✈️ Via Incheon to Manila! The Behind-the-Scenes of a Golf Trip and a Strong Bond with the President (November 19, 2025)

 

🤝 Gratitude! Getting to Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport with the President’s Support

It was 6:00 AM Japan time. I left home a little after 7:45 AM, and my first stop was "Autozam Kikugawa," the dealership where I've bought my cars for many years.

The president here is such a genuinely kind person, and I always ask him for a ride to and from Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport. For the departure, I load my luggage into my own car, drive to the dealership, switch drivers with the president, and he takes me straight to the airport. After dropping off my luggage, the president drives my car back to the dealership and stores it safely in a covered garage.

The routine for my return is perfect too! If I inform him of my return flight in advance, he parks my car in the free parking lot (usually P4) at Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport the day before. After I clear immigration, I pick up my car from P4, load my luggage, and drive home—that's the usual drill. Of course, I never forget to buy a souvenir for the president; since he doesn't drink, it's usually local Filipino sweets 🎁.

The drive to the airport takes about 30 minutes. Around 8:00 AM is rush hour, so the intersection near Kikugawa City General Hospital was a bit congested, but once past there, it's a smooth country road! I arrived at the airport in no time.

💳 Maximizing LCC Perks! The Gold Member Privilege

My baggage this time consists of my golf clubs and a duffel bag, weighing just under 25 kg.

I utilize Jeju Air's "Sports Equipment Annual Pass." At $149, it allows unlimited use for a year for a golf bag and a duffel bag combined, up to 25 kg—an indispensable pass for a golfer!

Furthermore, despite being an LCC, Jeju Air has a mileage service, and since I've already taken over 20 flights, I hold Gold Member status. The Gold perks include priority boarding and priority check-in, plus checked baggage is free up to a maximum of 25 kg. I'm leveraging these benefits to the maximum to transport my gear all the way to Legazpi!

⚠️ A Duel at the Counter! The Veteran vs. Rookie Challenge

I entered the airport terminal and headed to the Jeju Air counter. There was quite a queue.

The ground staff (handled by FDA personnel) was encouraging online check-in, so I tried it for the first time, knowing it wouldn't work for my Incheon transfer! Sure enough, an error. The final destination is Manila, so a boarding pass can't be issued here, right? 😅

Seeing my large amount of luggage, the ground staff quickly escorted me to the Priority Line. When I informed her I was a Gold Member, she smoothly replied, "Thank you for your continued use!"

However, the counter agent today didn't seem to be a veteran. A veteran staff member would recognize me and know about my unusual itinerary (Shizuoka → Incheon → Manila) and that my SRRV visa means I don't need a return ticket, making the process quick. But with this new agent, I had to explain several things: the SRRV ID card, why a return ticket wasn't necessary for Philippine entry, and the required e-Travel registration. Since hardly anyone travels from Shizuoka to Manila via Incheon, it's understandable they wouldn't know (lol).

⚖️ The Close Call with Excess Baggage!

There was a small drama during the baggage check.

The golf bag was too long to be weighed accurately, resulting in a mysterious total weight of only 17 kg (Lucky!). Next, the suitcase: I had adjusted it to be just under 25 kg this morning, but when weighed at the counter, it was 27 kg over! Close call!

I quickly transferred some items from the suitcase to the golf duffel bag, successfully avoiding the excess baggage fee! With all the baggage checks complete, I moved safely up to the second floor.

🍜 A Break at Incheon's Food Court! A Drink Under the Travel Sky

After fueling up with the two slices of toast I brought from home, I headed to security. Due to the full flight, the security line was quite long.

After passing through immigration and heading to the boarding gate, boarding had already begun. Usually, I buy a can of highball at the 7-Eleven behind the gate and wait, but today I went straight to the gate! The same staff member who assisted me on the first floor was now managing the gate upstairs, so I was granted priority boarding as a Gold Member without cutting the line.

Today's flight is full! I always reserve seat 31F in the back for the Shizuoka to Incheon leg (it's cheaper too), allowing me to disembark slowly and have plenty of time for my transfer. I usually have a Korean person sitting next to me, but today it was two Japanese office ladies. I enjoyed a golf magazine and the manga Blue Giant on my Kindle tablet during the flight and arrived safely in Incheon.

At the Incheon Airport information desk, I asked for the Manila flight gate and was told it was Gate 127. This gate is in the Concourse Terminal. Since there aren't many duty-free shops there, it's not the most exciting terminal, but spending time there or in Terminal 1 makes no difference, so I took the shuttle train to the Concourse Terminal.

It was lunchtime, so I headed to the food court in the Concourse Terminal. I easily found a seat. I ordered a chilled Korean Soju (5,000 KRW) and a set meal featuring Kimchi Jjigae with stir-fried pork (15,000 KRW). The total came to 20,000 KRW (about 2,000 JPY). While sipping the cold soju and eating the pork, I could hear a lot of Japanese spoken around me—Japanese tour groups of older women (lol).

After finishing my meal, I walked toward Gate 127. I am now writing this article at a charging station near Gate 125, charging my tablet and power bank. The weather at Incheon Airport is sunny. I'm not sure of the outside temperature, but I'm wearing a Uniqlo Ultra Light Down jacket over a T-shirt that I brought from Japan! I plan to roll up the down jacket and stuff it into my bag before boarding the flight.