Who would have thought that luggage would be sent the same distance as the circumference of Earth for the sake of a missed flight?

Reiko’s cell phone rang last night at ten-thirty, and the airport was on the other end to say that my luggage had finally arrived.  Unfortunately, I had given the airport the wrong home number, but I had offered Reiko’s cell as a backup.

From the conversations that I had taken part in or over-heard since arriving in Japan, my luggage has made the trip around the world; travelling from Vancouver to Portland to Tokyo to Nagoya to Tokyo to Portland to Tokyo and back to Nagoya.  A distance of almost 27,000 kms.

It’s a good thing the shipping was free, as I’m sure it cost quite a bit in fuel.  When pricing out the cost of sending the items from Vancouver to my home in Japan, UPS wanted $450 while FedEx offered a bargain of $380.  This was per parcel, up to 28 kilos (50 lbs).  Because of the hassle, NorthWest paid for the delivery to the home, and also offered a $25 coupon for the next time we use the airline.  After everything that’s gone on, and considering the number of people here that have had problems with the company, I’m not sure if we’ll be using their services in the future.

So, after what seems like a full week, the move from Canada to Japan is mostly complete.  I’ll keep everyone up to date about what happens next, and the fun things that a gaijin learns while struggling while being a stranger in a strange land.