This was published 1 year ago
Japan border reopening: Japanese-Australian Jetstar flight attendant's bittersweet return home
Cairns-based flight attendant Asako Shiga was stood down during the pandemic and cut off from her family in Japan, but has been flying regularly to her home country since borders reopened.
When Japan-born Asako Shiga made Cairns her home in 2001, she found ways to see her family back in Tokyo often. It helped that she worked in the travel industry; first as a travel agent, then a flight attendant.
"I used to take annual leave once or twice a year to go back to Japan to see my parents, grandmother and friends," says Shiga, who joined Jetstar in June of 2007 after receiving her permanent residency in Australia. "This was right at the time that Jetstar launched flights between Cairns and Japan."
However, in 2020 as international borders began shutting across the world to limit the spread of COVID-19, the significance of the situation began to take shape for Shiga and her young family.
Shiga, 46, recalls how her twice-weekly international trips came to an abrupt halt after nearly 13 years with the low-cost carrier.
"I operated the last flight from Japan to Australia in March of 2020, to help bring Australians home," says Shiga, who describes that final service as "tense" amid what was a very unstable and rapidly changing global situation.
When she learned she had been stood down from her job after that final flight, she assumed borders would only be closed for a few months.
"When I realised they were going to be closed for a lot longer, I began to worry about the future of the aviation industry and what the border closures would mean for myself and my colleagues," says Shiga, who found alternative work as a supermarket checkout assistant.
At the front of her mind, however, was her family in Japan; when would she get to see them next? Her son Jett was just five years old when borders closed; his grandmother in Tokyo was in her late-90s.
"Not being able to physically see them during the pandemic was very hard," she admits.
"We stayed connected with video calls but it wasn't the same, and I missed my family and friends so much."
When her grandmother, aged 98, passed away in January of 2021 during border closures, Shiga was devastated.
"I was very sad that I couldn't be there for her or attend her funeral," she recalls. "I was very lucky I had my husband and son here in Australia during this time."
And while the forced pause from overseas travel meant more time with her family at home, Australia's strict COVID-19 measures limited how they could spend their time together.
"I probably could have done more activities with my family if it was a normal situation, but under the pandemic restrictions we couldn't do much unfortunately," says Shiga. "We weren't able to go on holiday. We were also unable to attend any school activities due to the limited access to the school."
Shiga worked at the supermarket for a year and two months. In May 2021, she was finally able to rejoin Jetstar – however, it would be another six months before Australia would reopen its borders to international tourism, and a year before Japan would follow suit.
Prior to the pandemic, Japan was one of the fastest growing international destinations for Australians. Visitors to the country more than tripled in the decade before border closures; in 2019, Australian travellers accounted for 520,000 visitors, making the Asian nation our seventh most-visited international destination.
Japan went through a multi-staged reopening to tourists, initially welcoming foreign travellers who booked guided group tours on June 10, 2022.
"I was lucky enough to operate the first Jetstar flight back to Japan on July 20, although at that point there were still border restrictions in place that prevented many Australians from returning to Japan," says Shiga.
The country's tough COVID restrictions at that time prevented crew from leaving their hotels to see loved ones.
Japan eventually allowed unguided package tours, before finally doing away with restrictions and resuming visa-free, independent travel for foreign visitors on October 11, 2022.
Shiga recalls the flush of happiness she felt upon hearing the announcement date.
"I can't remember exactly where I was on this day, but I do remember feeling extremely happy," she says. "Having the borders closed for so long was really challenging and took a toll on myself and many of my colleagues."
The flight attendant was finally able to see her parents on October 7 after more than two years apart.
"To be able to hug them again in person was a very happy moment," Shiga says of the long-awaited reunion.
The trip was bittersweet, as she was also finally able to visit her late grandmother's grave.
"This was something I had wanted to do for a long time," she explains. "This whole experience made me realise that I love my job as a flight attendant … I never expected that my life could change as suddenly as it did during COVID and the experience has made me realise that every day is precious and taught me to be grateful that I can now visit Japan freely again."
Japan is yet to take back its spot in Australia's top 10 international destinations, but it will soon become easier for Australians to visit, with Virgin Australia this week announcing the launch of a new direct route to Japan in 2023.
From June 28, 2023, Virgin Australia will introduce a new Cairns-Tokyo (Haneda) service, adding over 2000 seats a week between the two nations. Qantas and Jetstar have already resumed direct flights to Tokyo from Sydney, Cairns, Brisbane, and the Gold Coast, with direct flights from Melbourne to Tokyo (Haneda) launching in March 2023.
Also paving the way for an Australian invasion, the Japanese yen has plummeted against the Australian dollar, with one Australian dollar currently buying 92 yen – compared to just 65 yen pre-pandemic. It's the weakest the yen has been for eight years, meaning a holiday in Japan could cost Australians just two-thirds what it did three years ago.
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