Ok team, we made it to Japan!
We landed in Haneda Airport around 2:30pm local time, after flying over Tokyo and seeing the city from up high! Then we began the tedious process of going through customs. Because of COVID, there were extra safety measures in place that required us to walk through what felt like the entire airport as we worked our way through several stations to have our paperwork, IDs, and Bryan's orders reviewed by at least 4 different people. Eventually we got to a station that required us to spit in a small vile, that we later turned in for a rapid COVID test! Once Bryan and Katie's tests came back negative, they were permitted to continue on through customs.
As we got up to the customs counter, we were told through broken English that something was wrong with our paperwork. After waiting roughly 10 minutes, an immigration inspector came out and explained that the Japanese government was missing some form with documentation stating where we were completing the required two week quarantine. Eventually we cleared things up, and were let through to baggage claim around 3:30pm. We quickly found all of our luggage, which was conveniently stacked up and placed next to Hugo and Reynolds' kennels! Hugo greeted us at the door of the kennel, but Reynolds was curled up in the back still groggy from the Benadryl we had given them nearly 14 hours earlier. With much relief, Bryan and Katie wheeled the pups and their luggage to the Animal Quarantine Import Inspection desk, where a friendly worker reviewed all the dogs' paperwork and then scanned each pup to confirm their microchip numbers. Then we were free to go! We found our driver holding up a sign with Bryan's name on it, and he drove us to Naval Air Facility Atsugi.
During our two week ROM, Bryan and Katie were free to explore the base, since they were both fully vaccinated. After adjusting to the time change, we got in the routine of getting up each morning around 6:30am to take the pups on a walk through base housing and down to the airstrip to watch flight operations! After enjoying some continental breakfast from the Navy Lodge, Bryan would hop on and play PlayStation with Katie's brother and some of his friends from dental school from about 10am-1pm. During this time, Katie was off to the base pool to read a book in the sun! Eventually Bryan would make sandwiches and bring them to the pool to enjoy a picnic with Katie poolside. Our days normally ended with us snuggled up with the pups watching something on the laptop and enjoying our time together.
Katie and Bryan spent one afternoon getting a library card for the Atsugi Base library, where they both checked out several books to enjoy during their 2 week stay! Katie felt at home!
About halfway through ROM, Bryan found out that his itinerary was changing—he would not be heading to Sasebo with Katie on June 21, as originally planned. Instead he was required to stay in Atsugi, where the ship's officials were hoping to get him on a military flight that would take him to Okinawa, so he could join the ship early. While this was a shocker to all of us, we have learned to deal with the cards we are dealt.
A few days before their ROM was completed, Bryan and Katie went to the health clinic on base to have another rapid COVID test done. Once their negative results came back, they were cleared to fly domestically within the country!
On June 21, Katie and the pups were ready to head to the airport for their final flight to Fukuoka. Their driver never arrived and after several calls and emails to the ROM coordinator, an emergency driver was located and picked them up from the Navy Lodge around 10am. Luckily Bryan was allowed to ride with them to the airport, where he helped Katie put the kennels back together (we had to take them apart so they would fit in the emergency driver's van) and then rush to check in! We arrived at the check in counter at 11:30am...with a little over an hour until Katie's flight departure time... To say we were stressed was an understatement! By 12:15, the terminal staff told Katie she had to go through security or she would miss the flight. After a hasty goodbye with Bryan, Katie headed to the security check area and Bryan stayed with the dogs until the airline finished their check in process and the pups were carted off to the plane. Katie and the dogs barely made the flight, but they were bound for Fukouka, Japan!
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