Japan 2012 - Reflecting on our second trip

Wow, three full weeks in Japan. The longest vacation we have ever taken, the most time off work I have had since I was 18, and the farthest place I have ever been from home, both geographically and culturally. This trip to Japan was whole-heartedly inspired by our trip to Japan in 2010. One time is simply not enough, and if you don't understand that, then that is too bad. Japan is a place of ideals. And a place where those ideals are consciously thought about, planned on, and executed. Granted, this is my view, as an American foreigner who has spent thirty-seven years watching the U.S.A. slowly deteriorate into what I believe will ultimately be only a shred of what it once was, and what it was meant to be. There is no point in getting into the politics and principles of it.  So let's just say that going to Japan is sensory overload.  It's an utterly inspiring yet ultimately depressing, look into a future that could never be for America.  Japan is really a very quick breathe of fresh air, to an American who looks at it the right way.

The downside to this year's trip to Japan, is that it felt more like a business trip, if you will, than a vacation. There was no relaxing. No real stopping to smell the flowers. Japan is a thinking man's vacation, and a thinking man who has to stay on his feet. To get the most out of a ridiculously expensive trip like three weeks in Japan, you must plan, revise the plan, refine the plan, and absolutely adhere to the plan.  Otherwise, you will see only a fraction of what you could see, and you will undoubtedly waste a lot of time and a lot of money at the risk of being very frustrated and disappointed in the end. So tiring is not even the right word to describe our mental and physical state on a daily basis. It's like dragging yourself out of bed to work, except with the dread replaced by excitement and inspiration, if that makes any sense.  You are going on fumes, fumes made of adrenalin and sometimes very potent shots of Japanese energy drinks.

Another thing about our second trip to the Land of the Rising Sun, is that we knew what to expect this time.  We knew what was waiting for us on the other end, so it was received differently. It was not the utterly unbelievable, mind-blowing experience that it was in 2010. That said, there was still a sufficient amount of mind-blowing, it's just that we saw the punches coming this time, and we were able to roll with them accordingly. A second trip also allows you to focus your efforts on those particular things you really enjoyed the first time, and still see more that you missed before, which is really great.  I found myself geeking out more this time around than the first time. I think that is mostly due to the fact that in 2010, I made a lot of discoveries about Japan that I immediately wanted more of. I tend to obsess over things quite a bit, and Japan is the perfect place to overdose on whatever obsession you might have. It's like taking a nice long bath in all your favorite shit. And with your friends at your side, a drink in your hand and money in your pocket, there isn't much more fun you can have.

But let's not forget the pre-trip stress, a few unfortunate, albeit minor, problems with traveling , and the post trip blues, fatigue and debt.  This trip was different, plain and simple. Yet, our second trip to Japan was just as unforgettable as the first. But I cannot deny that it was an oddly different trip all together, in so many ways.  All I know is that I am already getting the itch to go back, but this time, I know it's going to be five or more years before we do. It's a big world and time is ticking away fast, so we have to see some other places before we go back to Japan. But Japan is and always will be on the agenda for the future.