The Plan

Our master plan was to get to Japan with shovels, unearth samurai bones and create a mecha/undead samurai. We already had targets: Miyamoto Musashi, Sasaki Kojiro, Ito Ittosai and so on.

Then we realized that Japan might not appreciate this, so we decided to simply visit the country.

Our main stays will be in Tokyo and Osaka (the Montreal and Quebec of Japan), so as to see, taste and witness the cultural differences of the two mega cities. We'll also take short trips to Hiroshima (Hi-ro, shi-maaaaaaa), Miyajima and Kyoto. Quite possibly Nara, too. This will most likely depend on the weather condition and how well we can escape the returning tourists who have left Tokyo during Golden Week.

Here's a map of the itinerary:



We can travel to so many cities thanks to the wonderful JR Pass, which is normally purchased here, obtained over there and which allows one person to take most of the available bullet trains for 7 or 14 days (some restrictions apply).

We leave on April 28th, which is in two days. Mat and I are pretty excited but I have to say, I'm also a bit apprehensive. It'll be my first trip to another continent and all the way across the globe; this trip will determine how ready/willing I'll be for any future endeavor!

I won't hog the blog and I'll let Mat do his share of writing. All I will add is that you should not expect constant blogging as we will most likely not have access to a computer for most of the trip. Nevertheless, we will update when we can. So enjoy, be merry and wish us luck!

-Pat