Freelance Announcer Aika Kanda “Year-end and New Year’s Travel to Germany & Luxembourg (1) – Don’t be a nymphomaniac! Edition

First time in Germany & Luxembourg

Every year during the year-end and New Year’s holidays, I travel alone with my mother. We have celebrated New Year’s Eve together in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Fort Worth in the U.S., London in the U.K., and Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Each of these places has its own countdown events and people’s excitement, which has been a valuable experience for us to broaden our knowledge. So, where shall we go this time? My mother replied, “I want to go to a country as far away as possible that I have never been to before, before the long distance travel becomes too much for me.

I stared at the globe and thought, “Hmmm. If we were going to include a train trip, it would have to be to Europe. I knew they had never been to Germany, and there is a direct flight to Frankfurt by JAL, my favorite airline. So we decided on Frankfurt as the starting point for this trip. If I were to travel by train from there, I would be excited about the capitals Berlin and Munich. However, when I searched the Internet for winter conditions, I found that both cities seem to get a fair amount of snow.

My mother is now 75 years old. She is used to traveling, but not used to snow. She is used to traveling, but she is not accustomed to snow. The countries bordering Germany that my mother has yet to visit are Poland, Denmark, and Luxembourg. Warsaw, the capital of Poland, is about an 11-hour train ride away. Copenhagen, Denmark, takes about 9 hours. The return trip also departs from Frankfurt Airport, so I was put off by the thought that it would take twice that long to get there and back: …….

The remaining destination is Luxembourg. I looked into it and found that it didn’t seem to snow that much and the trip would only take about five hours each way. “Here it is!” and decided to spend New Year’s Eve in Luxembourg, where we could see fireworks from the bridge in the center of the city. The itinerary was four nights in Frankfurt and two nights in Luxembourg.

After a 14-hour flight, mother and daughter landed in Germany for the first time in their lives. After taking the train from the airport, we arrived at Frankfurt’s central station and were immediately impressed. All European train stations are beautifully built with a sense of history, but this station was surprisingly large, deep, dignified, and very impressive. It was the exact opposite of the delicate, glittering splendor of the Gare de Lyon in Paris; it was a heavy flower of ruggedness and strength. I couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow!” as I looked around in a circle.

Then, in the freezing coldest weather imaginable, we walked to our hotel. Since my mother was with me, we splurged on a hotel this time. We decided to stay at a very famous local hotel where stars and dignitaries from many countries have stayed.

More important than the right words is the right spirit.

When you check in, if you are in an English-speaking country, you may ask, “Is there a room available on a higher floor?” Or, “My mother is sensitive to noise, so we need a room far from the elevator. My poor English was not understood, and my German was even less fluent. I checked in as I was handed the key.

I was shown to a room on the second floor with a window made of polished glass and no view. (What? Why?　Why?) I had reserved a room in the higher rank of this hotel. (What the hell? !!!) I was angry from the bottom of my stomach. I felt anger rising up from the bottom of my stomach. And then, “Mom!　Get your luggage back!　I’m going back to the front desk!” And with a snort, he went to the front desk. I was so angry that I couldn’t even communicate with him. I was so excited. I returned my room card key to the handsome young front desk clerk who had just dealt with me, and said, “Dis room!　Smoked glass!　NO!　Room change please!” I said. And we safely got a room with clear window glass on the 6th floor (8 stories high).

Where was the excitement at the station? I couldn’t sleep that night because I was so frustrated. I had experienced many things when checking in overseas, and I must have learned a lot that if you don’t communicate your request well in person, this kind of thing will happen. I felt ashamed of myself for being so weak because of the language barrier. （What the hell am I doing?) I blamed myself. And I declared war in my heart against Germany, where I would be spending the next few days. I declared war on Germany, where I would be spending tomorrow. Finally, at around 4:00 in the morning, I slept for an hour and started my trip to Germany and Luxembourg in earnest.

Aika Kanda: Born in 1980 in Kanagawa Prefecture. After graduating from Gakushuin University with a degree in mathematics, she joined NHK as an announcer in 2003, and left in 2012 to become a freelance announcer. Since then, she has been active mainly in variety shows, and currently appears regularly as the main MC of the daytime TV program “Poka Poka” (Fuji Television Network).

Her first book, ” Where are you going on the road called Royal Road? is now on sale by popular demand!

From the February 13, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY