Friday, June 21st 2013 - part 2, The N Family

When I moved to Japan to teach English with the JET program, the school administration assigned S, the art teacher, the glamorous duty of making sure I understood how to function in my new town. I assume they picked S because she was about my age, also single, and lived relatively close to the apartment they chose for me. They did not seem concerned with the fact that S did not speak English. If S was put out by any of this, you would never have known, she was always laughing and easy-going about everything.

S went so far above and beyond whatever the school had told her to do. On one of my first nights in Japan, she made me dinner and handed me Aquarius (Japanese sports drink) just I was contemplating passing out on the floor from heat exhaustion. She showed me how to get to two grocery stores from my apartment. She showed me where the video rental store was (yes, video rental, shut up) and then after that she took me to a restaurant. She sat me down, ordered two beers and what I learned was okonomiyaki, took out a spiral notepad and a pen, and we started talking. We used lots of hand gestures (think Charades) and any time we got stuck, the ingenious art teacher would draw a picture on the notepad and understanding was restored. (S said something about taco, and I got excited and drew a picture of a taco and asked, "Taco?" S looked at my picture and laughed. She pointed to it and said, "Tacosu." Then she drew a picture of an octopus and said, "Tako." My disappointment was vastly overshadowed by the fun of our conversation AND I was learning important and easy to remember nouns.) The more beer we had, the better our communication skills got until our friendship was permanently sealed.

I have such fond memories of S. She took me to my first cherry blossom viewing picnic in Omiya park. I took her on her first all-night clubbing experience in Roppongi. She would have little dinner parties with 2 other teachers from our school and taught me about holidays like Girl's Day and Japanese Valentine's Day. I took her to the Air Force base in Yokota to visit my friends and taught her about Taco Bell (she was pretty impressed with the size of the soda pop cup and kept it as a souvenir). When I was hit by a car, she was the only one who visited me and she brought me dinner and we played games. I would not have thought, logically, that two people who did not speak each other's language could become real friends - friendly acquaintances perhaps, sharing wacky exchanges once in a while, but not true friends. However, S stayed in touch even after I had to change schools my 2nd year in Japan. And then after I came home, we continued to communicate a few times every year with letters and packages. A few years after I left Japan, S got married. I actually knew her husband; she married the PE teacher at the school we taught at. I was very happy for her because he was extremely nice (and very good-looking!) and they had 2 boys, so she hasn't had a chance to visit me yet. Every time she had a big life event, she would send me pictures and a long letter, and I would do the same for her (except she is way ahead of me in the game of Life). S has always had a special place in my heart and I was so excited to see her again and for her to meet my husband.

When we met S at the train station, she looked exactly the same. I always forget how small she is (she only comes up to my shoulder) and she was stylishly dressed and still beautiful. She had brought her oldest, A-kun who is 5, with her and he looks just like her. When we arrived at her house, her husband N-sensei met us at the door carrying Y-chan, who is 2, with big smiles and warm handshakes. S has such a happy, warm family. They gave us a tour of their lovely home and we gave out our American omiyage (step 1 in winning over the kids). Then S sat us down for dinner while the boys decided that the best thing to do would be to open and try all the candy at once. S told us that she had a friend who was a tour guide and had asked him what Japanese food foreigners liked the most and then had made that. She made two kinds of katsu (S is an amazing cook and taught me everything I know about cooking Japanese food) and rice, salad, fish tubes stuffed with cheese, and so many other things I cannot remember them all. Dinner was a lot of fun and although N-sensei's English is limited, S did a great job translating (her English was actually quite good by the time I left Japan. I had assumed it was because she was just rusty at first and it had improved with practice. However, she told Mc that she wasn't interested in English before she met me, so it's possible that she studied) and N-sensei's smartphone had an app he could talk into and it would translate simple words and phrases. And of course Mc had listened to the language CDs and knew enough words to impress.

At dinner N-sensei asked Mc if he would like whiskey or beer. Mc chose beer and when N-sensei asked if he'd like another, he said yes because it was just beer and we were having good times with new friends. What he didn't realize was that the question wasn't "beer or whiskey" it was "which one first?" After dinner, whiskey came in large glasses with ice. S and I were chatting and when I glanced over at Mc I was a little surprised how red he'd gotten. He leaned over and whispered, "They stop asking if you want more! I just looked over and my glass was full again!"

*SuperNova Travel Tip: Japanese people generally love to drink, especially the men. If you are at a party, there will likely be one huge bottle of beer on the table and you will have a small juice-sized glass. The custom is that if you see someone's glass getting low, you grab the bottle and fill their glass for them. It's actually a great tradition, because then you can grab a bottle and go pour for people and chat with different guests at the party. If you want more drink, you cannot pour for yourself, so what you do is you find someone at the table near you and fill up your glass and then they will say thank you, notice your glass, and do the same for you (although people get a tad less meticulous the more alcohol that gets poured). This is important: If you don't want more, leave your glass full. It seems like a waste, but if there's any room at the top of your glass, you're getting more.

After dinner, Mc taught the boys how to use the remote control car and played with them till they were screaming with laughter and 100% won over. Around 11pm Satoko showed us to our room where she had laid out 2 futons with matching comforters, taught us how to use the electronic blinds and our air conditioner, and we slept like rocks.

Tuesday, June 18th, 2013 - Kamakura and My Beloved Daibutsu . . .

Tuesday we had planned on visiting my FAVORITE place in Japan, Kamakura. Kamakura is a small ocean town famous for ajisai (hydrangeas) and the Daibutsu (great Buddha). It is about an hour and a half south of Tokyo and it was very, very hot when we went. Kamakura is kind of split into two parts - there's the main part of the city by the Kamakura train station, and then there is a little train that goes out to the area around the big Buddha (Hase station on the Enoden line, it's still a JR line, your Suica will work). My plan was to run out and see the big Buddha (straight shot from the station, follow the signs or the masses) and then head back into the main part of town for lunch. What I had forgotten was that most of the things you go to Kamakura to see are on the route between the big Buddha and the tiny train station. Mc is pretty easy-going, so we changed the plan to get a snack and drink at a konbini while we were sight-seeing and then eat at a restaurant when we got back to the main area.

Did I tell you that there are konbinis everywhere in Japan? What I meant to say is that you can't throw a stone without hitting a konbini unless you are specifically looking for one. Then they disappear into the mist, like a 24-hour ninja. There were zero konbinis between the station and the Daibutsu. However, I had read that sweet potato softo-cream (soft-serve) was specific to Kamakura and so Mc and I got a sweet potato and vanilla swirl cone instead at one of the many stands, which was delicious while at the same time surprisingly sweet-potatoey. (If you don't read Japanese, just look for the purple ice cream cone, there's pictures and giant plastic ones everywhere).

*SuperNova Travel Tip: Every area of Japan is known for something. If it's outside the city, it's usually a fruit or vegetable. You'll know it because EVERYTHING in the shops near the station will be selling products with that flavor. The ice cream shops will almost always feature that flavor in a soft-serve, and if ever there was an excuse to buy ice cream at every destination . . .

The Daibutsu is a 44 foot tall bronze statue of Buddha (2nd tallest bronze statue in Japan) in Kotoin temple. He used to be housed in a great wooden building, but it was blown away in a typhoon/tidal wave more than once (as I will go into more later when we go to Kyoto, the Japanese are a bit like ants when it comes to doggedly insisting on rebuilding the same thing) and he survived each time. Eventually, they gave up and he has been in the open air since the late 1400s. The Daibutsu is one of my favorite sights in Japan because he is impressive while at the same time peaceful. He was built in the 1200s, which means for more than 700 years he has stoically, literally, and peacefully weathered every storm.

When you buy your ticket (only 200¥), you walk through the ticket gate to the washing area where you rinse your hands with cool water you scoop up with a long ladle from a fountain, so that you are cleansed before going in. The path to the big Buddha is L-shaped and as you begin to round the corner, you can see his head just above the foliage. Then as you walk further his entire body is revealed, towering above the tree tops and the tiny people crowded around his base futilely trying to take pictures that encompass his size. He sits there among the frenzy, cross-legged, head bowed in meditation. For an extra 20¥ you can go inside the Daibustu to see how he was put together. It is very cheap to go inside, probably because he is a giant oven and you can only spend a few minutes there. Next to the Buddha is a long stand selling Daibutsu-themed good luck charms and souvenirs, we bought a Daibutsu traffic safety charm for Mc, as mine has served me well over the years.  You will find omamori (good luck charms typically made of fabric with a loop at the top to hang from your car mirror or handbag, never open an omamori or all the luck will come out!) at every shrine or temple you visit. There are omamori for all different types of luck - from making your wishes come true to passing an examination to falling in love. I love good luck, so I love these. After purchasing our omamori, we sat on a large stone near the Daibutsu and people watched, enjoying the calm the big Buddha has always provided.

Daibutsu with a kite (type of bird), see how he towers above the trees.

Kosoku-ji

On the way back to tiny Hase station, there are a number of signs telling you to go this way (right, if you're walking from the big Buddha to the station) to see this or that. We followed one and ended up in a lovely ajisai garden in Kosoku-ji. It was very quiet and shady and beautiful. Another sign led us to one of the main temples of Kamakura, Hasedera. At the temple we were given a handout in English and on one side it stated the main summer events. One said that there was a Inari Festival on June 18th, which it happened to be. Mc and I saw nothing all day that would imply that there was a festival going on, except for the fact that it was more crowded than I had ever seen Kamakura regardless that it was a Tuesday. There is part of the gardens of Hasedera where you walk up a hill to better view the ajisai, and there were so many people that as we walked up we were given a number that corresponded to a huge board. The group with our number had to wait 45 min. for our turn to wait in line to get to see the ajisai. While we were waiting (and sweating), Mc bought a steamed man (of undetermined flavor in the middle) and Ramune (Japanese soda with a marble in it) by himself, I was very proud. Once we were in line, it was basically just staying in line till the trail ended. As we inched along, admiring the ajisai in slow motion, I thought that this was probably for the best as standing in line is a large part of the Japanese culture. Welcome to Japan.

The line to view the ajisai at Hasedera

There is a lot to see at Hasedera, there is a 30 foot golden statue of Hase Kannon, a cool cave with a carving of Benzaiten (one of the 7 Japanese Gods of Fortune, the only female and the god of music and art), a statue of Daikokuten (another one of the 7 Wise Guys, he is the god of wealth), and Mc's favorite - the Kyozo Sutra Archive. The archive is stored on a rotating rinzo (book racks) and it is said that if you turn the rinzo you can earn the same merit as reading all the sutras. You can only turn the rinzo on the 18th, so it was worth wading through the masses.

After Hasedera, we rode the train back to Kamakura station and went out the wrong exit (it had to happen sometime). I knew we were on the wrong side of the station because I'd been to Kamakura before and didn't think Kamakura had changed that much in the past 9 years. So we walked around the station and it started to look much more familiar. We went to the Komachi-dori, a very popular shopping street marked by a HUGE vermillion torii gate and my favorite Studio Ghibli shop (which was still there!). 

Then we went hunting for food, as 4pm was a very late lunch. I will admit that as experienced a traveler as I am (and as much as I LOVE food), my kryptonite is restaurants. It's the one place where if they don't have a picture menu, I don't feel confident that I can point and grunt my way through. However, and I think this has changed since I lived in Japan, many restaurants offer English menus. So we picked the first place to claim that they had an English menu and sat down. Turns out we picked a Chinese restaurant and while flipping through the menu Mc was delighted to realize that he would finally get to try shark fin. He had the option of soup or dumplings and he chose dumplings (the cheaper option), which was a good thing because shark fin is not good. Check that off the list!  Linner was average and we decided to try to hit one more temple before we went back home. There are a TON of temples in Kamakura (like Zenairai Benten Shrine, where you can wash your money in hopes that your money will double), but it was getting late and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine was at the end of Komachi-dori and we figured it would be easy to find.

To this day, we have no idea how we missed it. We caught our mistake in time to enter the Shrine from some sort of tiny side street. It was closed (most shrines and temples close around 5pm), so we walked the grounds and then headed back.

view from Zenairai Benten Shrine, see the torii gate in the distance

SuperNova Travel Tip: Omiyage doesn't really have an English translation. We would say "souvenir" but it's not really the same. Omiyage is a gift you bring back from your trip for your coworkers and family. Every time you go to a popular tourist spot, you will see little shops inside and near the train station selling decorative boxes of individually wrapped cakes/cookies/treats, often featuring the local taste of the region-specific fruit or vegetable if they have one or pictures of whatever thing they're famous for stamped on each treat. When you get back to work, you put one (or a few) individually wrapped treats on each coworker's desk. If you are staying with people, it's polite to bring them back omiyage from wherever you are. If you don't know what the local specialty is, watch people. You'll start to notice that everyone is carrying the same bag from the same shop, and that's probably what you want to bring back for people. If you'll notice, the price of each item is always listed on a sign, not on the omiyage itself, so there's no price tag to spend hours picking at because it's all meant to be gifts.

As we walked around Kamakura, we kept seeing people carrying yellow bags with the same bird on them. I saw a school group carrying them and knew that was the popular Kamakura omiyage. We finally walked by the shop selling the contents of those bags by the train station (of course). The store was Toshimaya and they are famous for selling large butter cookies in the shape of a pigeon. Yup, a pigeon. No further explanation offered. R, you're welcome. 

Monday, June 17th 2013 - Jetlag vs. Sightseeing

Monday we did not leap out of bed. When you are going to be in a place for a reasonable chunk of time, bolting upright at 6am to go sight-seeing will wear you out pretty quickly, especially when it's 85 degrees and a billion percent humidity. Plus, nothing in Japan really opens till 10am. We slept-in (which, when you are jet-lagged means waking up randomly and then repeatedly attempting to go back to sleep for a little while until you finally decide to give up) and made breakfast (another benefit of staying with friends - food in the house, no foraging first thing in the morning in a strange land!) and rearranged the contents of our suitcases.

*SuperNova Travel Tip - There is no cure for jet-lag. People will tell you that the secret is to stay up for 3 days straight or drink the juice of an disenchanted banana and your jet-lag will disappear, but the fact of the matter is that when your body thinks it's 2am but the sun is up and you are eating lunch, that's going to mess you up. My best advice is to start following the local schedule immediately (if you usually go to bed at 10pm and it's 10pm, go to bed and take something like Tylenol PM to help curb the waking up repeatedly) and then be prepared for jet-lag sneak attacks (this usually happens several days into your trip, when you think you are over jet-lag; you're going along merrily and then you are suddenly so tired you pass out wherever you are at 4 in the afternoon). Give in and take a nap. DO NOT go to sleep (i.e. any time longer than 2 hours)! Another benefit of staying with people is that you feel guilty if you sleep during your entire stay with them and you get yourself up, which is good because then you don't end up losing whole days to jet lag. DO NOT LET JET LAG WIN!

We eventually decided to head to Asakusa and only had to return to the aparto twice for forgotten items ("Do you have sunblock? What about the camera? . . . "). Before we headed into town, we decided to see what shopping was available near R's station and on the way stopped at Lawsons (a konbini, short for "convenience store") for some lunch. I encouraged Mc to try a curry pan (an unsweetened donut with curry inside instead of cream or jelly; it is way more awesome than it sounds), which left Mc addicted to curry pan and calculating the volume of our suitcase to see how many we can bring home (I can't find them in Oregon. I almost feel guilty addicting Mc to things I know I can't get again back home, but . . . 'tis better to have loved and lost . . .).

SuperNova Travel Tip: Convenience stores in Japan are AMAZING! One of the things I miss the most about Japan are the konbinis. Konbinis are safe, clean, and stocked with delicious, fresh food! If you cannot find a good restaurant or just want something quick, stop in at any one of a number of konbini in Japan (Lawsons, 7-11, Family Mart, Newdays, yes, most of the names are in English) and get an excellent meal of anything from sando (sandwich) to sushi to bento (lunch box) to mystery pan (pan = bread, although I call it mystery pan because a good deal of the individually wrapped bread in these stores has a filling, and since I don't read Japanese and they don't always have a picture, it's generally a wild surprise. Once, I got corn and mayonnaise filled. That was a rough lunch . . .). Definitely try the food in the warmer by the counter, croquettes and man (steamed bun with various fillings, my favorite is pizza man), you will not find any hot dogs rotating indefinitely here, unless you count oden (fish balls soaking for whoknowshowlong in uncovered tepid water), and I do. The people at the counter are very nice about you pointing to which thing you want in the warmer and grunting. They'll even offer you the appropriate eating utensil (yes, in Japan they consider a toothpick an eating utensil; there was a tiny holster for one in our Red Chicken box).

R had said something about being able to walk to Asakusa and since Mc and I both enjoy walking while traveling (you often see things you would otherwise miss) we figured we would walk towards the next train station towards Asakusa and see how we felt. First of all, turns out it is really far between stations. We walked for about 40min. before finally getting there. Secondly, the walk along train tracks is not very scenic or shady, so we were just this side of sweat-soaked when we finally arrived. Thirdly, we went the opposite direction of Asakusa. This, of course, was not how I wanted Mc's first day in Japan to go, but it's good to set the bar low. At Kita-Senju station we decided to use trains and subways (which are air-conditioned), going back and forth through Minami-Senju (R's stop) approximately 37 times before we got to Asakusa (not to be confused with Akasaka).

*SuperNova Travel Tip: Be careful when exiting a train/subway station. Most stations have several exits (very few have only one) and going out the west exit instead of the east exit can be the difference between a 2 min. walk to the site you wanted to see and finding yourself stepping out onto the moon. Once you pass through the ticket gate, look up. There will be lots of yellow signs, written in English complete with arrows, listing which exit is which direction. If you are at a station for a major site-seeing location, that place will usually also be on the sign also, letting you know which exit you actually want. I should say that the signage in Japan is a touch lacking at times and I have been betrayed by signs in the past, but at least you can say you made the effort.

Huge lantern in Kaminarimon, "Thunder Gate"

Asakusa is a good place to start sight-seeing in Japan because right outside the station there is a huge shopping street full of little stands selling all sorts of Japanese trinkets and foods and then at the end there is a huge red lantern (part of the Thunder Gate) and Senso-ji (Buddhist temple) to explore. It's a good dose of traditional/commercial Japan right out the gate, and there is plenty to see without it taking up your whole day. Mc wanted to do one of the fortunes at the temple and the ones here were in English. So, he put his 100¥ in the box, found the corresponding drawer, and pulled the worst fortune you can get. It said things like, "Your wishes will not come true. The lost thing will not be found. The person you are waiting for won't come . . ." FORTUNATELY, the Japanese have a handy little system for dealing with bad fortunes. You just neatly fold up the fortune into a long, thin rectangle and tie it to a fence designated for this purpose and the temple will deal with the badness while you walk away footloose and fancy-free.

Mc found a man making taiyaki at one of the many stalls and got his first real made-in-Japan taiyaki (fish-shaped cake filled with custard cream), which was fresh and hot and the highlight of his day. After you are through with the shrine area, make sure to go around to the other side of the station so you can see The Asahi Beer Hall, on top of which is the golden Asahi Flame. I believe that the Japanese had intended this to look like a flame blowing in the wind, but gaijin (foreigners) almost universally think it looks like a golden poo. A popular picture to take is to stand so it looks like the "flame" is coming out of your mouth.

Asahi "Flame" (the Tokyo Skytree is to the left)

After taking pictures, we went back to R's place to take a nap. By the time we woke up, R was home with little Now-chan and we spent the evening chatting and playing and R made us a delicious dinner. After dinner, Mc and I walked back to the shopping center because I had packed yoga pants for pajamas which was insane. I needed shorts and wanted to go to Uniqlo (cheap clothing store in Japan). On the way back, I wanted to take a shortcut and said, "Let's walk down that alley," and Mc looked at me and said, "That's not something you could usually say." Welcome to Japan.

Sunday, June 16th 2013 - Finally in Japan!

We finally arrived in Narita Airport around 2pm and got our bags. It was muggy and hot even in the airport. As we were going through a hallway, I nearly ran into a man and said, "Sumimasen!" (excuse me). He replied in kind and that tiny exchange sent a thrill through me that I was finally back in Japan! We bought Suica cards (like a debit card for the train/subway system; you just charge it up with a chunk of money and then swipe it through train gates, saving you the hassle of figuring out individual tickets each time you ride the train) and rented a phone (our plan was to buy prepaid SIM cards for our Android phone like we did in Europe, but 1. they don't sell SIM cards, you have to rent them and 2. our Android phone didn't work in Japan because while it does have 3G, it doesn't have 3G GSM, whatever that is, so we rented a phone instead for the same price. We recommend Mobal; their prices were the best and the ladies at the counter we super helpful and patient) and hopped on a train to visit the R family.

*SuperNova Travel Tip: Do as much in the Narita Airport as you can because that's where you're going to find the most help in English. The airport is full of information desks as well as random workers there just to help you. Japan is extremely respectable and safe, so you don't have to worry about someone in the airport trying to scam you. One lady came up to us while we were staring blankly at the train counter and asked if we needed help with the train, handed us a flyer, and started to lead us somewhere. Anywhere else, this would be highly suspicious behavior leading to some sort of hard-sell. However, since this was Japan, the flyer was about a package deal for the train and she was leading us to the Suica machine where she stood by us and walked us through, step-by-step, how to buy the cards and then charge them. You don't tip in Japan, so she expected nothing from us, as soon as we were done we thanked her, she bowed, and hurried off. At the information desk, another lady researched and wrote out the route we needed to take from the airport to R's apartment, and the Mobal ladies helped us figure out our phone problems and rented us a phone with zero communication issues. Narita Airport is basically a lovely introduction to a lovely culture and you should take advantage while you're there. PS - Narita Airport is not really in Tokyo, just like Portland Airport is not really in Portland. Wherever you are staying, it's probably an hour/hour and a half away from the airport. DO NOT TAKE A TAXI unless you are prepared to spend all of your spending money on one (very clean) taxi ride. Take the train; you're going to do most of your traveling in Japan on the train anyway, you might as well jump right in especially when the people at your starting destination speak English and can help you with your first route.

Two trains and about an hour later, we were walking to R's aparto in Arakawa-ku via his excellent and very descriptive directions. It was hot and very humid, so on the way we stopped in 7-11 (yes, they have 7-11; no, it's not the same; it's WAY better) and picked up an Aquarius (sports drink), which was deliciously familiar.

*SuperNova Travel Note: Tokyo is not a city like Seattle or San Francisco. It is more like a small state (prefecture) with cities within it. So if you want to go to Harajuku because you are a huge Gwen Stefani fan, that's in Tokyo, but it's within Shibuya within Tokyo. (Specific places are like nesting dolls. For example, I used to live in Haraichi which was in Ageo which was in the Saitama prefecture.) Anyway, if you want to see "Tokyo" you need several days. Also, there are almost no street names, hence the exceptionally descriptive directions of how to get to R's aparto. Landmarks and trains are basically how you find anything, I have NO idea how postmen or pizza guys do their job. No one does.

I know R from back in my Japan days, but in the years since he has acquired an awesome family. He and his wife T have THE CUTEST 2 year old daughter and I wish that I posted personal pictures on my blog because I am sure you would agree. (Unless you have a 2 year old, in which case you are wildly offended.) They were most welcoming and had a tatami room (a room with traditional straw mats instead of carpet which have a distinctively pleasant smell) set up just for us. After presents were given (I was not joking, bring presents. Not only is it thoughtful, but it creates space in your suitcase for souvenirs!) they took us out to dinner at an izakaya near their home. An izakaya is a restaurant where you order lots of little plates and share with everyone, generally while drinking beer. I love izakayas because you can get beer and tons of little plates of things and if you make a horrible mistake (chicken cartilage on a stick, anyone?), then everyone has a piece, it's gone, you order the next thing, and then just split the bill at the end. This one came with what can only be described as a beautiful sashimi (raw fish) bouquet that Mc and company enjoyed quite a bit.

After that we walked home and Mc and I hit the hay (or tatami, I guess) while R's family went through the bath routine.

*SuperNova Travel Tip - Bathing in Japan is a ritual. Typical bathrooms are separate from the closet where they keep the toilet. (If you ask for a bathroom in public, they will look at you oddly, wondering why you want to take a bath in a department store. If you are out and need the restroom, ask for the toilet. That's one of my favorite universal words. Technically in Japan they say "toire" but you will be understood.) The bathroom generally has a telephone shower and a drain on the floor next to a deep, but short, bathtub. You are supposed to bathe at night, you do not get into bed with the day's cooties on you. You first scrub down sitting on a short stool using the telephone shower. Once you are all clean, you may get into the tub. The tub is for relaxing, not washing. This is important. You can take just a shower or you can even shower in the morning, but god help you if you get soap in the bathtub.

Monday, both R and T have to work and since we'll be jet-lagged, we plan to just do an easy day in Tokyo. (Did you ask which part of Tokyo? Good, you were paying attention! We plan on going to Asakusa.)

Saturday, June 15th 2013 - Off to Japan!

I had always intended to go back to Japan. I lived there for 2 years, and even though I have since traveled to over 20 countries, Japan will always have a special place in my heart. When I met my husband, I knew we were in for the long haul because he not only tolerated my incessant stories of Japan, but he seemed to enjoy them. However, after years of hearing Japanese stories and vocabulary until they felt like they were his own, it was definitely time to have him experience Japan firsthand. Our plan was to go to Europe (done) and then Japan, but last summer we decided to get married, which put the Japan plan on hold. So we promised ourselves that we would go the next summer. Now, what confirms that we are both incurable sufferers of the travel bug is that the next summer (this summer) we actually booked tickets. (The difference between the travel bug-infected and the general population? Instead of finding reasons to put off a trip to Japan because it's expensive, we find reasons to go now because it is expensive; e.g. once we start having kids or buy a house we won't be able to afford to go on a trip like this, who knows how long my friends will still be there, etc.)

As we started our travel planning, I counted the years since I'd lived in Japan and to my horror counted 9 years. I was sure there was no way that could be right, so I did the math a few different ways before accepting that if I left in 2004 and it was now 2013 that was 9 years ago. I swore I just got back! This trip was very much going to be like my 10 year reunion with Japan.

Planning for this trip was a touch hectic. For the first time this year I was going to teach summer school, meaning we had to be back before it started. Meaning that in order to have a trip that was long enough to make the killer flight worth it, we had to leave 2 days after school got out. Plus the end of the school year is always a crazy time for me. Plus Mc had the joy of a noon to 9pm work schedule, so he wasn't home before 10pm M-F making preparing together difficult. Not to mention that as the trip neared, I started to feel a bit of anxiety. I mean, I had talked up Japan just a touch over the years (in a non-stop kind of way) and I started to worry that I wouldn't remember how to do anything or maybe Japan wouldn't appeal to Mc like it does to me, or maybe this very expensive trip would be a disaster. (I shouldn't have worried, of course. But, then again, if I didn't worry, I'd be a totally different person.)

Mc and I prepped for this trip by listening to a Japanese language CD set during our daily commutes, buying the latest version of the Lonely Planet Japan (although honestly that's more for our travel bookshelf) and photocopying the pages on the places we knew we would visit (if you pack your heavy travel book for a whole country, you will likely regret it; just photocopy the pages of places you know you're going and then toss them as you travel), buying quality raincoats (in order to be back in time for summer school, we had to book our trip during the rainy season, but we're from Oregon, so we figured we'd be ok), and going to jorudan.co.jp and printing off the train routes to and from the destinations we knew we would be going to.

*SuperNova Travel Tip: Sooooo many language CDs are terrible! Since I lived in Japan, I could tell pretty quickly when a CD set wasn't teaching me the things I needed to review. We went through about 5 different Japanese language CD sets before finding a good one. It was by Pimsleur's, which does many different languages, and was the only one that taught vocabulary words through useful phrases. Not perfect, but the best by far. I'm sure that Rosetta Stone is good too, but, and this is important, they had Pimsleur's at the library and we are cheap.

We also emailed my few friends remaining in Japan and arranged dates to come visit them. My friends are awesome and even kindly offered to let us stay with them.

*SuperNova Travel Tip: If you have friends or family in another country, VISIT THEM. Right now. I'll wait while you book your flight . . . Seriously, traveling is awesome, but traveling where you can stay with people who know all the ins and outs of the country they're in is invaluable. They will take you to cool restaurants, help you figure out transit systems, and let you do your laundry. Yes, traveling can be expensive, but it will be way cheaper than if you had to pay for all your room and board! Plus, if you follow my travel tips you know that I don't accept cost as an excuse to not travel, as I firmly believe that travel is always worth it. PS - if you do follow my advice and visit friends/family, bring them a present. A good one. You are interrupting their lives and it's the least you can do for amazing hosts.

Our flight was at 7am, which didn't seem so bad when we booked it. Obviously, we eventually realized a 7am flight meant we had to get up at 3:30am in order to get to the airport 2 hours in advance.  Fortunately, I have a wonderful mother who agreed to take us before she had to go to work. We thought that the early flight time might work in our favor, sleeping on the plane-wise, but no sleeping on the plane occurred (which is the norm for me). We flew Air Canada with a 4 hour layover in Vancouver, BC. The flight was uneventful and excruciating as all 9 hour flights/26 hour travel days are. As I always say, the worst part of traveling is the traveling.

*SuperNova travel tip: Canada Air is excellent. You can check TWO whole bags per person to Japan for free! They feed you on the plane more than once for no extra charge! And you only have to go through customs once in Vancouver! It sounds like little things, but on 26+ hour travel day, those little things become the big things.