Ladies and gentlemen, we will be landing at Narita International Airport in approximately twenty minutes. Please return to your seats and fasten your seat belts.
The flight attendant's gentle voice came through the cabin speaker, breaking the silence that had settled over most of the passengers.
The fasten-seat-belt sign lit up again as the cabin crew began making sure every passenger was sitting upright.
Riza, who had drifted off a little while ago, slowly opened her eyes. She gently rubbed her face. She glanced at the seatback screen in front of her. The number on it showed that only twenty minutes remained in the flight.
She had been on the air journey for nearly seven and a half hours since the plane took off from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta.
For some people, a journey that long might have felt exhausting. But for Riza, every passing minute only brought her closer to the dream she had held onto since childhood.
She hadn't really been able to sleep soundly during the flight. Every now and then, she watched a movie provided by the airline, read a few pages of the book she had brought, and then gazed at the sky through the window again. But more often, her thoughts were filled with images of the new life she was about to begin.
At times, she remembered her parents' faces when they had seen her off at the airport. Their warm hugs still seemed to linger. Even her mother's words before they parted still echoed clearly in her ears.
"Don't forget to eat on time, sweetheart." That simple sentence lifted the corners of her lips into a faint smile.
She reached for her phone, which was still in airplane mode. No messages could come through yet, but the family photo set as her phone's wallpaper was enough to make her homesickness rise again.
"I hope Dad and Mom have made it home," she murmured.
Not long afterward, the plane began to descend.
Riza turned her gaze toward the window. The white clouds that had dominated the view began to drift away.
Beyond them, a vast stretch of land came into view. Highways looked like thin lines crossing one another. Tall buildings stood alongside neatly arranged little houses.
The morning sunlight reflected off the rooftops, creating a breathtaking view.
For a few moments, Riza could only stare. The country she had known only through books, the internet, and anime was finally right before her eyes.
"Finally..." she whispered softly. Without realizing it, her eyes began to well up.
She quickly blinked several times, trying to hold back the emotion filling her chest.
The plane continued forward until the landing gear finally touched down on the runway at Narita International Airport.
A slight jolt ran through the plane as it began to slow down.
The passengers immediately turned on their phones once an announcement permitting the use of electronic devices was made.
Riza drew a deep breath.
"Welcome to Japan," she said softly to herself.
The sentence sounded simple. But to her, it marked the official beginning of a new chapter in her life.
As soon as she stepped off the plane, cool air welcomed her.
Instinctively, Riza pulled her jacket tighter around herself. Although Japan was just beginning to enter spring, the air still felt much colder than in her hometown in Indonesia.
She followed the flow of passengers toward immigration. Along the way, her eyes stayed busy taking in every corner of the airport.
The spotless polished floors, neatly arranged signs, and passengers walking in an orderly fashion without pushing past one another all impressed her.
The airport also felt far calmer than she had imagined.
There were no loud voices. Nearly everyone walked quickly but in an orderly manner. Every now and then, an announcement sounded in Japanese.
Riza tried to catch a few familiar words.
"Densha... deguchi... arigatou gozaimasu..." She smiled faintly.
The Japanese lessons she had been diligently studying were already helping her understand a few simple words.
Even so, she realized that conversations among Japanese people were much faster than the dialogue in the anime she often watched.
"I still have so much to learn," she thought.
Before long, it was her turn at the immigration desk. A staff member greeted her with a friendly smile.
"Passport, please."
Riza handed over her passport along with the international student documents she had prepared back in Indonesia.
The officer examined the documents carefully, then took her fingerprints and a photo of her face.
A few seconds later, the sound of a stamp striking the passport page rang out.
"Welcome to Japan."
"Thank you," Riza replied with a slight bow, following a custom she had once learned about.
The officer returned her gesture with a faint smile. Although their conversation had lasted only a moment, Riza felt a little more confident.
She had successfully made it through her first process as a newcomer in a foreign country.
After collecting both of her suitcases from baggage claim, she paused for a moment in front of the airport exit.
A busy arrivals hall stretched out before her.
Several people were waiting to pick up family members, holding name signs. Some embraced, while others chatted and laughed together.
Unlike most people, who were greeted by family or friends right away, she had arrived alone. A sense of unfamiliarity briefly crept into her heart. But she quickly remembered the reason she had come. She hadn't come to seek comfort; she had come to chase her dream.
Riza took out her phone and connected it to the airport's internet network.
A few seconds later, dozens of notifications from the family group chat began popping up.
"Have you arrived, sweetheart?"
"Be careful over there."
"Don't forget to let us know when you're at the dormitory."
Riza smiled as she sent a brief reply.
"Thank God... Mom, Riza has arrived in Japan. I'm heading to the dormitory now."
Less than a minute later, her mother immediately sent a reply.
"Thank God... sweetheart."
Reading the message warmed her heart again.
She pulled her suitcase toward the train station inside the Narita Airport complex.
As she walked down the long corridor toward the platform, Riza once again took in the atmosphere around her.
Before her, a new life was slowly beginning to unfold.
And she knew that every step she took today would become part of the long story she would one day always remember. .... ... To be continued