Check out the awesome splash image we have now. Courtland's camera is a very good and awesome camera. If it disappears from his luggage it is not my fault maybe.
One thing I've come to realize that I appreciate about Japan is that you can't wear your shoes in this hotel room we rented. This really works to my advantage, as we've walked so much on this trip that, invariably, my feet are killing me at the end of the day. As such, each evening when we return to our hotel to retire, the very first thing any of us have to do is remove our shoes, and I tell you, it feels fantastic. My feet are one part of me that is honestly ready to get back to the office and relax under a desk all day. The rest of me is going to miss this place.
Tomorrow, we ride the train out to the airport and prepare to fly home. Through the magic of the international date line, we're going to arrive in California fully six hours before we left Japan. There's some sort of divide-by-zero math at work here and it's hurting my brain. I feel sure, of course, that my brain will hurt far worse from the jetlag once I'm actually home. Still, it will be well worth it. This trip has been nothing short of incredible and I wouldn't trade the last 11 days for all the decent sleep I could have had otherwise.
While here in Japan, I completed every goal I had before getting here, and did a bunch of other stuff too. Let's see:
- Eat takoyaki: Completed first day (post-arrival). Tasted chewy, sweet, savory, and tentacley. Success!
- Eat okonomiyaki: Completed. Tasted hefty, eggy, meaty, and awesomey. Did not put mayonnaise on mine. Others did due to insanity. Success!
- Eat shabu-shabu: Completed. Tasted savory as hell, very hot, and sometimes noodley, with some skill. Did not wear shoes, possibly enhancing taste. Success!
- Visit Akihabara: Completed within first week. Attended Gamers-nyo. Post-visit entrapment in uncomfortable manga cafe did not mar actual visit. Success!
- Feed deer at Nara: Completed. Number of senbei consumed by deer = 10. Number of senbei consumed by me = 0. Seems unfair. Success!
- Purchase copy of Rhythm Tengoku: Completed at last minute. This game, unavailable in the states, was high up on my list of things to acquire here, but every game store I visited failed to have it. I kept looking, but I'd pretty much given up on finding it. Then, yesterday, there we were--middle of nowhere in Kyoto--seriously, we we basically wandering through rice paddies next to the train station--and we happened upon a store/arcade. I figured, what the hell, I'll browse. And THERE IT WAS. Plain as day. I had looked all over Japan for this game, and there it was. GET. Success!
We've done lots and lots of other stuff too, naturally, as I'm sure you've been reading about. And every moment was an adventure. My pictures are on a different computer, but I'll share a whole slew of my favorites once I'm back home and I have access to them. Until then, wish us a safe trip home, and thanks for reading along with our vacation. I've had the time of my life.
And I owe it all to you.
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