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Friday, December 25, 2015

Our first trip to Japan in 2010 was sheer culture shock. I will never forget it. And I think because of the incredible slap in the face that is going to Japan for the first time, I can say that the first trip was the best trip of the three. We returned two years later, to really soak ourselves in all the cool stuff we discovered during the first trip. We spent a full three weeks there in 2012. We both lost about ten pounds, and we did and saw more on that trip than any other trip we have ever taken. So in a way, the second trip could also be considered the best. For the third time in 2015, it was like a reunion of sorts. The four of us really wanted to do it all again. Experience that same feeling we got from the first trip, and even the second. Was that accomplished? I would say, for the most part, yes. But, at least for me, the third trip landed right in the middle of several very stressful and tiring months. So even by the time we arrived in Japan, I was ready for a long rest. But Japan is not a relaxing place to go for vacation. You're on your feet bulldozing through the days as hard as you can manage. And it is exhausting, albeit, exhilarating. We spent two weeks in and around Tokyo for the third trip, and I definitely feel that if we ever return to Japan, I would really want to visit the Northern and Southern regions rather than return to Tokyo again. But how does one spend all that money, endure all that time on airplanes, arrive in Japan, and NOT visit Tokyo, at least for a few days?

Fuji-san!

Like the Statue of Liberty, like the Eiffel Tower, Mt. Fuji is the symbol of Japan.

Special Report: Owl Cafes and "the" Robot Cafe :\

OK, so, cat cafes, cool. Rabbit cafes, cool. Owl cafes. Not so much. To be perfectly honest, seeing these owls tethered and placed on display was pretty much not enjoyable. Yes, owls are awesome. But not in this way. These birds were clearly under stress and NOT enjoying their captivity and lives spent strapped to a log so people can come in and pet them and look at them. I guess I expected the owl cafes to be more zoo like, with a few cages containing owls that were hopefully under good care and supervision. But I was definitely kidding myself there. I can't help but wonder, where the hell did they get these poor birds? How are these birds treated when they are not on display? I dunno, it was very hard to not be a curmudgeon about the owl cafe. Cats and rabbits are domesticated animals that are more or less used to people. They can thrive as human companions. But owls are a different story. Anyway, we came, we saw, and obviously, not everything in Japan is wondrous and cool.