In the month of pumpkins and witch hats I returned to Japan for the first time in six years <3 The first time I stepped on Japanese soil was back in 2018 when I studied in Okayama for three months. The second time was on vacation with my brother. After that there was COVID-19 which made travelling impossible, followed by all kinds of health issues. Besides, it took a while to save enough money. As the years went on I noticed an increasing desire to go back and this year I finally could!
This time I travelled with one of my best friends. We've known each other for over ten years, but this was our first vacation together and her first time visiting Japan, so that made the journey extra special! A fun journey starts with good company <3
We'd given our vacation an amusement park theme. Our itinerary included Tokyo Disney, Universal Studios, Ghibli Park and Little World. I hadn't visited any of those places yet myself, so we were both able to be amazed and enjoy it fully. Nonetheless, I won't elaborate on that. There is so much to tell about a three-week trip, but to keep this digestible I'll stick to a few personal highlights.
airplane
Our trip started off with the worst part: the flight of over 13 hours and then staying awake. I've never been a fan of flying (thanks, anxiety), so I was dreading it. Because of that, I'd given myself a challenge: finishing Princess of Blood van Sarah Hawley uitlezen voordat het vliegtuig landt. Dat boek heeft meer dan 600 pagina’s, dus het is me niet gelukt :’) Ik heb wel ruim 400 pagina’s gelezen, dus het heeft voor goede afleiding gezorgd.
Sleeping in a plane is a skill I don't possess. When we landed at Narita Airport, it was only 10 a.m. - that's what a time difference of 7 hours will get you - and we had to stay awake for a full day to minimalize our chances of getting jetlag. That was the real challenge...
This doesn't sound like a highlight, but the plane was high in the air - I think that counts - and the book was amazing XD
fukagawa edo museum
The visit I was looking forward to the most, was to the Fukagawa Edo Museum. I had actually planned on going there back in 2019, but my brother and I were short on time. So it has been on my to do list for six years. It was truly fantastic!
It reminded me of the Dutch Open Air Museum in Arnhem, but then inside of a building. The museum was a lifesized replica of neighborhood in Edo (the old name of Tokyo) in the time period 1600-1868. That's exactly the period I've used as inspiration for my books! It was amazing to walk around and imagine my characters in that place. It's also inspired me for the collection of short stories I'm working on!
In the museum we met a kind older man who initiated a conversation with us, giving me the chance to practice my Japanese. When I said we were from the Netherlands, he said he once travelled there and saw windmills.
After our museum visit, we went to Shibuya to go shopping. In the evening, we had dinner with two former classmates of mine (who studied with me in Okayama) and then it was time for karaoke <3
jidai matsuri
Something else I was dying to see, was an event called Jidai Matsuri: the history festival of Kyoto. It was wonderful! There was a parade of people in historical costumes, divided by time period and theme, and going further and further into the past. There were also some historical figures, like famous warlords and my favorite: Tomoe Gozen.
On YouTube – here – you can watch the parade in 4K!
Trip to Fukuoka
Fukuoka isn't right around the corner when you're in Kyoto, but we still boarded the shinkansen (bullet train) to go there, because a dear friend of mine lives there. We met each other on Twitter when I was around 15 or 16 years old, and we started talking because we were both Cafekko: fans of the band An Cafe.
When I was studying in Okayama, I also visited Fukuoka during the weekend to meet my friend in person. Now, seven years later, I could finally see her again. We had so much fun!
Bonus pictures
In short, it was an (intensive but) amazing vacation! I've already started on a list of places to visit and things to do the next time, so we're back to square 1: saving money.
What would be on your itinerary for Japan? (^ ^)