Big Thing #2: Unexpected travel
Remember how a while ago I was kvetching for travel? Well, I've dug and pushed and shoved my finances into an order that will allow me to...go to Japan with jackwilliambell! He's going on business, but taking a few days to poke around before the meetings start, and I'm going with him. And we leave in a week!
Our plan is one night in a ryokan in Narita, a couple of nights in Tokyo, some time at a ryokan by Mt. Fuji, and then we go to Nagoya where he will be doing business. I expect to be taking a day trip from there to Kyoto (because, given my long-established interest in geisha culture, I couldn't not go to Kyoto--plus temples!). Beyond that, the itinerary is pretty wide open. We've talked about spending one evening at Tokyo Disney, which will be a cheaper alternative than a full day and will still get my smashed penny/pin fetish attended to. Everything else is up for grabs.
Japan was never on my list of places to go. It made a brief appearance on said list after I saw "Lost in Translation" years ago, but otherwise, my focus has always been on destinations in the other direction--Europe, the Middle East. This trip will take me way out of my comfort zone so I'm reading, reading, reading to get up to speed on history and culture (thank you, Lonely Planet!). I'm excited and I'm a little freaked out. I know it's going to be totally worth it--and I can't wait!
Our plan is one night in a ryokan in Narita, a couple of nights in Tokyo, some time at a ryokan by Mt. Fuji, and then we go to Nagoya where he will be doing business. I expect to be taking a day trip from there to Kyoto (because, given my long-established interest in geisha culture, I couldn't not go to Kyoto--plus temples!). Beyond that, the itinerary is pretty wide open. We've talked about spending one evening at Tokyo Disney, which will be a cheaper alternative than a full day and will still get my smashed penny/pin fetish attended to. Everything else is up for grabs.
Japan was never on my list of places to go. It made a brief appearance on said list after I saw "Lost in Translation" years ago, but otherwise, my focus has always been on destinations in the other direction--Europe, the Middle East. This trip will take me way out of my comfort zone so I'm reading, reading, reading to get up to speed on history and culture (thank you, Lonely Planet!). I'm excited and I'm a little freaked out. I know it's going to be totally worth it--and I can't wait!