Mata Ne, Minaslime.

It's the week before my first trip to Japan. It's also going to be my first international flight in 14 years. The squad consists of me and two friends. I bought new clothes to make sure my fashion doesn't pale in comparison to the people there. We've made an itinerary with an unlimited number of places to visit. Everything seems to be going exactly how it should for the average “dude’s trip to Japan.” They say you gotta go on a trip that's “too expensive” at least once in your twenties. I expect to spend upwards of 6k on it all. Certainly a significant chunk of my bank account. And of all places, it's Japan. 

This trip feels different than all the rest I’ve done over the past decade. The gang and I have visited Colorado, Georgia, Washington, NorCal, SoCal, Oregon, Arizona, Nevada, and Florida. But the goal was just to chill out, max, and relax. In contrast, this Japan trip will involve sightseeing, buying a ton of random shit, traveling vast distances across the country, and interacting with natives at bars. The only similarity this trip will share with the others is that I'm a food tourist, which means I'll be eating everything within sight like a wild hog.

I want to interact with people. A solid effort was made to learn as much of the language as feasible before I head out. My learning app says I'm on a 145 day streak. It isn't saying much but at least it's a big number. It means I can stumble through sentences like a 2 year old, which I've been told is impressive for the average tourist. Thankfully, I think I have studied enough to be extremely confident at a bar, at 2am, with a couple drinks in me, talking to a tipsy salary man. I’ll be surprised if most nights don't end in this exact scenario.

Perhaps the most important part… I'm going for three entire weeks, over Christmas and New Year (first week in Osaka and second in Tokyo). Our Airbnb in Osaka is on the Dotonbori strip with a balcony that looks out onto the river. This will be a mythical trip that will go down in the annals of history, passed down from generation to generation through song and dance.

I also need to find a somewhat foggy, snowy spot to lay down and bleed out. That'd be awesome.

- Bobbert