There are a lot of hubs and spokes, and I was surprised that I could connect domestic and international flights in just 5 minutes at the UA terminal at IAD.
*Due to concerns about a hurricane on the day of my return, I was notified the day before (Sunday) that my return flight would be changed to a UA flight from ANA. All my reservations were originally for ANA flights, but they were changed to United Airlines (UA)! In terms of the flight back to Japan, the change was only a few hours, but my reserved seat was also changed without my permission! As someone who frequently goes to the toilet, this is inconvenient. It’s great! I paid 300,930 yen for a round trip based on those conditions, so I sent my complaint and opinion. It would be the worst if they thought it was “customer harassment”! I already paid 2,500 yen for an aisle seat when I purchased it with ANA… I can’t accept that I ended up paying 160 dollars (25,827 yen) at Raleigh Durham Airport (RDU) in North Carolina! UA is the largest airline in the world, and ANA is the second largest airline among Star Alliance members, but this is my opinion and complaint after trying to see how much of their systems, commonality, and service there are. ANA responded… “We follow the rules of our partner airlines, so we cannot refund you. We will refund the 2,500 yen seat reservation fee for ANA flights, so please contact the relevant department,” which was an arrogant response… I will post “Problems with ANA’s current service” [I sent a six-item questionnaire on July 15th – I received a second response on the 17th, so I will post the details on July 20th].
Even on my trip to Thailand in February 2024, I stumbled with ANA → TG (unilateral reduction in flights), and there was a case where the daytime flight I booked was changed to a night flight. ANA, the company I booked with, ran away, saying it was a matter of another company. They were adamant that I could cancel for free if I didn’t like it. They didn’t even say a word of greeting (they notified me of the flight change without my permission), and they are a company that does not explain things before or after the fact. This time, I was on my way back from a business trip to the United States, so I was unable to communicate with the local ANA office at all. I also had circumstances where I was not able to use my smartphone properly.
**I was able to spend a lot of fun time with my family for the first time in a year, but we didn’t have a car and were completely unable to do anything on our own, so we could only take an early morning walk. I was surprised that my grandchildren were only playing games in the car or in the living room. It is a culture to have BBQs and eat out on weekends, but the prices are quite high and the portions are large, so it was easy to find a good restaurant, but difficult. The ramen restaurant “Mitsukaku” had a unique and strong flavor, and it seems to be aimed at Americans. According to the Japanese owner of Mitsukaku, this is the only good restaurant in N/C and they are planning to open a second store.
＊＊＊I want to write a comment on American Japanese culture, etc. [Summary of July 4th-2]. When comparing Japan and the US, the difference is the land area (about 25 times that of Japan) and the population (about 340 million, three times that of Japan), and the basic capital is young and energetic people. As America’s Independence Day (July 4th) came around, I once again thought about the short history of the USA. It is amazing how the country has developed into a melting pot of various races in a country that lasted only 248 years (1776). In other words, it is a society full of possibilities and comfort, while Japan is a closed society and has a strong feeling of laziness! However, the education level is high, and there is a culture of attentive consideration in the narrow Japanese society. I was surprised by the challenging spirit of a man who came from Puerto Rico and has been living in America for ten years. His hard work and hard work were dazzling. On the other hand, there was a young man who only pursued his dream, that was money.
＊＊＊＊: In addition to (＊1). I felt unwell during the 14-hour flight from IAD to HND in air conditioning. I had poor circulation due to economy class syndrome, and cramps developed a few hours after returning home. The intense pain was like a stick from my hip joint to my feet, and I couldn’t walk at all. Even after it subsided, I had muscle pain, so the next day I went to a nearby massage parlor to get a massage and also warmed my legs and hips in the bath. I don’t know when I will be completely cured.
Preventive guidance from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare website:
- Do light exercises and stretching exercises occasionally.
- Drink plenty of water frequently.
- Limit alcohol consumption. Quit smoking if possible.
- Wear loose clothing and don’t wear a tight belt.
- Raise and lower your heels and massage your calves.
- Raise your legs when you sleep.