Kansai Airport to Shanghai (Turkey 2026)

Set off from our Pingpong Terrace in Tondabayashi just after 9:00 AM and drove to Kansai International Airport.

The weather was clear. Although I had been worried about the impact of a typhoon, it turned out to be a perfect day for setting off on a trip. I arrived at the airport around 10:30 AM.

After saying goodbye to Piapi, my wife, who had come to see me off, I checked in.

I headed straight for the boarding gate, but not before picking up a rental Wi-Fi router—a service I use every time I travel.

This was my first trip in nearly six months, ever since returning from Malaysia. Airports always seem to put me on edge. At the China Eastern Airlines counter, I checked my luggage (the stroller weighed 23 kg, and the bag 18 kg) and got my tickets issued. Then, I made our way to the gate after clearing security and immigration.

I wasn't taking a direct flight this time; instead, I had a layover of about ten hours in Shanghai. Since I didn't plan on leaving the airport, I needed to figure out how to spend the waiting time.

Boarding began just after 12:20 PM. Looking around, the vast majority of passengers seemed to be Chinese travelers returning home after sightseeing in Japan.

I departed on schedule at 1:10 PM. In-flight meals were served around 2:00 PM; I hadn't expected one, so it was a pleasant surprise.

The meal consisted of yakisoba noodles with fried chicken, a *monaka(Japanese sweets)* wafer, fruit, water, and coffee. As a rule, I try to avoid Japanese food while traveling and instead eat what the locals eat.

My 2024 trip to Paris also involved a very long flight; sitting in one spot for so long is tough. Destinations like Taiwan, Vietnam, and Singapore feel much closer to Japan compared to other parts of Asia.

It had been raining for a while, so I hadn't been able to run properly, and my body felt a bit sluggish.

I arrived at Shanghai Pudong Airport around 3:30 PM.

I had to go through security again for my connecting flight. Chinese airports tend to be strict, and the atmosphere felt even more tense than usual. I arrived at the boarding gate early, only to find I still had nine and a half hours until departure.

Although I could connect to the airport's free Wi-Fi, most social media platforms wouldn't work; they only displayed posts I had accessed back in Japan. Strangely enough, however, I could still access Yahoo and Hotmail.

I had installed a VPN app at Kansai Airport, but the setup didn't go smoothly. In the end, I remained offline until I reached Istanbul. Well, a digital detox isn't a bad thing once in a while.

For shopping within the airport, only Chinese payment services like Alipay were accepted. Vending machines seemed to be about the only places where credit cards worked.

A Turkish man nearby—presumably also bound for Istanbul—spread out a small prayer rug by the window and began to pray. He appeared to be a devout Muslim.

Flights from Shanghai to Europe usually depart late at night.

The area started getting busier after 8:00 PM.

By 10:00 PM, I was naturally starting to feel sleepy. With a six-hour time difference between Turkey and Japan, it would likely take some time for my body to adjust.

*Photos from this day can be found here.