Eye of the Liger: Japan 2013: They Really Thought of Everything

Flashback to my last post: I was writing from the hallway outside our hotel room in Kyoto, Japan, mid-way through the most amazing, food-filled, beautiful, cultural, fun trip we have ever been on.

Now let me introduce you to today.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013.

Thirteen more school days.
Two more planning days before the technical end of the year.
Four weeks into our "plan for next year" bootcamp, run efficiently and passionately by our fabulous new captain, Mr. Jeff.

Today alone we spent roughly five and a half hours (for the second Wednesday in a row) planning for next year.

Let's just say next year is going to be a gecko of a different color (ha, sorry, that was bad). But before I get into that, which I am sure will expand into a candid and emotional reflection on this whole year, let's dig into Japan.

We had the best time. It is an incredibly easy country in which to travel, due much in part to its fabulously clean, efficient and expansive public transportation system. Coming from Cambodia, where the only "public" transportation is tuk-tuks and moto-bikes for hire, it was a welcome relief. Additionally, the Japanese have thought of everything. And I mean everything. Their entire country, or what we saw of it (three cities of varying size), was neat and clean, organized and clear. There were people at every wrong turn to give us directions, offer their advice on a great local restaurant or walk us 12 blocks to the bar we couldn't find (not a joke). They used maps, their phones, other people...whatever it took; these strangers went out of their way to make sure that we had a positive experience traveling in their country. And we did.

I could go into extreme detail, as I am prone to do, but I am going to play it differently this time. And that is all thanks to Nica, our little, tiny, budding photographer. Her eye for beauty coupled with her high-powered camera were all we needed to document our trip.

I shall, however, split the trip into three major areas: beauty, food and weird. First, I give you beauty, of both the natural and cultural kind, in no apparent order.

Enjoy.

This was in Tokyo, and one of the first gorgeous spaces that we visited. We walked and walked and then there it was, right in the middle of the city.

Cherry blossoms! One of the reasons we were so excited to visit Japan in the spring was to experience the cherry blossoms. Although the weather was unseasonably cold (especially for us, having come from temperatures that don't dip below 85), we managed to find some really beautiful trees.

This was part of an extensive garden, which was created for members of the royal family long ago.

Before entering certain temples, we had to ceremonially wash our hands and mouths. One of them offered these dippers to help with the task. Keyword: ZEN.

Kyoto. The view from our hotel.

The geisha district in Kyoto. Cobblestoned streets and real geishas. So effing cool.

The Bamboo Forest.

This is not a postcard. It's right on the edge of a perfect gurgling river, and it was a beautiful day for a picnic in the sun. Minus the rocky ground.