Once in a Lifetime (Japan 12)

April 8, 2014
Email sent to family

Well, I'm sitting on another couch, less cold but with a feverish baby limp on my chest. He fussed and cried ALL night and hit the climax a few minutes ago by vomiting after an hour of inconsolable wailing. I hope there isn't an encore.  Josiah vomited on the train yesterday but his was motion sickness. We are in Narita on day two of three of our arduous journey to get home.  We will have to dig deep traveling with a sick baby on one hour of sleep. 

Mt. Fuji

Bullet train from Kyoto to Tokyo

Narita

Good news!  I wrote that email at 5 am, so we were able to sleep 2 more hours.  Peter had moved the girls from the couch onto the bed during the howling ordeal and I climbed in bed with them once Asher was settled.  When I realized Peter had slept on the floor instead of moving the girls, I joked, "You didn't have to be a martyr." 
To which he uttered, "It was no different than sleeping on the bed.  Well, maybe a little colder, but surely not harder."

  

Guam

The morning before we left Kyoto, Caleb clotheslined himself on his eyelid, while playing on the rooftop terrace.  His puffy, scraped eyelid just added to our overall tussled appearance.  Our flight from Japan was precarious with a feverish baby, but we survived.  On the bright side, while we survived, Isaac thrived.  Peter got upgraded to first class and we both needed to man the troops, so we gave the seat to Isaac.  I love that none of the children complained of any unfairness, but were happy for his good fortune and were excited to hear details about his deluxe experience.  
At the hotel in Guam, we proved that even the most mundane of tasks can be infused with excitement if a bet is made.  
Proof:  I had arranged the suitcases, so we wouldn't have to open some of them in Guam and Peter was about to open one that I thought we didn't need.  He claimed he was right and asked if I felt confident enough in my decision to put a 5 minute massage on the line.  I agreed and he was beaming when he said, "If you had been really confident you would have upped it to 30 minutes."  Too true.  Well, he hoisted it on the bed and we gathered round for the unveiling.   He flipped the top off with a flourish and proclaimed, "Ta-da!" only to have me echo him.  My massage was lovely.

We ate breakfast at the airport's Burger King.  The girls were given crowns and they wore them all day on the airplane.  Not really something I'd want to announce to the world.  They are still wearing them. 

We had our last day of flying.  The dreaded island hopper, which usually induces a moment of panic, could not dampen my spirits.  I was positively giddy with the thought of nursing in a plush recliner and sleeping on my cloud bed.  No more board beds for me!

Japanese Quirks:

• The Japanese love rice so much they even sleep with it.  Ok, it really isn't rice, but it feels like they've put it in the pillows.

• Cute road construction barriers

• The cross walks flashing lights have a debonair looking man.
• They sell delicious white bread sold in loaves with 5 slices.  It's white bread on steroids.
• They sell eggs in packages of one.
• Their strawberries are divine.
• I loved the salarymen riding bikes in their suit and tie on bikes that were like beach cruisers with baskets.  
• Not a fan that the bikes share the sidewalk.
• Many people wear surgeon's masks.

• Socks are split
• You take shoes off to enter a house, which I've been doing for over a decade and love. 
• Toilets have heated seats, butt sprayers, and blow driers.
• They have toilet (bathroom) slippers. 
• Toilets are one extreme or the other.  Squat or deluxe computerized.  Both are scary for a toddler.

Many had a blow dry button, too

                                                                

Some even have a sink attached to the tank behind the toilet

• Warning signs are funny and graphic.  

• Taxi drivers wear full suits.  It makes the price seem more worth it.
• Curved combs are ingenious.
• I love the respectful bow

• Oh, and we love these…

Panda Cookies

Was the trip worth it?  Well, tucked in the suitcase I found my favorite nursing pad that had been MIA for 7 months.  So I would have to answer, yes.  Seriously though, experiencing Japan was unforgettable and I'm glad we went.  Some of it was hard, but I was laughing through the tears...most of the time.  
If I knew then what I know now, I would have started scheduling months in advance* and saved us a lot of grief.  I'd say, "Next time," but this was a once in a lifetime trip.

*There are some amazing and well-priced homes for rent on VRBO.com