As was written in my Google Notes App and faithfully copy and pasted here (annotations will be in bold parenthesis, added a few days later while at home):
Reflections and reminders:
- Bring personal shaker of salt. Do not lose. (Fries and some egg products were severely lacking in salt, which bummed us so much we vowed to become our grandfathers and return to Japan with our own shakers of salt in our shirt pockets so this would never happen to us again.)
- The men are frying their hair possibly with bleach jobs they have to dye over, or maybe personal style, leaving it frizzy and crispy looking. Lots of dandelion heads.
- Cincinnati has made us impervious to their allergies, because nowhere has worse allergies than Cincinnati.
- Booking hotels 3.5 months before our vacation on Agoda seemed to be a sweet spot and gave us great deals!
- Current fashion is surprisingly very downplayed goth and I fit right in. All blacks with many flowy skirts, sheer, long layers, ruffles, tulle, etc. (Men's fashion continues to be inscrutable or business professional with no in between, so I will continue to wear black, grey, and green forever.)
- We liked our hotel in Ikebukuro, but the location was just okay. We've had better and Asakusa was worst. Ueno remains my (Angie's) favorite.
- Always be 3 hours early (at least) to the airport. No matter who you fly with, the self check in won't work, they will insist you use the kiosk which won't work, and then you will be pointed to join the line that's at least a half hour long because there's only 2 people working.
- Pack like you're going to be warm and then bring a jacket and cardigan/hoodie. You WILL be warmer more often than you're cold.
- My Suica card has 1859 yen left on it. Jeff has about 800.
- Less power banks (Seriously, I used one power bank twice during the entire trip. My phone died once, at about 8pm on a long day of shopping. We only need one, instead of the three I usually bring.)
- Bring less, in general. (Seriously, I always bring too many things that we never end up using and if we need we can just buy locally.)
- Now that we've checked in we are in the security line which is VERY VERY LONG. Luckily we have two hours before boarding which is just another reason you should arrive AT LEAST 3 hours before your flight. (Security line was long but only took 30 minutes. Didn't have to remove your tablet or laptop but do need to remove boots or any shoe above ankle, also had to remove liquids bags.) Booking with the more expensive economy ticket gives you two free checked bags. (This was more for the sake of remembering and added to the previous blog post, but still written in the heat of the moment while the memory and feelings were fresh.)
- You can't upgrade if you fly ANA but booked through United. Even if you book ANA, upgrading is a bidding system that I don't understand.
- Lesson: booking through American on JAL has so far been the better experience.
- My favorite Acerola cherry drink is either not in season or not being sold anymore. I did enjoy the pink grapefruit/grape drink this time.
- No matter what I think the weather is going to be like, wear an additional layer. I never regretted doing that and often regretted not doing that (did I, Angie, type that??? I don't remember typing that and it sounds more like Jeff.... Plus, I run hot and regret wearing extra layers all the time and only one time during the trip did I regrets not wearing an additional layer and that was at the baseball game after a day full of sunshine and sweating!) (You did not write that, I did.)
Awards-Angie:
Accommodation-Fufu Nikko: for being the most amazing and luxurious experience I have ever had.
Agoda: for giving us really good deals on nice places!
Aleve and my ankle boot: really helped me get around with less pain but also, kinda nice and a relief when I didn't wear it.
Nivea Melty lip balm: Didn't irritate my already irritated, eczema-peely lips. A balm indeed.
Favorite activity/place-Shiroi Koibito Park/Baseball game: tied for my favorite activity/place in this trip with Upopoy Ainu museum being in second place.
Family restaurants: our trip should have been sponsored by Cafe Gusto but the award for best food goes to Bikkuri Donkey. They love cheeeeeeese!
Killstar: provided my best pieces of clothing: my crossbody purse, my maxi dress and my long skirt. Very versatile and fit in well with the current fashion.
Awards-Jeff:
- Favorite clothing item: Columbia Sport Pants. Buy more when we get home!
- Favorite Activity: Bike tour!
- Accommodation: I feel like picking Fufu Nikko is cheating, but it was absolutely the nicest place of the trip. Runner Up is the Hotel Metropolitan.
- Cafe Gusto Cafe Gusto Cafe Gusto
- Travel Scissors continue to be a winner every trip
- Biggest Disappointment: Honestly, Akihabara. It was cool 15 years ago, but now it's just an expensive tourist trap.
- Best Souvenir Buying Experience: Sapporo. Seriously, better selection and better prices. Akiba can't compete anymore.
What to do different next time:
- Stay in Ueno or Akiba or a new favorite (check Reddit for suggestions).
- I'm still trying to decide if it was worth it bringing the empty suitcase or not.... As much as I love being a one-bagger, I really did like not having to lug my carry-on around on my back, thus giving my poor ankle some relief, or having to fight for a spot nearby in the overhead bins. It will take losing my luggage to make me go back to one-bagging on a long-international flight like this with lots of moving around and walking. I feel I enjoyed the rolling suitcase much more. Maybe I'll do a smaller roller inside a larger (size of what we brought this time) roller instead of my backpack for when I inevitably check it.) (I will continue to always carry-on only, because like hell am I going to chance losing my luggage. And I will be smug and insufferable when Angie's luggage gets lost and mine is right there because it never left my control. :P)
And with that, we dream of our next adventure to Japan! Maybe December 2028? Here's hoping it will be to celebrate a newer and better president having been elected!
Concluding with pictures I'm pretty sure didn't find a way onto our blog, so here's a random bunch of them:
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