Tokyo Bay (Photo credit: orangeandmilk)
I don’t normally look forward to autumn, and this year is no exception. However, I am looking forward to autumn 2016. Why, I hear you ask? Let me enlighten you. In autumn 2016 (from 14-31 March to be exact), I will be on holidays! Can you believe it? I have not had a holiday since I was pregnant with Butterfly. She is 14. That means that by the time I go on holidays, it will have been 19 years. That’s a long time without a break! I’m not planning to take the munchkins (or even hubby) along, but I am not going alone. My Mum is coming with me. We will be spending the first five days in Taiwan, followed by ten days in Japan. I don’t care much about Taiwan – I’m just going because Mum wants to. But I am stoked about visiting Japan! I am already counting down the days!
We have planned the dates very carefully. After looking at the dates the Cherry Blossoms have bloomed the past few years, I think that being in Japan from the 20-30 March increases our odds of getting lucky. We also stand a good chance of being there for the Tokyo International Anime Fair. The majority of our time in Japan will be spent in Tokyo. I was originally going to visit the Manga museum in Kyoto as well, but Mum wants to go to Hiroshima, so I decided to give it a miss. After all, she is being patient enough to do everything I want in Tokyo. And, boy, do I have a list! In fact, I’m going to have to narrow it down somewhat because it is far too much to fit into ten days.
Some of the places I want to visit are the Ghibli Museum (of course!), The National Museum of Modern Art, The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum, Senso-ji Temple, Tokyo One-Day Cruise, Hakuhinkan Toy Park, Sunshine Aquarium, Namco NamjaTown, East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, Ooedo-Onsen-Monogatari Hot Springs, Tokyo Tower, The National Art Center, Meiji Jingu Shrine and The Tokyo National Museum to name a few.
As I save up over the next four years, I will also be doing my best to learn Japanese language, customs and etiquette. I know they don’t usually expect this of tourists, but with four years to plan, why not make the effort? Besides, I’ve always wanted to know a foreign language and, considering the amount of anime I watch, Japanese is the perfect language to learn.
Have you ever been to Japan? Anything around Tokyo I should really see? How long has it been since your last holiday?
Related articles
- Free Tokyo Guided Tours for Tourists! (japanesesearch.com)
- ghibli museum (misskisa.wordpress.com)
- Tokyo Ramen Street (iamabloggerintokyo.wordpress.com)
- Tokyo, April 2012 (dollhausbettie.com)
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