It's been a week since I boarded my flight from KIX to go home, and I feel ready to talk about my trip.
Some precontext, I haven't travelled internationally for 20 years since I was a child. I had slowly over the last few years become more interested in Japan through the Persona Games, Yakuza Games and Abroad in Japan and other YouTube channels.
May 6th I played Yakuza 2 for the first time, and I thought Dotombori (sotonbori in the game, but very accurate) looked incredible, if you'd told me with anxiety, prediabetes and depression that in just 5 months I'd BE THERE, I'd have called you crazy.
A month or two later we got very short staffed at work, causing me to need to work some INSANE overtime, and I suddenly realized I had the money to go to Japan. I applied for my first passport since the 00s, and as soon as I got it I booked for 6 weeks time.
I didn't really believe I was going until I landed in Hong Kong airport for a short layover, it was then that it hit me.
My first day in Japan was incredible, landing in KIX at 6 am, the bus over the bridge, staring in wonder out of the window for 45 minutes. Seeing Japanese people living their day to day lives, for this small town sheltered guy, it was magical. Arrived near Osaka station and it was 30 degrees at 8am, I lugged my case 2km to my hotel, stopping every 2 minutes to take it all in. My hotel had mercy on my soul and allowed a super early check in for me to shower. I walked to dotombori and stood on that bridge I've walked over so many times in Yakuza and had to pinch myself.
The next 10 days were all magical, I met with my Japanese penpal on day one and spent every day I was in Japan with her. People ask what we "are". I can't answer that, I don't know, it's complicated but all I know was those two weeks were the best of my life.
USJ was amazing, we went on Harry Potter, Mario Kart, Jaws, Hollywood Dream, saw waterworld and enjoyed Halloween horror and the hami Kuma dance party. It was the best day of my life.
Kyoto and Nara were magical, we only did one day in each but seeing the famous sights was healing on a level I never knew. The deer in nara and almost having a heart attack climbing the hills in nara, only to find a young couple taking wedding photos at the peak, and watching the sunset.
The aquarium and the whale sharks was mind blowing, Tennoji tower and shinsekai, den den town, the MAID CAFE, Osaka castle, Kani Doraku Crab Resturant, making our own takoyaki, Abeno Harukas observatory at sunset, these are some of the things we did.
I cried twice leaving Japan, when I had to say goodbye to my penpal, who for those 10 days was the closest I've ever felt with someone, and again at KIX while waiting for my flight. I haven't cried in over 10 years.
My plan, god be good is to return in March. I set a countdown app on my phone while at KIX to exactly 6 months and promised myself I would return and set foot in arrivals in exactly 6 months. That promise to myself was the only thing that got me on that plane.
Please ask any questions if you want to know more about what I did, or anything really. I had the best time of my life and even in just that short time I had there, Japan changed me forever, I don't feel like the same person since I got back, I'm not withdrawn anymore, I don't have negative depressing thoughts, I don't want to waste money on nonsense like Uber eats and overpriced food and clothes here anymore. It was a turning point in my life.
by Material_Adagio_522