Japan, often known to the outside world as one of the most modern countries in the world, is a country that most people are either ecstatic or indifferent about. Seeing as my dad often had to go to Japan for work and told us stories of his travels, my sister and I were always very excited about visiting the country ourselves one day.
Visiting Japan has been a dream of my sister and I for as long as I can remember. This summer, we finally got to board the airplane bound for Osaka and we lived out our Japanese dreams. I hear you wonder. Surely there are other beautiful destinations that are closer by and less expensive to visit? But we had a few reasons for preferring Japan over any of these destinations. However, flying to Japan was a lot easier than you might expect.
For a destination that is 9, km 5, miles away from home, that seems like a reasonable travel itinerary, right?
You see, my sister and I added another week to our trip. When my parents flew home after our Japan trip, we boarded a flight to Bali. There was a direct flight and we had no problems whatsoever in or around the airport. Related: How to survive a long-haul flight. But still: before we started planning this trip, I have always had this idea of Japan as a mythical nation with sumo wrestlers, neon signs, temples and sushi belts. Even when we had just touched down and we were waiting for our bus to the city centre at the airport, there was some kind of culture shock.
Admittedly, my dad had never gone to Japan for a holiday until we went together as a family. He was always on assignment from the company he works for, and he was always there for business.
