Japan Trip: Manila to Nagoya Flight

Manila to Nagoya Flight via Cebu Pacific

What am I doing here in Manila? I asked myself while looking at my friends’ social media accounts last April, keenly overwhelmed and longing as my wall was flooded by inviting photos of Japan. Since then, I have wanted eagerly to visit Japan and experience what my friends and other travelers have experienced in the Land of the Rising Sun. In fact, this particular country was already included in my 2016 travel plans until I got this invitation from Cebu Pacific and Centrair to join their Bloggers “I love Japan” Familiarization Tour.

Pinoy Travel Bloggers Nagoya Famtrip

Gone are the days when flights to Japan costs an arm and a leg and Visa Application are too hard to get. Traveling to the land of the famed Samurai is now more convenient and hassle-free for globe trotter, business traveler, and vacationer alike, thanks to Cebu Pacific for offering affordable flights and to Japan Embassy for swift and much easier Visa application procedure. With this ease of travel, It is certainly no wonder that Japan is fastly becoming a Filipino favorite vacation spot, as Filipinos are quickly learning the benefits of visiting such a wonderful country as Japan. After all, no one can deny the appeal of a place that has highly progressed in the modern times yet still preserved the natural beauty of its age-old culture and history.

Cebu Pacific Manila to Nagoya Flight

Last October, I visited Nagoya together with a group of Filipino Travel Bloggers and a team from Cebu Pacific Air. As part of the familiarization tour with the group that was co-sponsored by Centrair, we visited amazing natural and man-made sites, fruit farms, shopping areas, factories and castles. We also experienced one of Japan’s famous Autumn festivals that showcased the rich culture and well-preserved history of the Japanese nation. Last but never the least, we tasted for ourselves the amazing local food that the Japanese prided themselves in.

Chubu Centrair International Airport Main hall of arrival

It was around 9 PM when we arrived at Nagoya Airport. Apart from the excitement, I can’t help but admire the beauty of the airport – It has such a well-organized system of operations, complete with all necessary amenities for every traveler’s needs. Experiencing this type of airport quality made me long and wish so much that we have airports like this in the Philippines. Forget about the “Sleeping in Airports” reviews, airports are not built for sleeping anyway. If you need more sleep before your flight, there are 3 hotels which are 5-10 minutes’ walk from the airport namely Centair Hotel, Comfort Hotel and Toyoko Hotel.

Toyoko Inn Chubu

The Centrair Hotel (hotel info) is directly connected to the airport facilities, and is located extremely close to the Nagoya Airfield (also known as Central Japan International Airport) Station ticket gate (100 m) and the airport Check-In Counter (130 m), so you can check in without worrying about getting soaked in the rain. On the other hand, the Comfort Hotel (hotel info) is adjacent to the marine access port inside of Central Japan International Airport, and an aerial walkway links the hotel to the Access Plaza, which connects the Passenger Terminal to all modes of transportation, including trains, cars, and high-speed boats. Lastly, there’s Toyoko Inn (hotel info) that boasts in a total of approximately 1,000 rooms including both the “Orange Side” and the “Green Side” sections. If you want transportation, you can avail of the free shuttle bus that runs between Central Japan International Airport and the hotel, which eases travel period better, even if you’re carrying luggage.

Chubu Centrair International Airport is a first class airport on an artificial island in Ise Bay, Tokoname City in Aichi Prefecture. Centrair is derived from the two words “central” and “airport” and it is located in the Chubu region. It is the central region of Honshu, Japan’s main island. This is the third off-shore airport in Japan, catering to a substantial network of domestic flights and a convenient medium for connecting flights, whether from a domestic flight to an international flight, or from an international flight to a domestic flight.

Upon arriving at the airport, we were welcomed by officials from Centrair then we proceeded to Tokoyo Inn which is just few minutes’ walk from the airport.

we thought it was a souvenir item

The team from Centrair gave us a beautifully wrapped small box and a bottle of green tea. The box was a bit hot and while others thought it was a souvenir item, I suspect it was some sort of to go food. Out of insatiable curiosity and matter-of-fact caution that was honed in my many times as a traveler, I opened it inside my room and I was right, it’s a box of hot sushi. That was my first Japanese meal in Japan! And I love it! Sushi was such a good introductory meal for me in my Japanese experience, as it succinctly symbolizes the rich and colorful experience I was going to have there – delicious sushi that savors the freshest of ingredients, prepared and displayed by a master chef.

Hot Sushi Inside

After few minutes, without any plans, we all found ourselves at the lobby of the hotel. The hotel has a convenience store just outside the lobby area. I must admit, every convenience store in Japan is a tourist spot in itself. There are so many appealing things in display to buy yet surprisingly, the foods are not as expensive than I would have thought them to be.

Convenience Store at Tokoyo Inn Chubu

After few cans of Asahi Beer, we all parted ways to prepare for our early morning call time the next day.

Cebu Pacific Air, the leading airline in the Philippines, flies between Manila and Nagoya (Chubu Centrair International Airport) every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Ongoing all-in seat sale fares start from P6,388, for travel from December 17, 2015 to March 31, 2016. Book your flights through the CebuPacificAir.com. For updates and seat sale announcements, check out www.facebook.com/cebupacificair.