Wandering & Incoherent (Non-Japanese Ramblings)

Apparently if you point a camera at an airplane wing enough times, eventually you end up in Japan. 19 years old me + lots of feelings + desire for self-isolation = several months in Japan. I can't say it was a great idea, 19-year-old me was most certainly an idiot, but it was definitely a blast. This was my first time ever traveling by myself. As a matter of fact, my first time really leaving the East Coast of the United States. Never been on a plane. Pro tip: As someone who had never been on a flight, all I had to do was remind myself airplanes are technically safer than cars and I logic-ed myself into not being afraid of flying. Trapping myself on a 14-hour flight to start off my airplane travel log also helped. If it turned out I was scared, too bad - there's nowhere to go so may as well deal with it. Fortunately, I am not afraid of flying. On the contrary, I spent that entire flight nose glued to the window and filled my camera roll with endless photos of airplane wing over clouds. As a kid who had only been in the DC suburbs, Japan was surprisingly cozy. Abnormalities included overbearing politeness by any & all service staff, temples, shrines, & parks littered through cities, a subway map that still makes me dizzy to think about, and such interesting shopping. Oh, the most incredible difference was how CLEAN everything was. Trains are clean, cities even cleaner, convenience stores are swept, dusted, organized, every single toilet feels like it was just wiped down for you (and we'll get to talking the lifelong quest for a Japanese-equivalent bidet shortly). As many people are aware, there were no public trash cans in Tokyo. (On my most recent trip, I noticed quite a few public trash cans compared to my first visit). Where did the trash go, then? It wasn't on the streets. No, I learned that everyone just had the thoughtfulness & self-control to carry their trash all the way home to throw in their own garbage can. Wild. To get inducted, I spent an early portion of my trip along with a small group tour. There were about ten of us there and what I thought was crazy - one couple lived thirty minutes from my home address. Who knew world travel was a scam? You fly 14 hours away just to meet up with your neighbor. One of the coolest people I have ever met to this day was an electrifying woman from New Zealand. She was a school principal who was in Japan as part of her year-long round-the-world trip enjoying and observing other cultures so she could bring best practices back to her school system. Greatest job perk in history. Especially in the world today, it is incredible to think that there are some people and some organizations out there that seek inspiration from the rest of the world rather than isolating themselves and shouting that what they're doing is already best. *cough, cough let's get our shit together* This woman, though, spearheaded any and all activities in our group. New food? She was ordering it. New custom? She was practicing it? Strange robot with a warm seat and an open lap? She's already up there, climb aboard. I'm afraid I haven't emulated her as much as I would have liked in my adult life but hopefully recognizing that will be the catalyst I need to be a loving, open, unrestrained person. One of my favorite memories of her? One day, she pulls out her phone and asks if I want to see something she found incredible. Of course. She proceeds to show me approximately one million photos of squirrels. Why? She had visited the United States the year before and seen a squirrel for the first time in her life. Immediately fell in love and proceeded to try to photograph every single one she came across. Being from Virginia, I thought this was hilarious. Squirrels are not exotic. Squirrels are cute, but squirrels are pests. Squirrels are friends, but squirrels are menaces. You can find at least six squirrels conducting official business on a branch or telephone pole at any given time. To this day, I am enamored by this fierce, incredible woman that takes life by the kintama. Much love to her, wherever she may be. Outside of the tour, I was a wanderer. If I wasn't catching a bit of sleep on a bench, I was staying in the cheapest accommodations I could find. I had no budget going in, didn't know how long I'd be staying, and ended up finding some odd jobs to make a bit of money wherever I could. I tried flipping takoyaki, was pretty bad. I made some croquettes, not so bad. For the most part, I would make a little bit of money for encouraging tourists to come try a street food of some kind. My approach to my remaining months in Japan were pretty similar to how a raccoon approaches a trash can. Confidence & ravenous curiosity got me everything I needed to survive. Unfortunately I don't remember every place I visited, every meal I ate, or every place I even slept - but I do remember one thing: Japanese convenience stores have no business being as good as they are. I encourage anyone who wants to visit another place to get on going. Plan if you can, but it all starts with showing up.