A trip down memory lane in a foreign land. I ended up revisiting some places from my first Japan trip and it left me feeling melancholy. The charm these places had was gone due to tourism. It was overcrowded, dirty, and loud. Maybe I’m just becoming a grouch and I don’t like being in loud places but that’s a lie. It was sad seeing how different things have changed. I’m very fortunate and grateful though that I had the opportunity to visit again. Not many people can say that.

I wasn’t unhappy being there but I felt sort of stressed. I would have liked for someone else to take that load off a couple of times. Japan isn’t the same as it was a decade ago and it has gotten easier traveling around. The first time was fun; getting lost was an adventure. This time though it was annoying and frustrating. With WiFi, there’s no way on getting lost. Directions would sometimes be confusing but nothing too complicated. In the end I was the one guiding our group.

By the end of the day, my eyes were strained and I just wanted to call it a day. I was hoping to play Pokemon Go but I was so focused on where we were going, I didn’t want to drain my phone battery. Another annoyance! While I was stressing on not getting our party lost, others were casually playing PoGo. I just have myself to blame because I didn’t speak up about it.

There were times I would wander off to center myself and it was these moments I came to appreciate where I was. Sometimes it was just peaceful being by myself.

Besides my mini trips with my girlfriends, this was the longest time I have been apart from my kiddos. It was nice at first but towards the end, I was missing them so much. There were moments I wanted them to be there to see what I was seeing. I promised Zelda I’ll one day bring her. How soon that came to be.

Do I regret this trip? Of course I don’t. I got to revisit places and enjoy new ones. I learned new things about me and of others. It’s a learning lesson. Sometimes the people you love can be the wrong travel buddy. It’s okay to have different views but when it comes to trips, I’m not comprising ever again.

Now that I think about it, there wasn’t a day on this trip that I wasn’t upset. It was exhausting. I made the most of it though and I think that was enough.