Posted on

Japan – Day 25 (Back to America…)

I woke up a bit earlier than usual and after caffeinating myself I pulled everything I’ve accumulated over these past 2 months out of my bags and spread it out on the bed. Then I started to re-wrap and pack things up for the long trip back to the good old U.S.A. I bought more than I had originally planned, but all things considered, I didn’t buy that much. Mostly smaller items. I did have to offload my old shirts and a pair of pants due to weight restrictions, but I’ve lost a little over 4-inches on my waist and the old stuff doesn’t really fit right anymore anyway so it was no big loss. After checking out of the hotel and leaving my bag, I strolled down to the Tokyo Pokémon Center and picked up a few things since I had about 3,500 yen left to get rid of, then got some lunch at the restaurant next to the hotel.

I picked up my bag and walked over to the Narita Express Bus to the airport. My flight wasn’t until 6:20pm, but my anxiety was out of control today for some reason about this flight, so I arrived around 2:30pm and sat at the gate reading my book and scrolling through the endless void that is the internet. It was kind of a sad flight because I really didn’t want to leave Japan, plus my seat wouldn’t recline at all, and my row was one of the few rows that had a middle seat occupied so I couldn’t stretch out. I still managed to nap a little bit during the 14 hour flight, but given the time difference not sleeping isn’t a bad thing. I left at 6:20pm Friday the 6th in Japan, and landed in Chicago at 3:00pm on Friday the 6th so hopefully I’ll sleep well tonight!

Being in Japan all this time really makes me notice just how dirty Chicago is. After getting through customs I went to the bathroom and half the stalls were clogged and backed up with toilet paper and piss, and even the one I picked that wasn’t clogged was still filthy with toilet paper all over. You just don’t see that out east. I went to the taxi stand, and the taxi that pulled up made me glad I got a tetanus shot earlier. His check engine light was on, there was a thick layer of dirt and grime over every surface, rusted metal was visible everywhere the plastic had been damaged, his seats were being held together with duct tape…literally, it was disgusting. In Japan and Thailand the taxi drivers all have new cars and wear suits and driver hats and get out to open the door for you and have umbrellas to keep you dry, the customer service is impeccable. So now in Chicago, I just tried my best to not touch anything…but hey, I’m back even if it’s just for a couple days!

I had left the condo basically empty, so I had to run to the store to get a shower curtain liner, plastic dishes and silverware, some basic toiletries, foods and snacks for the weekend. One good thing about being back is I’ve had my DVR recording all of my shows while I’ve been away, so I have a lot to catch up on! Plus, I’m back where hard cider is a thing so yeeeaaaahhhh! Rick and Morty Season 4 and Redds Wicked Apple!

Posted on

Off to Japan! – Day 1

JAPAN I AM IN YOU! My God as soon as I stepped foot off the Narita Express at Shibuya it all hit me at once. The neon lights, the endless chatter, the hustle and bustle, the smell of noodles and curry and all sorts of food and desserts of every flavor everywhere…it was like coming back home. I didn’t realize how much I missed it all until just now!

My flight out of Bangkok left at 8am so I had to wake up at 4am to leave at 5am. I forced myself to stay awake during the flight, so by the time we landed in Japan at 4pm I was starving. For some reason an American coming to Japan from Thailand alarmed the customs person (HA!) so I got pulled off to the side to check my backpack, but of course there is nothing bad in there and her asking questions led to me telling her about my trip around the world. She asked if I had been to Japan before, and I told her I used to live here in college and used to be able to speak Japanese conversationally fluent but not so much anymore, so then she switched to Japanese and let me practice for a bit (it wasn’t busy at customs today).

I figured once I got here I’d remember things fast, but I didn’t expect just HOW fast. It’s all coming back to me, like riding a bicycle. Before the end of the night I was at a shoe store talking with the older staff who didn’t know English, since I needed to replace my non-waterproof walking shoes that I threw away in Paris. At first they didn’t seem sure if they should help me, but then I called them over and started asking questions and stuff in Japanese and I think the main guy helping me was surprised at first and then seemed happy and ready to assist. Then again I was buying his stuff so, eh, may be unrelated. The point is I got some decent, inexpensive waterproof walking shoes for the next 24 days and didn’t need to use a word of English nor any charade games to get them.

Prior to that I went to Ichiran for some ramen, but after getting my shoes, walking around Shibuya at the crossing, and saying hello to my old buddy Hachiko my stomach decided it was still hungry. I stopped and got a small udon serving…but although my stomach was now full, my eyes and mouth were still hungry so I got some sushi and an onigiri from 7-11. I had to remind myself that I was going to be here a while and didn’t need to eat everything RIGHT NOW. It was past 9pm at that point, so I hiked back to the hotel to start booking activity tickets for the Tokyo area. This is going to be awesome!