Back from Japan and China Trip! 5 Takeaways

My family just returned home from our big summer trip to Japan and China. Overall, it was a great trip! Nobody got sick, we all made it home in one piece, and we experienced many new and exciting things! Over the next few weeks, I’ll write about our flights, hotels and adventures in more detail. But for now, here are my big takeaways from the trip.

Japan is Awesome

There’s no other way to put it…Japan is an awesome country to visit! It’s even better than I remembered from my last visit 25 years ago. Japan is clean, everyone is so polite and friendly, and the food is excellent. Getting around in cities and between cities is relatively easy and efficient. At the end of our Japan leg, all three of my kids said they could picture themselves living in Japan.

Adding a “Newbie” to our Group Was a Great Experience

For this trip, we added a college-aged friend to the mix. While he had traveled extensively within the USA, he had never flown on a plane before or been out of the country. My husband and I were thankful he was along for the ride because he was a great influence on my kids. He was traveling with fresh eyes and didn’t take anything for granted. He always wanted to be out and about exploring, which encouraged my kids to follow suit instead of “chilling” in the hotel room like they frequently do on other trips.

Even Experienced Travelers Make Mistakes

Yes, we had some blunders on this trip. We always do, even though we are experienced travelers. We wasted at least 2 hours of our precious time in Tokyo by trying to visit a temple that was temporarily closed. My husband and I bought the wrong train tickets and had to fumble our way through a refund. My daughter and I went through the wrong immigration line in China and almost missed our tour of Tiananmen Square/Forbidden City due to an unexpected roadblock. But, everything still turned out ok.

We Can Do Hard Things

My most important takeaway from this trip is a reminder that we can do hard things. This trip wasn’t exactly easy or relaxing. We were forced to try new things and figure things out. For example, one of my kids (age 17) was exploring Kyoto on his own and his phone died. He could no longer find his way back to our machiya rental. But, he figured out a way to communicate with a shop owner to find our place on a map, and he made his way home. My daughter and I conquered our fears by riding a toboggan down from the Great Wall of China. We also navigated a few other challenging situations on our own. Our accomplishments may seem small, but I’m proud that we went out of our comfort zone.

Traveling to Asia Can be Brutal, But So Worth It!

Even though we flew in Premium Economy, the flights to and from Asia were still difficult. Fourteen hours in any airplane seat makes my butt hurt. Flying to Europe seems like a piece of cake in comparison. But, the discomfort was worth it. I still have to pinch myself that I got to hike on the Great Wall of China! I’m already plotting my next trip to Asia for next year.

Readers, I hope you are enjoying the start of summer! I plan to catch up on miles/points news from the last few weeks and then begin my trip report.