atuI was riding the bus home last week when I got the best text message ever:

We’re going to Tokyo from Aug 9-17! I’ll be turning 33 in Japan. That’s pretty fucking cool.

This will be Joel’s third trip to the land of the rising sun, and my first. I’m double excited because I’ve never been to any country in Asia. I mean, obviously. I’m American. So I’ll finally have that experience of oh fuck I don’t recognise the alphabet and I can’t even think of how to speak the language beyond what Styx taught me. I’m pumped.

We’ve read that Tokyo in August is super hot, humid, and at its prime with tourists. Yippee. But that hasn’t stopped me from basically being a ball of excitement since I found out (I’ve also been a ball of gastric flu pain, but that’s another story all together), mostly because I haven’t been on a proper holiday since Joel came to visit me in 2013 and we stayed in Brooklyn for almost 2 weeks, but I’m mostly mostly excited because I get to go into full fledge planning mode. Obsessive planning and researching? Sheeeeeeeeeeeit.

We have 5 months to:
– book Air B+B accomodation
– figure out what’s on our MUST SEE/MUST DO list
– learn survival Japanese (me)
– buy a good pair of walking sneakers (ok, I’m old and I love my Chucks but they are not good for hours of walking)
– get in good enough shape to climb Mt. Fuji (perchance to dream)
– get in good enough shape to walk around a city in August without dying (more feasible)
– save every penny for the trip and for the expenses waiting for us when we get home

I’m also obsessing over finding a good travel backpack, a lightweight rain jacket (mine is fleece lined and is way too warm during the summer) and versatile, lightweight clothes.

I’ll admit – I’ve wanted to go to Japan, but I’ve never put a lot of emphasis on making it happen, ever. It’s always seemed to loud, too busy, too over stimulating. Also there’s that whole “my country decimated two of your cities” thing that makes me feel a little awkward. But Joel’s stories and photos made me insanely curious. And his food photos. Holy crap. I’m going to live on nothing but katsu and ramen and sushi and it’s going to be fantastic.

Holy. Shit.

SO EXCITE!

More updates as they come.