Final Japan/Guam thoughts!

So I know that I am a little slow on the Japan / Guam blogging. With the issues with the iPad and the moving directly after returning from Japan, then the holidays it has been literally crazytown here!  But I wanted to share some final thoughts on my fabulous 50^th birthday trip!

So the most difficult part of the trip for me was definitely the food. The shrimp/shellfish allergy makes food choices nearly impossible in an Asian country. I knew that. But I didn’t realize the extent of the language challenge would contribute to this. Explaining cross-contamination is difficult when there is a language barrier. I made do, but going forward any Asian trips that I take (and there WILL be more- looking at your South Korea) I will make sure to pack loads of snacks, granola bars, peanut butter crackers, etc. At least this gives me something to snack on while I walk around for two hours looking for a place to eat that won’t kill me!

The trip itself was harder due to the length of time it takes to get over there, and the jet lag. Jet lag is a real thing and although I have had multiple trips internationally before, Western Europe normally provides me with a one day jet lag and then I am good to go. Not so in Asia. It took weeks (literally) after I returned to the US before I slept through the night. Sigh….

There is also a difficulty with simply finding places. Often I find a shop or restaurant that I am interested in finding because it holds some interest to me (the chopstick store in Tokyo or perhaps the leather purse and shoe store in Rome). I want to visit these places and in Japan I found that the streets are more difficult to navigate. There may be street signs (sometimes) and if you find one, sometimes they are in Japanese only, or both English and Japanese. But I found it to be a bit more difficult; perhaps because many places are in the lower level or basement areas (due to the real estate shortage in Japan) and often times there are no signs pointing the way. Realize that going forward you would need more time to navigate.

All in all I loved the trip. Even with the food issues, my wonky back and my knee injury it was a great trip and I am so lucky to have been able to travel to Japan and to Guam to see family. Until next time (and I am looking at you, London)…….