Not lost, just undiscovered.

I’m back from Japan and really out of it.

I traveled for 24 hours and didn’t sleep for 30+. I spent my time on the plane talking to a fast-talking, unable-to-sleep, 9-year-old-girl while everyone else could sleep. Then when I got home, my parents rushed me out the door to go to my cousin’s wedding reception.

And thus, I am really out of it right now.

I just found out that I just barely missed a massive earthquake in Japan that measured in at 7.1 (read the article here). That’s scary because I actually woke up in Kanazawa, which is in the Ishikawa prefecture, and it’s from there that we traveled to Tokyo for our flight home.

It’s also troubling to see all the pictures of destruction because I was just there and it’s such a great place.

It’s also scary to think that I could have been there at that time too…

I’m sitting in a tiny hotel room in Hiroshima, stealing borrowing wi-fi from some other building because the hotel’s is acting up.

I have so many stories to tell you all but I can’t get into them now. I’m just amazed because I still have a week to go.

Last night we were in Koyasan (or Mt. Koya, if you’re not Japanese). Atop Koyasan is a village full of temples and shrines. It was a very quiet and beautiful place. We stayed in a temple overnight and got up early to attend the prayers.

It was a wonderful experience and the only downside was that it was freezing and us Canadians (who, as we were told by some Australians we ran into, should be used to the cold) did not have any warm clothes with us, so we spent a lot of time shivering. Haha, but every experience is one to remember.

Today, we were in Hiroshima and we visited the Peace Memorial Park and the Museum. The museum talks about Hiroshima before the bomb, during the bomb and after. I was struggling with my emotions the entire time. I decided that instead of being angry I should probably think of some way of putting my energy into more positive things. More on that later.

Anyway, that’s all I have to say for now. I’ll blog more about my adventures (including Tokyo, the contest, Mt. Takao, etc) soon.

This weekend I got three doses of Japan:

1) I’m almost done reading “Around the World in 80 Dates” by Jennifer Cox. The book is about travel journalist and author Cox, who realizes that while her work life is great, her love life is horrible. So in an attempt to fix this, she asks friends and friends of friends to help her set up dates all around the world. The book – part travel, part memoir – follows her thoughts as she goes through 80 dates around the world, all in the hopes of finding her Soul Mate.

Anyway, she just dated a few people in Japan and I enjoyed reading about some of the sights to see and things to do in Tokyo. I think I was more interested in reading the details about the area than what her dates were like. Just kinda =)

2) As many people had mentioned that I should watch it before leaving, I watched “Lost in Translation” last night. The movie is about two people in Tokyo who are just lost in their lives and desperately need to be found. I enjoyed the movie for its story, the acting, and also all of the hints as to what to see and do in Japan. As much as I see all these images, I still can’t imagine what it’s going to feel like to be in a car driving through Tokyo and seeing all the bright lights and people.

3) Today I watched all three hours of the mini-series “Kelly Osbourne: Turning Japanese” on Much Music (it originally aired on the UK’s ITV2). Kelly Osbourne is quite the character but I was really pleased with her in this series. I couldn’t help but laugh along with her and be impressed by her determination not to disrespect people and to try and understand. After all of her complaining or uncomfortable moments, she learned to understand. I enjoyed watching her go to different places in Tokyo, work various jobs, and take part in certain activities. Ha, I will never forget the Love Hotel segment. The best part was when she went to Kyoto and entered a Tea House to train with the Maiko for a week. It was great.

Anyway, as a result, I’m really itching to go to Japan and see everything that’s there. I think the biggest thing I’m worried about is being polite enough and not offending anyone. I’m just going to keep saying “sumimasan” (sorry) often to play it safe.

The time leading up to this trip has been very interesting for me so far because as part of the projects I’m working on at work, I’ve been reading and writing a lot about Japan, Tokyo, and Japanese history, customs, and traditions. I’ve been reading about things to see and do, talking to people about it, and also going through pictures to get a better idea. After watching both “Lost in Translation” and “Turning Japanese”, I’ve realized that I will definitely be overwhelmed by all that there is to see and do and how different things are in Japan from how they are at home.

It will be an interesting experience for sure. And I’m already beginning to think I’ll have to go back to Japan again in the future to see and do all the things I won’t be able to do this time around.

For those who don’t know already, I’m going to Japan in March for a huge work event. I am also going to be able to travel around and explore certain parts of the country.

So, over the past week or so I have been reading all sorts of guides and websites in order to figure out what I want to do there, as well as to learn more about the Japanese culture.

What I can’t wait to experience is this so-called “culture shock” that everyone says they experience when visiting Japan. This is the result of seeing the traditional Japanese culture almost side-by-side with the modern “only-in-Japan” flare.

Think Geisha, then Buddhist monks, and then Harajuku girls. Right.

I keep reading about how both streams of culture co-exist peacefully and I can’t wait to see this for myself.

Today I was reading about the custom of bowing, and how far low you bow and for how long depends on who you are, who you are bowing to, etc.

Apparently, since the Japanese know that foreigners tend to shake hands when they meet, during business meetings they try to do the same. But, because of habit, they still tend to bow slightly at the same time.

The author of the article said that the best example she had seen that demonstrated that this tradition was now a habit, was when she walked past someone who was bowing while saying hello on the phone, even though the person on the other end could not see the polite gesture.

This image both charmed and amused me at the same time.