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In late October, Danny and I are going to Japan for vacation. Why Japan? Well, at my last job I was lucky enough to be sent there twice for business and I’ve always wanted to go back on my own and tour around a bit. Danny has never been there but he did study Japanese while at UT. I absolutely loved going there so now I think we’ll have enough money and enough time off saved up to do it.

I was there for ten days in November of 2002. Six of those days were for work and the remaining four were spent touring around Tokyo and Kyoto on my own. If you had asked me six months prior if I would be wandering around alone in a country where I don’t speak the language, I would have said NO! Fortunately, I talked to my good friend Matt who has traveled the world by himself and he assured me that I would be fine for a couple of days in Japan. So I did the research, talked to my friends, and planned a short sightseeing trip in Kyoto and Tokyo. I didn’t get to see everything, but I did a ton in a short amount of time. Even though I know a little Japanese, I really didn’t speak to that many people. I was able to get by with reading the English signs in the train and subway stations and by gesturing and smiling to get my point across. The people were extremely helpful. When I asked someone in the train station for directions to my platform, he walked me over to the exact spot where I needed to wait for my train. I could not have been more thankful.

Despite getting lost a few times, my solo mini-trip was one of the best vacations I’ve ever had. The only thing I regret is that no one was there with me to experience all of the weirdness and delight. With our trip in October, Danny and I will get to revisit some of my favorite places and also see a ton of new stuff. We’ll only be there for about a week (just long enough to get over the jetlag) but I think we’ll have a blast regardless. Plus, since it will be fall the Japanese maples will be gorgeous. If we have time, I really want to visit some onsen (hot springs).

Hopefully between now and then Danny and I will have time to brush up on our Japanese. I think the first practical Japanese word I learned is sumimasen or “I’m sorry/excuse me.” This comes in very handy. That and the phrase “toire wa doko desu ka?” (where is the toilet?)

If anyone has learned any other useful phrases while traveling, please share.