A Travelogue of Departure and Arrival from Narita to Manila
1. Check-in at Narita Airport
When you arrive at Narita Airport in the morning, first head to the international terminal.
It is important not to go to the wrong terminal.
The flight I booked this time is at Terminal 2.
Check the airline and counter number for your flight on the monitors inside the airport.
After confirming, check in at the counter for the corresponding airline.
Present your passport and e-ticket, receive your boarding pass, and check your suitcase.
(For LCCs, you need to be especially careful about weight limits.)
💡 It is recommended to arrive at the airport 2-3 hours before departure for international flights.
This allows you to prepare for various troubles such as congestion or document verification.
2. Security Check
Place your carry-on luggage on the conveyor belt to undergo X-ray inspection.
Take out your laptop and tablet.
There are restrictions on liquids.
Remove hats, sunglasses, and metal items.
💡 You must dispose of drinks before the security check, but if you have an empty plastic bottle or water bottle, you can refill it at a water server in the area after the inspection.
3. Immigration (Departure)
Present your passport and boarding pass.
You may be asked about the purpose and duration of your stay.
It is smoother if you remove your hat and sunglasses.
Once the departure procedures are finished, you are finally heading abroad.
4. Heading to the Boarding Gate
The boarding gate number and boarding start time are written on your boarding pass.
It is reassuring to arrive near the gate 30-40 minutes before the departure time.
Since gates can change, arrive at the boarding gate early to check for any changes, or you can also check the monitors.
I had a meal at the airport after the security check, but all the shops were a bit expensive.
If you want to save money, it is a good idea to prepare some light snacks in advance.
5. Boarding and In-flight
This time I used Cebu Pacific Air (LCC).
Because it is an LCC, there are no free meals or drinks served on board. Also, you cannot watch movies on monitors.
You can use in-flight sales if necessary, but it is safer to prepare light snacks in advance.
The flight from Narita to Manila is about 4.5 to 5 hours.
It feels long for first-timers.
I was reading a book at first, but I got bored and started talking to the person next to me in broken English.
It turned out they were a couple visiting Japan for sightseeing, and they told me about their trip to Japan and about the Philippines.
I was surprised to hear that the man had proposed to the woman on this trip.
Since I was in an aisle seat and couldn't take pictures of the outside, they took them for me instead, and they gave me some gum. They were very nice people.
This is the photo they took for me at that time. Beautiful.
6. Arrival in Manila and Immigration
After arriving in Manila, proceed to immigration.
Hand over your passport and boarding pass.
Your face will be checked by a camera, and once they stamp your passport, entry is complete.
The official was very unfriendly, but I was glad I was able to enter the country. There was no submission of eTravel.
7. Baggage Claim
After finishing immigration, follow the signs to "Baggage Claim".
Wait at the designated turntable.
After a while, your suitcase will come out.
Once you find your luggage, take it and check the tag to make sure there is no mix-up.
💡 Since there are many suitcases of similar colors, it is reassuring to attach a marker.
My suitcase was made of a material that didn't hold stickers well, so I attached a stuffed animal keychain to it. Thanks to that, it was easy to spot. However, when it came back, the stuffed animal was dirty. Other people's stuffed animals were also dirty, so it's probably best not to attach anything too expensive, haha.
8. Customs and Getting from the Airport to the Accommodation
After picking up your luggage, proceed to customs.
I had nothing to declare, so I headed straight to the exit.
9. Local Currency Exchange
There were about four currency exchange counters at the exit. I heard that the rates are pretty much the same wherever you go, so I exchanged my money for the local currency, pesos, at the nearest one.
3,000 yen became 1,104 Philippine pesos.
You can just think of 1 peso as being about 3 yen.
At my counter, they handled it just by me handing over the money, but at other exchange counters, some places can be a hassle, requiring you to fill out forms or show your passport.
10. Transportation
This time, the local hosts came to pick me up.
The car looked like a HiAce-style van, with a driver's seat and passenger seat in the front, and benches on both sides in the back.
The roads were very crowded, and I thought, 'Wow, I've really come to a crazy place,' haha.
Feeling the local atmosphere, the car headed toward the accommodation.
To be continued.
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