Japan One

It’s 12:13 and we will head to the airport early in the morning. The dog sleeps between my legs and I miss him already. It has been quite a few years since he will have been left for so long. Add the fact that I spend so much time with him now that I work mostly from home, and we wonder how he will come out of it.

Our last trip this long was to Israel and I can honestly say I am glad we are not heading back there. I will take typhoons over bomb scares any day.

Beyond the pre-emptive missing of my canine companion I was compelled to write an opener to this trip to express my intimidation. Daniela and I just don’t feel as well prepared as we should. I hope we are over reacting but I won’t know if we are until we get there. We really don’t know what to expect and I am apprehensive that digital translators and printed maps will do the trick. We land in Tokyo alone and will find our way to the first hotel after a 13 hour direct flight without a driver or taxi. The plan is to hit the rail system straight away. From what I have read some subway stops can have up to 200 different exit paths at one station. It’s get it right the first time and never guess or play the odds because one wrong turn can take you miles from where you’re headed. Intuition here is apparently the kiss of death.

I could pontificate the night away but I need to sleep. You can judge how well we did by how soon you see my first Japan-based post.