The internet is your best and worst friend while traveling.
On the one hand, Google Maps is extremely dependable in Japan for all public transit information, down to the time it takes to walk to a bus stop, the number of the bus, the number of stops you'll pass and the cost of the ride. We have never been truly lost, despite having no idea of where we are at any given time. RIP physical maps (6th century BC - 2018).
On the other, the internet is extremely overwhelming when it comes to making decisions. There is so much to sift through, and separating meaningful insights from cyber trash is difficult. Then there's TripAdvisor, which, despite being the most visited travel site in the world, is a cesspool of bad taste and competing opinions. "I found God in the Ariahiyama bamboo grove." "The Arashiyama bamboo grove is great if you don't value time or fun." (The Arashiyama bamboo forest had a 1:1 ratio of people to bamboo. Skip it.)
Morning tea. Not pictured: the hole I ripped in the crotch of my pants that makes sitting cross-legged pretty awkward for everybody involved.
No matter where you go or how long you stay, the fact is that you'll never truly have enough time to see everything. And that's okay! Everyone has a different version of an "ideal trip," from their activity levels to food preferences. Some folks really emphasize experiencing as much as they possibly can, even if that comes at the expense of sleep or relaxation. Others get to know a place through the conversations they have at the bar. Both are fun, neither is wrong.
What is important is that you don't get psyched out by Instagram or a TripAdvisor comment by John from San Diego. Fuck John from San Diego - you probably wouldn't get along with him anyway. Travel at a speed that makes sense for you. If you need a minute to chill out alone, chill out. To steal a strategy from modern basketball, traveling is all about pace and space. The more I've accepted that, the more I've gained from my time away.
Marisa and I will leave Japan in a few days knowing that we'll have missed some of the key sights, which would likely get us ostracized from the TripAdvisor community. We didn't fed the deer in Nara, eat at the robot restaurant in Tokyo or bathe at an onsen. But we won't lose any sleep over it, because we'll hopefully be back and we've had an amazing time stumbling upon amazing places that weren't on the must-see lists.
So now that I've successfully eliminated any chance of being sponsored by TripAdvisor in the future, here are a few updates and observations from the past few days:
-After reaching a bit of a tourist boiling point, we've been hellbent on starting our days with visits to serene and uncrowded temples. Yesterday began with Myoshinji, which came highly recommended by Marisa's parents. We walked around the vast grounds, visited a beautiful garden, had tea and even did a short meditation. This was my first time practicing without Headspace, and it actually went pretty well. We were virtually alone. It was calming.
Myoshinji Temple.
-The respectfulness of Japanese culture is so refreshing and illuminating. There's a lot of hostility in the States that we just accept as normal. A great illustration of this is any time we rage on the sidewalk because somebody is walking slowly. I am 100% guilty of this; I am the Sidewalk Sheriff. But here, people genuinely go with the flow, as to not be disruptive or aggressive. They also respect the rules, and I love me some rules. They wait in line. They don't run for trains. They stand on the correct side of the escalator.
-Some may scream recency bias, but I again think we've had two of our best meals in recent days. For dinner last night, we had shabu shabu, which is the boiling of meat (usually beef and pork) or tofu in specialty broth. It was an all-you-can-eat affair, and we got our yen's worth. And then today, we waited an hour at an udon restaurant that we just came across while meandering near the Philosopher's Walk. This was my favorite dish of the trip, despite it not being very photogenic.
Curry udon. If it looked as good as it tasted, it wouldn't be fair to other food.
-We've gotten more comfortable using "Osusume wa" (What do you recommend?) at restaurants and bars. It's a nice way to break the language barrier and experience the best offerings. Normally this is good. It was slightly less good when I accidentally ordered a $50 shot of Japanese whisky.
Tomorrow, we're wrapping up our trip with a two-hour massage and dinner at one of the more popular modern restaurants here (Giro Giro Hitoshina). My next post will come en route to Thailand, where I'll be meeting up with my friend Steve for the week.
(Let me know if you're enjoying the blog in the comments. I would love to answer any questions and/or take suggestions for future entries. I'm having a lot of fun doing this. Thanks for reading.)