Don Quixote, Godzilla, and Rice Balls: Welcome to Japan!

The act of packing, especially for a trip longer than a day or two, is a study in reducing your material possessions down to their most essential. Most essential means the things you need to keep living and navigate unfamiliar environments with as little stress as possible. If you are a 60+ year-old man living in the 21st Century, this means, your luggage will be filled with more medications and technology than clothes. There is no room for the sentimental or the ornamental. Every included item must be evaluated strictly for utility and ideally each serves more than one purpose.

My goal was to fit all my belongings into my Osprey Stratos pack with a volume of 34 liters and a small carry on sized sling bag and, when I learned of the max weight limit combined for all carry-on items of 10 Kilograms, to get under that mark. This Stratos is the pack that I use when I go on a day hike. It has a main compartment. Another small one at the bottom that might fit a pair of shoes or a small sleeping bag and it has two pockets at the top that can hold a few granola bars. I wanted to bring this pack because it is so comfortable. I have worn it for ten hour days in the Adirondacks. But it is small for a long trip.

The Osprey Stratos 34. Enough space for a day hike in the woods or multi-week journeys in foreign lands. Fits in overhead compartments. Great hip belt!

After figuring out “the pouches” tech, admin (passport, notebook, etc.), and toiletries, there was a small space left for clothes. I wore my main shoes (Keen hiking shoes) and had enough room for a second pair in the bottom compartment. I had to choose between Crocs to wear around the hotel room or running shoes and I (optimistically) chose the latter. For clothes, I replaced all my cotton t-shirts with light nylon ones. I brought four of these and two thin nylon long sleeve hiking shirts. Also two pairs of hiking pants, two pairs of gym shorts and a reasonable amount of socks and underwear. Also a pair of knit gloves and a ski hat. The articles that had to fit in the bag were less since I would wear some of it. All the remaining clothes fit in a medium packing cube which fit nicely in the space that was left in the bag. I would also wear a fleece sweater and over it a rain jacket. Japan can be cold in the fall; snow is not out of the question. Since I didn’t want to bring a big jacket or coat, the ability to layer would be key. Most hotels in Japan have laundry rooms and we figured we’d need to do laundry about once a week.

On the morning of departure, all my belongings weighed in at exactly 10Kg (22 pounds) but that included my wallet and tech pouch, which when removed and placed in the pockets of my fleece, got me down to about 9.5 kg. Well under the limit for carry-on.

In the end, I checked my backpack. My wife needed to check hers so we’d have to wait for luggage anyway, plus it made the three hours we had to wander around the airport more enjoyable.

One of the uncharacteristic splurges of my old age has been to get a credit card that carries an annual fee, which offers a perk of free access to airport lounges. There were multiple choices in our airport, but the closest lounge to our gate was the Turkish Airlines lounge, which offered up a delightful breakfast of olives, boiled eggs, breads, cheeses, and an endless supply of any kind of coffee you’d like. Hidden away in a corner was a bar that offered free cocktails, but at 9:00 am, we passed on that. We hung out in the lounge for about two hours and then spent the remaining time walking around the airport until it was time to board.

A flight from DC to Tokyo is long. There is no way around that. Having said that, the Economy seats were comfortable enough. The veggie meal I requested was inoffensive but the flight being mostly daytime, I slept very little. I did drift off the last hour or so before landing and awoke groggy and in desperate need of caffeine, which the flight attendants provided from a large pitcher. It wasn’t bad coffee, truth be told.

As soon as we landed and turned off airplane mode on our phones, the eSIMs that we had purchased from Holafly came to life and connected to the cell network. Instant unlimited internet access! No phone service however. Japan bans foreign visitors from getting a working phone number. I suspect that they don’t want Americans having loud conversations on the subway and other public places. Japan, even in a huge city like Tokyo, is a very quiet place. Conversations on the metro happen in a whisper if they happen at all.

Thanks to our advance prep, we were through the airport in no time. I had completed an online arrival form and had received a QR code. You scan the code once at passport control and a second time at customs and, Konichiwa! Welcome to Japan!

The line for ATM was long but we had the equivalent of about $15 in yen our neighbors Kitty and Mark had left over from a previous trip and kindly gave us. We figured that and our pre-loaded Suica transit cards would get us to the hotel.

The light rail station is right inside the terminal and again our advanced planning paid off. No need to buy tickets or passes. We just tapped our Apple Watches to the gate, a cheery sound indicated our Suica Cards had been accepted, and we were riding Tokyo mass transit. We hit the metro just as rush hour was starting so the trains were quite full but not packed.

Apple Maps guided us through the subway and there was just one point at the transfer where we struggled to find the correct train but that was only a minute or two. The final train injected us into the night in the district of Kinshicho, where all that remained was to walk the 400 meters to our hotel. Total cost of transportation from the airport to the hotel was about 500 yen ($3.50)  per person. 

After checking in it was about 6 pm on Thursday night. We were tempted to go straight to bed but I was also hungry and anxious to get a taste of Tokyo. I had seen many videos on the wonders of the Japanese convenience store and we had passed a 7-Eleven right outside the Subway station. So I headed back there for some snacks while Barbara got cleaned up.

The Japanese convenience store is a wonder. It’s somewhat like a Pilot or Love’s gas station on an American Superhighway. But the food is much better.

I picked up some tuna and egg salad sandwiches and some rice balls filled with salmon and salmon roe. The rice balls are wrapped in nori (seaweed) so one might imageine one is eating a big sushi ball with the fish on the inside. They are tasty and very cheap at around $2.00 each. Two of them are a very filling meal. I also bought two small ice creams in cups that had hard caramel on top like a frozen Crème Brulee. I paid for everything with my Suica card by tapping my Apple Watch and walked back to the hotel.

When I got back, I found that Barb wasn’t hungry at all so I saved her sandwiches but had to take a hit for the team and eat both ice creams since they would have otherwise melted. The leftover sandwiches held up overnight and I had a tuna sandwich for breakfast the next day. For whatever reason, tuna didn’t appeal to Barb for breakfast.

Jetlag had us up at 4:30 am so Barbara jumped on the internet and found us a walking tour of the Shinjuku district meeting up at 8:45 am. Navigating the subway flawlessly, we got there an hour early and spent the time walking around and gawking at the 3D digital cat billboard until it was time to meet up with our guide, Mao. There were just 3 other people of the tour – a husband and wife and their friend, all from the Bahamas. Jim worked for Honda and was in Japan for a business trip. Our small talk centered around Japanese cars and how great they were. We praised our 2017 Civic with its manual transmission (stick shift) still going strong.

Temples and shines appear in the most unexpected places. This one is just steps from an area known for bars and night life.

Mao gave us a wonderful tour which included the “red light” district, the Golden Gai area with hundreds of tiny themed bars crammed into four square blocks, and an elevator ride to the top of a tower with a great view of the district and beyond. We ended at a beautiful white shrine with bright red trim where one can make wishes which might come true depending on how the god is feeling disposed toward you that day. You can also make a donation, which may help with the god’s disposition. We also spotted Godzilla (no relation to the gods) peeking over a skyscraper.

This guy.

Following the tour, we began walking the 4 km to the famous Shibuya district which is kind of the Times Square of Tokyo. As we set out, a light rain began falling. Along the way, we stopped at a Ramen shop to sample the vegetarian ramen. There was a long line to get in but it moved quickly. Once inside, you take your turn at the ordering machine where you pick what you want and pay. The machine spits out a little slip of paper for each thing you ordered. We got three slips. Two bowls of soup and a beer. The counter only seated about 15 people, but space soon opened up and we sat down and presented our tickets. Soon two large and steaming bowls of ramen appeared with noodles, broth, radish, asparagus and other vegetables. Sadly, we didn’t get an egg as that didn’t come with the vegan soup.

The soup was delicious and had a rich flavor in spite of being vegan.

As we approached Shibuya we found ourselves in front of the mega store inexplicably called “Don Quixote.” A massive department store with at least 5 floors, DQ sells everything from clothes to food. There are no windmills, however. We picked up an umbrella and a small bottle of Japanese whisky to try later.

Shibuya Crossing (photo nicked from the web).

The district was crowded and full of tourists. We checked out the famous “crossing” but soon decided that the whole scene was not our jam and headed back to our hotel for a break and to dry off.

So far, Barbara has not been excited by Japanese food so it made sense to have dinner at a Indian restaurant right in our neighborhood. However, when we got there, it was closed . Instead, we settled on Italian with some unremarkable but not terrible pizza. There were exactly two vegetarian choices. We got both. Our hotel had given us two complimentary drink tickets when we checked in the prior day so we each had a glass of wine in the lobby before calling it a day at around 7 pm.

We started to watch a Japanese movie but with Jet lag still in full force, neither of us could keep our eyes open. By 8 pm we were tucked in and fast asleep. No crazy Tokyo nightlife for us — at least not yet.

There was morning and there was evening, a first day.

The world’s a narrow bridge; fear nothing.

Baggage Check

Yesterday, as I was beginning my walk, I spotted my neighbor, Jim. Jim retired last year at the age of 80 with some trepidation. He was worried about what he would do with himself and all the free time. I never faced any such concerns when I retired, or at any time since, but I understand that many people do. I hadn’t spoken to Jim in a while and as almost a year had gone by I asked him how he was settling into retirement. Had he found an ideal and enjoyable way to use his days? He admitted to me that he hadn’t quite figured it out yet but he had identified some things he didn’t like to do. He realized he hated traveling.

As you may recall from my post last week, I am in the midst of preparing for a trip to Japan and as he said that I realized in that moment that I hate traveling too! And yes, I have done quite a bit of it. I have been to every state in the U.S. I have traveled through Europe and the U.K. I spent three months on the Indian subcontinent moving about by steam engine train. And, of course, I have been to Israel 17 times most of which were on trips with 40 college students in various states of intoxication. So I can understand why you might be skeptical of my claim.

I have joked that my two favorite parts of traveling are packing to go on the trip and unpacking again at home. There is some truth in that. Anticipating and preparing for a trip is fun. You get to figure out what to bring. Maybe you need to buy some new, fun stuff. Then there is the jigsaw puzzle of how it will all fit in the smallest possible bag.

Coming home too, there is the joy of getting everything clean again and organized and put away and, of course finally sleeping in one’s own bed.

But in between? Stress and discomfort. There are long plane rides to be endured (14 hours to Tokyo!). There are unfamiliar roads to navigate. Often (in the places we go) large, hungry mosquitos, moose, and the occasional bear. Sometimes there is no Apple Store for 1,000 kilometers.

Abroad there are people who don’t speak English, revolting, non-kosher foods, and no end of strange pillows, beds, and the dreaded public restroom. Not to mention, civil war, violence, tropical diseases, and foreign currency conversion calculations.

Why go through this?

I started running again about a month ago after having stopped back in 2020 during Covid. I started slowly. The first day I ran 500 meters. Then a kilometer. Now I am up to just over 6 km 3 times per week. I’m not sure why I stopped in 2020 . Nor am I sure what made me start up again. Truth be told, I don’t love running. I rather not, in fact.  But here’s what motivates me to do it:

• I think it’s good for me.

• It makes me feel stronger and more resilient.

• I always feel better for having done it.

The same, I believe, is true for traveling.

I think it’s good for me.

Traveling requires that you change your perspective on things and on yourself. You do things you weren’t sure you were capable of. You are forced to try new things whether you want to or not. You are asked to confront your deepest held beliefs and prejudices. Away from most friends, family, and the familiar rhythms there is an opportunity to step outside one’s identity to reimagine who you are or could be.

It makes me feel stronger and more resilient.

The more something scares you, the more you don’t want to do something, the more important it is that you do it. Remembering back to the 15 years or so that I rode a motorcycle, I recall that every time I started up the engine I’d wonder, “Will this be the day I get hit by a car and die?” I had more than one close encounter with a vehicle over those years. Each one scared the hell out of me. Yet, I knew that I couldn’t quit riding just because I was scared. Quite the opposite. I needed to do it because I was scared.

At the end of my semester in Germany in 1980 when I was 19 years old, I hitchhiked alone from  Munich to and through Yugoslavia. It was December and cold, I had very little money. At one point I got picked up by the police. I ended up stranded at the end of a day wet and hungry in Zagreb where I made my way to a train station and booked a fare I could ill afford to Florence to meet up with my roommate. I waited for the train for hours on the freezing platform talking to some dude who was friendly enough once he realized I wasn’t German. The train was crowded but warm as it crept slowly toward Italy through the long night. I was incredibly grateful to be on that train.

Perhaps I don’t need to explain why my memory of that adventure is only positive. It is at times of maximum stress that you glimpse what you are made of.

Sometimes the way is rocky and steep. Other times it’s just mud as far as the eye can see. Adirondacks, August 2009.

I always feel better for having done it.

It’s not that you don’t remember the discomfort of travel, it’s that the memory of the discomfort fades while the positive experiences glow brighter over time. Sure, I remember the time the train broke down leaving us stranded in the middle of Uganda for a day and a half. Yes, there was the time we journeyed 48 hours from Madras to Delhi while I was in the throes of, lets just call it, deep digestive distress. But looking back, these just don’t seem so bad, while standing at the top of Mt. Kenya or watching hippos illuminated by lightening ripping the tall grass from the ground right outside the tent feel among the most significant experiences of my life.

In terms of discomfort, I know pretty much what to expect on our upcoming trip. An interminable plane ride (in economy), many nights of poor sleep, being cold or wet or hungry or tired (or some combination of all four). And many, many moments of feeling disoriented, embarrassed, and lost. Experiencing these are valuable in themselves and actually enough to make the trip worthwhile.

But with luck there may also be moments of delight, clarity, awe, and insight into the human condition or at least the condition of this particular human.

So yes, there is the part of me that would just as soon stay home. Here I sleep in my own bed, eat the food I am used to, dwell in the English language as a fish swims in water —without thinking about it. Not to mention the money that wouldn’t have to be spent. But there is another part that insists that the hard things, the scary things are what give texture, dare I say meaning, to life. That part tells the part that wants to stay home to shut the hell up and get on the bus.

Barbara and I embark on this trip both having had significant health challenges in the last two years. It is also our first trip aboard since Covid (not counting a Canada transit or lunch in Mexico last March in Big Bend National Park) so folded into a batter of apprehension is a heaping helping of gratitude that we are able to do it. At the age of 64, I can still toss a pack over my shoulder just as I did when I was 19, albeit with a higher probability of lower back strain.

As I cram my backpack with the things I imagine I can’t survive without, I can’t help but look forward to the day I unpack them again. In between those two dates lies a peregrination not always salubrious, but with the potential to kindle wonder and create memories to be recalled with pleasure —  at least once I am home.

The world’s a narrow bridge; fear nothing.

Suica Card: Don’t Leave Home Without It!

In February of 1986, Barbara and I quit our dead end jobs bought one way tickets to Belgium on budget airline, People Express, for $100 per ticket. We began a 16 month journey that would take us around the world.

My ‘tech kit’ for the voyage consisted of:

• A flashlight

• A point and shoot film camera

• A solar powered credit card sized calculator.

Our money management was simple too. An American Express credit card, a checkbook, and $200 in U.S. currency. We didn’t intend to use the Amex Card. There would be no way to receive or pay the bills. Rather it was the gateway to American Express Offices. For card holders Amex would:

• Serve as an address to get mail from friends and family and

• Case a check up to $1,000 and give you travelers cheques in return. We exchanged those travelers cheques $100 at a time (once a week or so) for local currency, and that’s how we paid for camping and food.

To get from place to place we’d turn up at the train or bus station, buy a ticket and catch the next thing smokin.’ (Quite literally. In 1986 many countries were still using coal fired steam engines in their locomotives.)

During the 16 months away, we called home just once. Otherwise we heard from family, and they heard from, us through letters with a delay of a month or more between communications. And if someone had needed to get a hold of us quickly? Well, they couldn’t.

Now we are preparing to head to Japan in a few weeks and I have been forced to come to terms with how the world and moving through it has changed.

I’ve started assembling my tech kit, which at a minimum will include:

• A MacBook Air laptop

• An AppleWatch

• A battery bank

• AirPods Pro

• Outlet adaptors (in case we go to Korea)

• Charging cables and power bricks for all of the above

• USB A to C adaptors

• USB C to A adaptors

• An LED Flashlight

• iPad Mini

• HP 12c Financial Calculator mini clone

• Apple AirTags to track all my stuff

In addition, there are a dozen apps to download and register for.

Japan uses a system of transit cards (called IC Cards) for public transit. Each area in Japan has its own card but thankfully, it appears they are interchangeable. The card from one area is supposed to work in other areas. I decided on the Tokyo “Suica” (pronounced Swee-kah) card and though you can get a physical card in Japan, I opted to go full 21st Century and add virtual Suica cards to each of our Apple Wallets on our phones. Interestingly, only iPhone supports virtual IC Cards. Gaijin Android phones need not apply (though the cards will work on Android phones purchased in Japan).

Once installed on the phones adding money to the cards is easy. Just use ApplePay.

The next thing to figure out is the train system. Japan, as you probably know, has a system of bullet trains known as the Shinkansen. They go up to 300 km per hour and can cross the length of Japan in a few hours. But unlike most European counties, there is not one train system but four, each one owned and operated by a different company! Each line has its own website and app and not all of them support English. Luckily, I think we will only need to travel on two of the four systems. One goes north (confusingly called JR East) and the other than goes west (JR Central).

Once you figure out how to register for the websites, you can purchase your tickets. There is a discount when you purchase 21 days in advance so I wanted to buy some of our tickets before we arrive. Once the tickets are purchased you still need to figure out how to get through the gate and get on the train. You can go to a machine in the station and print your ticket. You can get a QR code on your phone to scan. Or, if you are very clever, you can load the tickets on to your Suica card. That is the option that I wanted, but it is not easy. You need the 17 digit serial number of the card - and the card in the Apple Wallet only shows the last four digits.

Turns out you need to download the Japanese only Suica app. The app is impossible to navigate unless you know Japanese (spoiler: I don’t), however there is an easy to spot info button (little “I” in a circle). Tap that and it displays the full number. I entered the number into the JR Central website and boom — Bob’s your 伯父. Then I did it all over again for JR East.

When Barbara and I were traveling 40 years ago, we established a division of duties. She figured out where we should go and what we should see and I figured out how to get there. In India there was a train timetable for the whole country. India has a mind-boggling train system and the timetable was the size of an old style phone book. I no longer remember how it worked but we always found the right train and we never missed one. Today, the old ways are still the best. Barbara has put together a rough outline of where we will be when, and I am figuring out the transportation.

Buying Shinkansen tickets on a Japanese website is mostly easier than the Indian timetable book but with some odd quirks . For example if you want to go from Tokyo to Sapporo up north, you can’t buy a ticket all the way through. Instead you have to buy one ticket to the end of the Shinkansen line in Hakodate and then book another ticket from Hakodate to Sapporo on the slower “Express” train. I managed to get our tickets to Sapporo booked (I think) opting for the business class “Green” car. Hey, you only live once. The Green car has more comfortable seats and a hostess that comes by with a moist towelette. In addition, the electric outlets are at arm level.

Next there is the challenge of telecom. Writing letters home isn’t going to cut it in 2025. We’d be back before the letters arrive. Internet is a must have to buy tickets, refill our transit cards, stay in touch with loved ones, and find our way around strange cities and trekking trails. Fortunately, modern phones can take an e-sim. For about $60 a piece, each of us can get unlimited data everywhere in Japan for our phones and computers. These can be purchased in advance and installed on the phones so that we will have access from the moment we land. Whew! However, they will not work in Korea. If we go there we will need different e-sims!

The e-sim thing is pretty new. As recently as 2019 when I went to Israel, I had to get a physical sim at the airport and swap the chip in my phone. One had to be very careful not to lose ones ‘home’ sim while traveling.

Other apps I’ve had to download include the Japanese “Uber” app GoTaxi, Google Maps (I know, but people say it may work better than Apple Maps in Japan! Forgive me, Tim!) and something called NHK World Japan, which I have already forgotten what it’s for.

Dealing with money is maybe the one thing that has gotten simpler in modern times. No need to purchase traveler’s cheques! Now with a debit and a credit card we expect to have all our cash needs covered. There are ATM machines everywhere (they say the ones in 7-Elevens are best.) Delightfully, the Suica cards are also widely accepted for payment at vending machines, convenience stores, and even some restaurants in Japan. Conveniently, the iPhone calculator app now supports currency conversion and updates the exchange rates automatically. No need to check the exchange rate in bank windows as we once did. Our debit card charges no foreign transaction fees and refunds all ATM fees each month so we don’t have to be concerned with those, and we added a new credit card to our stable that has no foreign transaction fees.

If you can’t buy it from a vending machine in Japan, you probably don’t need it. I am especially curious about the Suntory Coffee Boss!

There are two ways to travel. One is short trips — luxurious, and expensive. This form of travel usually means a guided tour, where someone else has taken care of the transportation, lodging and food. You get to relax, focus on the sights, and enjoy the company of your fellow travelers (at least the ones who don’t get on your nerves). There is much to be said for this, particularly when you are working and you need to see as much as you can in 10 to 14 days.

The other way to travel is the one that Barbara and I have always favored. Long, basic, and cheap. In 1986 we did it that way because we had to. We only had a little money and needed it to last as long as it possibly could.

Today we can afford the other route and in many ways it would be easier but we choose to figure it out ourselves, to live “like the people do down there” as one budget traveler told us many years ago, because ultimately we find it more satisfying. There is something exhilarating about getting to the train station and finding that you booked your ticket correctly, arriving in a strange city hungry and tired and finding a place to stay without breaking down in tears, buying an egg salad sandwich with your transit card at a 7-Eleven in Osaka, solving problems as you go.

There was a time when people said, “Getting there is half the fun!” I am not sure how much I am looking forward to the 15 hour plane flight in economy but I’ve throughly enjoyed downloading the apps and solving the Japanese website puzzles. As they say in the land of the rising sun, “花より団子 hana yori dango — Dumplings over flowers!

The world’s a narrow bridge; fear nothing.