A Ramble from Japan

Yep, I’m typing you this little missive from Japan, from a fairly decent budget hotel located on the edge of the Osaka slums. This is the first time in two weeks when I feel like the reviewers on Booking.com did me dirty.

Yes, there’s a “4-star” hotel across the street as well as a very nice grocery store. But there’s also all kinds of other elements that we haven’t been witness to in Japan yet, things that just give a sketchy vibe.

So far in the last two weeks we’ve been to Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Okayama thus far, usually staying near the main train stations, so I would think we’d seen a mix. Osaka is my least favorite, but I put the blame on me.

I should have done better research.

I should have dug deeper into the location of the hotel.

I should have… I don’t know what.

Last night after seeing that Osaka has very nice safe-feeling neighborhoods, I spent a couple hours researching other accommodation options. Yes, I was willing to forsake the two more nights we’ve already paid for here in exchange for spending more money elsewhere.

Bryan assures me we’ll be fine. It’s basically clean, and it’s seriously a minute’s walk to the subway where we can be whisked away to another, safer, neighborhood, but all the same I feel like I’ve failed.

I know I haven’t. That ultimately God is in control. It’s just going to take me awhile to make peace with myself.

Honestly, I’d gotten real used to the idea that we could let the girls wander on their own, knowing they were safe. That’s not the vibe this neighborhood is giving.

We have two more nights in Osaka and then three nights in Tokyo. We end our three weeks with an epic day at Disney Sea and a midnight flight home.

We loved the Tokyo hotel I chose at the beginning so much that we’re returning, albeit I booked an extra room for the parents, because six adults to one bathroom and shower was a little tight.

All the same, I think it was a good entry into our Japan experience, everyone staying together. We all experienced a lot of jet lag and culture shock and I was able to give a few pep talks in those first few days that I hope were helpful.

I think just existing in another country is an experience in and of itself. There’s so much to learn in every city that can vary: what side of the escalator to stand on, to pay before or after your bus journey, where’s the best Starbucks.

Yes, Starbies has been my go-to here. I say that with no shame, especially because Starbucks Japan is so much better than home. Let me count the reasons:

1. The employees appear to enjoy their work. This goes for pretty much every industry we’ve interacted in (except maybe the grocery store); young Japanese workers appear to care in a way that Americans are jaded and bored.
2. The menu is different from home. Sure, they’ve still got the tall, grande, etc, but many of the options are different, especially in the food arena. The ham and cream cheese sandwich has been my go-to and you can bet I’ll be making it at home.
3. Most cafes have been incredibly peaceful. Since we stay in a variety of locations (see first sentence) and have done the tourist thing as well as the average person thing, we’ve seen crowds…. from foreigners gawking at temples to Japanese locals crowding summer street festivals. Starbucks is a little oasis of peace and quiet — and we’re usually the only non-Japanese in there!

That’s been the funny thing about going to western-style restaurants. We’re usually the only white people there. It’s been the same in McDonalds, in craft beer and burger restaurants, and in pizzerias.

There’s no shame in my eating game. Bryan and I knew before we came that weren’t huge fans of Japanese food. The things I do like, like yakisoba and potstickers, are interestingly harder to find. Ramen and udon places are ubiquitous.

The kids (aged 16 to 23), however love it, so since they’re basically grown adults, we’ve broken up in groups for many meals. The adventurous eaters get to do their thing and the parents play it safe.

We’ve turned it into a game of sorts. We’re collected craft beer and burger experiences throughout Japan. The saying that the Japanese do all things better than other places has proven true in the small local restaurant scene, especially where burgers and beer are concerned.

I’ve had to swallow my apprehension over rare burgers, something you don’t see in the states, but they’ve all been really tasty. And they always provide “burger bags” to help hold everything together and collect the drips.

Usually on these trips (see France, see England, see Maui, see Kauai), I don’t post mid-journey. Instead, I simmer my thoughts and process before I share. Today is a departure.

At the moment, I am kinda, sorta ready to go home. Two weeks would have been a good amount, but that’s only in retrospect. Every day has held some “if only I had done this instead” kind of things.

I would guess that every day life is like that, too. Only we don’t give it as much weight because it’s every day life and not “I-don’t-know-if-I’ll-ever-come-back-to-Japan” life.

I wonder how I will see things differently when we go home.

I’m looking forward to our last Tokyo leg. I’d fast forward through Osaka if I could. Just saying.

Someday I will be able to laugh about it. Pray for me?