I've been beside myself with excitement lately, the feeling getting stronger and stronger with every passing day. I've marked notes in my diary and have been counting down the sleeps... For on Monday 13th August my Dad will come and visit me in Japan!
My Dad and I don't speak very often on the phone, so when he called me one night out of the blue I was initially a little concerned that he had bad news. You can imagine my delight when instead he announced that he was intending to take holidays in a few months time and that he'd like to visit me in Japan!
Together we hashed out possible dates and discussed flight options, mused about itineraries and drafted a budget. And despite his trip probably being a good three months later, I immediately set to work researching and planning all the finer details - restaurants to dine at, weird sights to see, cultural events to take part in and hotels to stay etc. A few days later, after speaking to a travel agent at his local shopping complex, he managed to pin down flights for a 10-day trip to Japan in August and my planning began in earnest.
I decided on which cities to visit, scoured the internet and my faithful Lonely Planet guide for exciting things to see, asked my co-workers about happening cultural events, bought domestic plane tickets, booked hotel rooms, put together a detailed itinerary and even stepped up my Japanese language lessons! Truth be told, I think I have spent more minutes in planning the trip than I actually will with my Dad while he's here! But it's been an enjoyable process. It has given me something to focus on, something to do in my downtime. It's given me something to look forward to and something to get excited about. And I am excited, because the day is fast approaching. Only 4 sleeps left now in fact!
So what am I going to do with my Dad when he gets here? What am I going to show him? Where will we go? Check this out - a once in a lifetime whirlwind tourist/expat Japanese adventure in 10 days:
Monday 13 - Dad arrives at Kansai International Airport pretty early in the morning and has to catch a bus to where I live on Shikoku Island. The bus unfortunately will add another 3 hours journey onto his already long trip, but he should arrive in Tokushima at around midday. After being picked up at the station he will be ferried to meet me where I will be working (at the annual English Camp Orientation for new JETs) and then taken to my apartment to chillax. When I wind up for the day, I'll head home, cook dinner and we can spend a quiet evening drinking beer and catching up.
Tuesday 14 - I'll head back to English Camp for the morning and then come home at lunch to pick up Dad and take him to the city. Here we will participate in the second largest dance festival in the world (after Rio's Carnivale), Awa Odori. Dancing done, we'll hit the city streets for some festival food and maybe duck into a couple of my favourite haunts for a sneaky drink or two.
Wednesday 15 - A day to relax! Maybe we'll drive out to the Iya Valley and see the Kazurabashi Vine Bridge so that he can get a taste for the real rural Japan. Or maybe we'll just stay at home nursing our hangovers and chatting.
Thursday 16 - We'll catch the early bus to Osaka and then hop on a train straight to Kyoto (which are about half an hour apart). In Kyoto we'll check into a traditional Japanese ryokan (guesthouse) and then head out to see Kinkaku-ji (the Golden Temple) before watching several bonfires in the shape of kanji-lettering light up the surrounding hillsides (an annual event called Daimonji).
Friday 17 - Today we will take a morning train to Nara, the historical capital of Japan, to visit several World Heritage temples and shrines. I'm also hoping to have lunch in Nara Park, home of the famously friendly Nara deer. In the mid-afternoon we'll journey back to Osaka's Itami Airport and hop on a plane to Tokyo! We are staying in the Shinjuku area so I am hoping to take Dad to a sushi restaurant with a twist - the dining hall is surrounded by a large pond, in which you must first fish for your dinner!
Saturday 18 - On Saturday afternoon we will head to Tokyo Dome to catch a Yomiuri Giants vs Hiroshima Carp major-league baseball game. Being Saturday night, we will of course end with dinner and drinks in the nightlife district of Roppongi.
Sunday 19 - Sundays are the best days for people watching in Japan and so today I hope to take Dad to: Harajuku to check out the Gothic Lolita cosplay fashions, Shibuya to see the famous multi-directional crossing featured in films, Ginza to window shop on one of the most expensive streets in the world, and Azabu to see Embassy Row and the most plush real estate in Japan. Followed of course by another wacky dinner experience and a few beers in Shinjuku before bed.
Monday 20 - It's a surprise, but I really wanna take my Dad to Tokyo Disneyland for the day!
Tuesday 21 - We'll catch an afternoon bus from Shinjuku to Mt Fuji and prepare to climb Japan's tallest mountain in the evening.
Wednesday 22 - After watching the sunrise from the summit of Mt Fuji, we'll embark on the 3-hour descent of the mountain and catch a train back to Osaka. Here we'll check into a hotel and REST!
Thursday 23 - Marks the end of my Dad's trip to Japan and it's probably going to be with tears that at 11am on this day I will bid him farewell at Kansai International Airport.
I promise to take a heap of pictures, don't worry, and am planning some epic blog posts as soon as I get back. Stay tuned!
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