Home Sweet Home – Japan

Home, Sweet, Home
Japan

December 16
Today was my last day in Kyoto and I mostly walked around and did some souvenir shopping. I’ve seen too many shrines and didn’t want to see more museums. I did pass by one shine that I liked, however. Visitors could discover their future via a priest-like figure. If bad things were predicted, then they could tie paper around a tree and this would positively change the future (yes, they must pay for the paper). Another interesting part of the city was looking at a local cemetery, which included a lot of small trees. I also saw some of the white-faced Geisha girls running around the Gion district. They have a quite an audience as tourists snap pictures as they scamper down the street.

The white-faced Geisha girls running around

As far as shopping goes, there were several good places around the train station. There are a lot of items to choose from, and I bought a Japanese lantern, a ninja star and a samurai sword. Christmas shopping was a good way to see normal modern Japanese life.

December 17
The overnight bus to Tokyo is a good way to save money in this expensive country. I arrived in Tokyo at 6 a.m. and went to the fish market, Tsukiji Fish Market. It was amazing to see the large number of fish and the size of some of them. Unfortunately, today is Monday and many of the businesses and museums are closed today. I did go to an area known as Old Tokyo to take a look around. On the way there I stopped at the railway stop, Shinjuku, which is known as the busiest place in the world with one million people passing through it a day. Moving on, I went through Old Tokyo and a more dodgy area, with large amounts of cheap electronics for sale. However, I was tired today and found a city park to sleep in as my hostel, just as others I have stayed at in Japan, did not let me in until 5 in the afternoon. This one also had a very inviting communal bath, especially considering I slept on the floor of a bus today and that my back is still sore.

December 18
I had a little time this morning to look around Tokyo and I went to a shrine in the middle of a wooded area, which was a nice place as the sun rises. Also, the imperial garden was a good place to visit around the train station. However, the real excitement is that I’m flying home today.

The flight from Tokyo to Los Angeles is over and I arrive early. This is one of the oddities of passing the international date line, leaving Tokyo at 3 in the afternoon and getting to Los Angles at 11 in the morning on the same day.

A Japanese cemetery in Kyoto

I wanted to leave my big backpack at the airport as I fly out tomorrow, but they no longer allow this because of 9/11. So I lugged it along via a minibus to my hostel in Santa Monica. Then, I took a city bus to Hollywood and the walkway of the stars. There are several entertaining things to do including walking down the Sunset Strip, Beverly Hills, and the Hollywood Hills. As the sun sets, I ponder whether is the most dangerous city I’ve been in the last six months. The Santa Monica peer is near my hostel and I visit it as well as the promenade in Santa Monica.

December 19
The flight to Minneapolis from Los Angles was very smooth. I accidentally bought the ticket to Minneapolis not Milwaukee and could not change it because it was through a consolidator. So, I rented a car and drove back home. Even though I was very tired, I also had quite an adrenalin rush so staying awake was no problem. I got home at 3 a.m. on the 20^th and was met by my parents, a big Christmas tree, along with real milk and real hamburger meat. It’s good to be home.

Returning home, I had time to reflect on the last six months. Traveling for that long is certainly demanding both physically and mentally. Traveling solo accentuates those demands. I did have to deal with food poisoning, drinking lighter fluid, numerous queasy stomachs, and mystery food and mystery ailments. I lost about 20 pounds largely due to the large amount of walking that I did and the better diet. Having to deal with new situations continuously was also mentally demanding.

The kindness of people I met, both locals and fellow travelers, also stood out. I remember a group of Cambodians (the average Cambodian makes $15 a month), sharing their food and beer with me. I remember a Portuguese women sharing her sandwiches with me and knitting gloves for me when she found out that I had none. I remember a Moroccan man missing his bus because he saw I was lost and it was more important for him to get me on track then for him to get on the bus.

Tie paper around a tree

I also noticed the similarities we have as humans outweigh the differences we have as citizens of various countries. Certainly, I was able to witness many different people and many different cultures. To say that we are all the same is inaccurate; there are differences related to race, gender, religion and culture. Furthermore I am not a cultural relativist, some parts of cultures are just plain stupid and wrong, which understandably causes conflict. But, most of our differences are rather trivial thus what we have in common supercede these differences. This is especially noticeable when witnessing children. All the kids in all the countries I was in run after pigeons, cry when another kids take their toys and have hair that is out of place.

The immense number of treasures both man-made and physical was also astounding. The Hermitage, Taj Mahal, the Pyramids, the Alps: the list goes on and on. All the possible activities while traveling are seemingly endless.

There are also the activities that will stand out for the rest of my life. As I sit on my deathbed, I will remember the day that hurt my foot in Nha Trag and was carried to a local bar where they put my foot on ice as they chipped off ice for mixed drinks. The chance to shoot a rocket launcher at a cow was also unique. Eating crickets, grasshoppers and other animals in Bangkok, arguing with nearly every Italian I met, exploring the markets of Morocco, the great museums of Europe and running for trains in China; these are all things I will never forget. I saw so much, but there is so much more to see.