When I Think About Going Away...I Think About Tokyo/Japan

There are certain places people think about when they daydream about getting away from work. Alot of folks probably think about going to some tropical paradise such as Fiji, Bali,or locally like Hawaii. Some harken back to the old world charms of Europe and/or Russia. Other places evoke sentimentallity that draws them back time and time again. Its no secret that my go to place is Tokyo/Japan. At times when my brain lapses and I begin to daydream, it never fails to flashback to trips that I have taken. The sights of the people, buildings, and lights become vivid in my mind. The background sounds of the trains, footsteps, and crows grow clearer. The smells of curry and ramen hasten the hunger pangs as mealtime apporaches. The touch of the rubber escalator handrails, push-to-open door handles, and plastic bento box containers all add to the sensory memory of my brief moments that I spent there

You could almost say that I get homesick for that one place that has always been the first place that I wanted to travel to internationally. Ove the last few years, I have consoled myself time and time again that I would not go back the following year. Time and time again, I find a way to rationalize a reason to go back or find some other convenient reason for making another trip. At this point, I have resigned myself to these yearly trips that I take abroad. This upcoming year, I have visions of visiting Japan in the summer. All of my previous trips have occured during the winter and spring seasons. Because of fears of the high heat and humidity, I have stayed away from the summer months because I tend to wilt in those conditions. This time, I believe its time for a change. Some of the things that I would like to do during the warmer months include walking around Tokyo in shorts, attending some of the many festivals that spring up this time of year, going to one of the 5th stations on Mt Fuji and visiting Sendai.

I sually have to pack warmer clothing on my visits. When visiting the Snow Festival in Sapporro, I have to bring even heavier, thicker clothes. Most times, the climate in Tokyo is not too different from what we have here at home. I dont have to bundle up anymore for a winter day in Tokyo than I do at home. However, that does usually entail long pants and a windbreaker/jacket of some type. I imagine it would be nice to bring a smaller suitcase with me packed with lighter clothing to take advantage of the sunny summer days. To walk around Shibuya/Shinjuku ins shorts and sandals on a warm summer eve is a vision that has entered my psyche on occassion.

On this year's trip, I passed through Aomori on the way to Tokyo via the train from Sapporro. I got to visit the Nebuta Museum that houses some of the awarding floats that travel the streets of the city during the Nebuta Festival held in early august. Although the floate were nice to see in a static environemnt, I think it would be a bigger impact to see them being paraded around the city after night has fallen. Many of the festicals are celebrated in summer and participants are seen walking around in yukatas, purchasing food from street vendors, and playing games for prixes at sidewalk tents. The air is festive with large numbers of people enjoying the nice weather well into the evening.

I heve never had delusions of being able to climb Mt Fuji. But, I have wanted to get up close and personal by getting up to one of the fifth stations that dot the mountain. There are a number of stations that climbers can stop at on their ascent. The last highest ones accessible via car or bus are the fifth stations. These are only open during the summer climbing season. During one late winter/early fall trip, some friends and I took the train to Gotemba and attempted to take the bus up to a fifth station on the south side of the mountain. Things looked bleak as we could only see the base of the mountain upon arrival at Gotemba station. Nonetheless, we purchased bus tickets but were disheartened when we were dropped off at a nearby military base as the bus did not proceed any furhter. We had not even step foot on the base of the montain.

Lastly, we had decided to skip Sendai on our way back to Tokyo this winter. A month later, an earthquake and tsunami had ravaged the area an I was heartbroken to hear of the tragedy. I wanted to put Sendai and the area surrounding it into my travel plans. I wanted to help by spending some of my tourism money in that area. I will never know what the area looked like in person before the tragedy. but, from pictures and reports that I have seen, the people are resilient and getting back to their normal way of life as best they can.

Recently, the Jpanese government has devalued the yen. Thats great news for me as I hope the exchange rate against the dollar improves so that my chances of a visit next year increases. Until now, the yen has reached an all time high against the dollar. This is great for american businesses but bad for American tourists. Im keepiog my fingers crossed and Japan on my mind