This month I'm using my blog quite differently from usual. Since most of March
was taken up by my trip to Japan (and a single day in Korea), instead of a
roundup post, I'm going to make several smaller vacation recap posts 😄 Think of
it like a digital photo album, with lots of images and short notes that allow
you to experience my journey, or even imagine your own future visit to Japan!
First, a little background information. My husband, Sean, and I were
originally planning to attend the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. I had started saving up
ever since the Rio Olympics closing ceremonies, where Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe emerged from a green pipe dressed as Mario ❤️ But, of course, those plans
were destroyed (with some false hope in between) by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even the replacement trip we decided on, a cruise around Japan in 2022, was
cancelled for the same reason. But happily, the replacement for our
replacement wasn't cancelled, and we got to have the most awesome adventure of
our lives so far~!
Now begins a multi-post account of my three weeks in Japan! Please enjoy!
13-14 March 2023 - Traveling from Boise to Osaka
We didn't realize it would be like this, so it was an exhausting surprise to
find our total awake time (not including naps on flights) ended up being over
24 hours, starting from waking up in the early morning on the 13th at home in
Boise, and ending when we finally got to enter our hotel room in Osaka in the
evening on the 14th 😅 The travel itself was great, we flew Delta One across
the Pacific, which was sooo nice, especially since my last trip to Japan was
via the cheapest seats, so I already had the least comfortable experience in
memory as comparison. But I didn't expect to be so tired on my first day in
Japan!
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Me and Sean on the plane from Boise to Seattle.
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My Delta One seat on the flight from Seattle to Tokyo.
I've never flown so fancy before~ The seat lays down into a bed!
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As soon as you're seated, the first drinks service begins! We chose
orange juice 🍊
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All strapped in and ready for takeoff!
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Included with this seat was a care packet containing an eye mask, ear
plugs, hand cream, lip balm, toothbrush and paste, and an eco-conscious
pen.
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It also came with slippers, headphones (for use with the built-in media
system), and a bottle of water 😊 All needs accounted for!
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The media system was so cool! Not only could you watch movies, listen to
music, or the like, you could see all kinds of data and visualizations
of the flight itself and its progress 🤩
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The first movie I decided to watch was Spaceballs, a childhood
favorite! I'd actually been wanting to rewatch it for a while and I was
pleased to find it just as laugh-out-loud funny as ever 😂
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My vegan breakfast at the end of the flight was delicious!
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I didn't have enough time to watch the whole thing, but the second movie
I chose was The Last Samurai, another long-time favorite. Again,
I was pleased to find it just as good as I remembered 🥹
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We safely landed at Tokyo International Airport, and when I was allowed
to turn off airplane mode on my phone, it officially became Tuesday
afternoon for me! We skipped a bunch of time when we crossed the
International Date Line; it was only just after midnight back at
home.
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The sunset was beautiful on the plane ride to Osaka~
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Gorgeous twilight aerial view of Osaka 🌇
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We stayed the first night at the Hyatt Regency Osaka, a very nice
hotel!
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The best everyday part of Japan is the toilets 🤩🚽✨
Almost all
have a "washlet" with various features such as a bidet, privacy sounds
(so you can poop with other people nearby and not feel self-conscious! I
loved it!!!), heated seat, etc. I want one at home...
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Was so nice to go to sleep in a comfy bed after over 24 hours of travel.
I had zero jet lag because I managed to stay up until a normal bed time
😌💤
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That's it for the first day of our journey! Next time I will cover our morning
exploring around the hotel in Osaka
and boarding our cruise ship, the Silver Muse. Please look forward to it!
