Japan Day 1: I made it!

Remember the good old days when I didn’t have kids and I micro-blogged every single thing that happened to me? Remember how I planned my trip to Paris by posting daily for like six months straight? I made packing lists and playlists, I watched every movie I could find that was remotely filmed in Paris, I had a count-down calendar, I read every book… Those were the days.

Guess how I planned for my Japan trip? On the last week of September I casually flipped over my calendar page to October and had an “Oh crap!” moment when I realized I was leaving for Japan in one week!!! It’s really true that time flies when you are happy or old or whatever. This trip totally snuck up on me.

I fully intend to blog every little thing out of this trip though. Because jet lag! And no kids! Or at least not any of my kids in the middle of the night when I’m holed up in my room with my laptop, tapping away in the dark. Oh, I’ve missed this kind of free time. I can sleep when I’m dead. (I haven’t said that in a while.)

I survived the twelve hour flight. Barely. I can tell you this: I am not the young spry 35-year-old I once was when I flew to Paris. It was hard! Or more correctly, the last four hours were hard. Every angle I squished my body up into my small seat was uncomfortable. My hip bones had claustrophobia. I chose a window seat (because I love watching where I’m going, even if it is only ocean for hours on end) and I was so stuck! I should have listened to Payam and packed that neck pillow thing. Also I forgot to bring my own headphones and I think my ears holes have permanently been enlarged from the giant ear buds they give you for free. On the plus side, I got to watch three movies back to back.

I survived and I’m here!!! I am so excited.

A list because you love lists:

1. Airplane food is cute. I love little packaged anything.
2. The trees here are so dense! They are not having a drought in Japan. As I was flying in the trees looked like dense green sponges from my window. And the golf courses! There were a zillion of them! I guess the Japanese love their golf.
3. I had coffee in a can from a vending machine and it was hot. A little sweet for me but so cute and little and hot and in a can!!
4. It’s so great to see Bethany and Troy and their girls. The girls were so excited to see me they talked my head off. I wish Bug were with me.
5. They took me out to dinner to a Japanese Curry restaurant. I thought I was hot stuff and ordered spicy level two. It was a little too hot but delicious. I had to take the rest home in a cute little plastic container, of course.
6. It’s raining here. I hope I can buy a cool umbrella. Maybe one of those clear bubble pod things.
7. I also need to buy shoes. I haven’t written about my collapsed arches (What is this, an AARP blog?!!) but I’ve gotten addicted to wearing Birkenstocks and I look like a big frumpy dork. I hope I can find something new here with large amounts of arch support.

More later. I have no phone service so I can’t instagram every moment as it happens unless I have free wifi. This is a huge drag but the flip side is I might have massive amounts to blog every night! It’s like I’m back in time!  xo