The Japan Greatest Hits Reunion Tour

Welp, good news folks! I made it to Japan unscathed, and actually, in a very smooth manner. The flight from MSP to Tokyo was about 11.5 hours, and I slept about  5 or  6 hours on the plane, which SERIOUSLY negated the effects of jet lag. I'm all set, rip roarin' and ready to go thanks to the plane ride. I had about an hour and a half layover in Tokyo, then another 45 minute flight to Nagoya, Japan. Once in Nagoya I went through customs, which was GREAT. I am staying in Tsu City, near Nagoya, with two friends of mine from CSB/SJU (Angela Tate and Sarah Haugen). Welp, I don't know the address they're at, which was essential to the customs form, so that the government knew where I'd be going. As you can imagine, writing down 'Tsu City' as my address didn't cut it...and then confusion ensued...which was then resolved by just putting down their names as my contact. Also, my student visa and travel visa from my study abroad experience (in 2008) was still valid, so they just let me go right on through with that! Holler!

I got into Tsu City via high speed boat from the airport at about 10pm local time on Sunday night, and the rest of the night Angela, Sarah and I sat up talking and reconnecting.

Yesterday, however, began my Greatest Hits reunion tour. I've been reconstructing and reliving the favorite parts, memories, foods, and experiences of my 4 months here, just doing it in a 2 day window. So far I've had Pretz (quite possibly the best snack invented), Pocky (another great snack), my Van Houten's cocoa, umeshu (plum wine), gyooza (dumplings)...wait...this is all about food. Alright, so I've been eating my favorite foods. Now we've got that base covered.

But, yesterday I hiked to the train station from their apartment (about a 1 hour walk (because I got lost and walked to the next station)). Once I got there I hopped on the train and rode it for about an hour and a half to the Ise Shrine, one of the larger shrines in the country. It was incredibly serene and peaceful, which made sense being as the town of Ise is labeled as the spiritual hub of Japan by some. Ise is also known for it's Udon noodles, which were supposedly fantastic. I can honestly tell you, after having Udon for lunch yesterday, that they're not kidding. 

On that note, there have been a few things that have rekindled my love for Japan while here. My language skills really haven't gotten that much worse since I was here last a year and a half ago. I'm not as proficient as I used to be, but I can get around just fine here, when I've been lost I've been able to get directions just fine, and ordering food and buying things are still easy for me. The language barrier has been overcome yet again! Also, I COMPLETELY forgot how UNBELIEVABLY kind and helpful Japanese people are. ALL DAY yesterday, whether I was lost or just needed directions or help, people would drop everything and help, whether it was pointing it out on my map, getting maps of their own and giving them to me, or even helping me get on the right trains, they were incredible.

Yesterday ended up being a 15 hour adventure. I was lost for over 4 of those hours. It gave me a lot of time to think. It also reminded me SO much of my camping trip a la 2008 (see also: Monaco 2007). How could I be upset at being lost when it was SO nostalgic for me. I mean...seriously...some of my best and greatest life experiences have come from being lost. 

After I left lunch, I was on a mission to find the sakakibara onsen. Finding this onsen was one of the biggest reasons for coming back to Japan (also to see Angela and Sarah). But, I digress. For those of you who don't know, an onsen is a hot springs spa. Amazing, right? You go in, shower off, then go sit in hot springs tubs for as long as you desire. I was there for an hour and a half. Talk about amazing. Talk about relaxing. It brought me right back to 2008. I felt like I hadn't even left. 

Another thing that I truly missed about Japan was the public transit system. I LOVE RIDING TRAINS. Thank goodness, Manila has its own lightrail system, so this love will only continue being fueled. The trains are great people-watching times. They're also great for doing some reading, for thinking, for sightseeing. I spent a lot of time on the trains yesterday, and all of it was great.

So, it's VERY safe to say that my time here in Japan has been well spent, it's safe to say that I'm feeling incredibly content about my mini-vacation, and now I'm getting SO anxious and excited to finally get to Manila and get started.

Hopefully this finds you all well, I know that some of you are starting your own adventures now, so hopefully those are great. For now, take care, good luck, and talk soon.