After our fantastic travel experience in Hong Kong, we were ready for the next adventure: Tokyo, a destination chosen by my little boy.

As I commented on my last entry, it was straightforward and inexpensive to get to Hong Kong airport from Tseung Kwan o. Once there, well, I studied the airport a little.

My son’s motivation to go to Tokyo was merely based on wanting to check out the Tokyo Pokemon Mega Store and buy as much stuff he could afford with his savings and travel points. He is a follower and master player of everything related to Pokemon.

Hong Kong Airport (HKG)

The airport is built on reclaimed land on the island of Chek Lap Kok, which is why it is also known by this name. Its size is similar to that of London Heathrow Airport, giant and immaculate, it is also well signposted, and it is effortless to navigate. This airport is a crucial connection centre to China and the rest of Asia.

This mini clip, where my little one walks happily is from the Interior of Midfield Concourse, which is located west of Terminal 1 between the two existing runways. As you can see, the area was practically empty, spotless and we felt very comfortable while waiting for the flight. It did not seem busy at all, so I thought it is incredible that they handle more than 70 million passengers a year, it feels quite spacious.

I know that many people might not be interested in learning about airports, but for me, they mean an impressive point of convergence, where so many parallel stories occur at once. I find it fascinating how, during their evolution, they manage to operate, grow and maintain themselves in an industry as vulnerable and dynamic as aviation. Today the biggest challenge is that this operation is increasingly ecological and sustainable for the benefit of our entire society.

We reach At the Midfield Concourse via the internal automated subway. Hong Kong Airlines, our airline of the day, has been using this area since the airport opened in 2015.

Hong Kong Airlines (HX)

For this trip, I booked a flight with the least expensive option that was Hong Kong Express at the time, when I got to the boarding gate I asked if they could allow me first to enter the plane and they did. So here it is.

Hong Kong Express is a low-cost airline, these types of airlines are known as LCC, and that day we flew aboard their Airbus 320. Their entire fleet of 24 aircraft is from the Airbus 320 family. The whole travel experience from booking, onboard, meals, excellent service and punctuality was superior that most European carriers.

The flight duration was 4 hours and 30 minutes. We arrived at Narita airport in Tokyo on time and happy with the new adventure that awaited us. Luckily in Tokyo, people do speak more English, compared with people in China. It was easy to get the information to get to our hotel from Keisei Narita SkyAccess Station to Takaracho Station, and airport/train staff were accommodating.

Mega Pokemon Store Tokyo:

Not much to say from me, apart from that before my eyes, the store is just like any other toy store, big, full of expensive things and enthusiastic children walking around excitedly. My son’s version would be different than mine, though, for him it was a dream come true. I was happy to see him so happy.

In the Tokyo Mega Store of Pokémon, it is possible to find any Pokémon item you can think of, such as stuffed animals, key chains, cards, cards, clothes and poke balls. It has items from both the new saga and the original ones.

My son had been collecting “travel points”, a system I invented to keep him motivated and interested in learning about the culture in China and Hong Kong. He earned points daily for his interest, for his endurance on walks and also for good behaviour. And so these travel points were redeemable for use in the Pokemon store. Everything worked super well, and he turned out with all this:

“So there’s this boy. He kinda stole my heart. He calls me ‘mom’.”

❤️

Jenny