Making the Exchange

My mom always preached to us, “Get out of this small town. Go see the world!” I’ve certainly taken that advice to heart now, but back then, our family of 5 never really traveled that much outside of family road trips and school band trips. To bring knowledge of the world and offer an opportunity for us to experience another culture, we hosted exchange students from Japan. From the time I was in 6^th or 7^th grade, we hosted students for a month each summer. In high school and college, we hosted students for an entire year. My youngest sister probably doesn’t remember a time that we didn’t have a “Japanese sister”. Unfortunately, my sisters and I never made the exchange to Japan. There are probably many reasons why. Money? Fear? Who knows, but as I got closer to 40, I was determined to make it happen. After watching flight prices religiously for months, the perfect price appeared. A quick call to Erik to confirm dates and it was done. We were finally going to Japan!

Hiromi and Laura having a beer together.

Hiromi lived with my family during my freshman year of college. By then, improved technology allowed us to stay in better contact with her after she returned to Japan. Over the years, she continued to visit our family whenever she was in the States and even brought her parents to meet us. When our tickets were booked, I reached out to her. “It’s happening! Erik and I are coming to Japan, and we want to visit your family.” We planned an amazing 16-day trip including a 7-day homestay with her family. Our goal was to really experience the country and culture. We opted for longer stays in two locations over visiting multiple cities. This gave us an opportunity to explore and experience each location on a deeper level.

I’ve shared bits and pieces of our trip with others, but never fully mapped it out. I hope that this travelogue inspires you to finally make the trip that’s always been on your list!

View of Shibuya Crossing, a busy crosswalk in Tokyo.

Tokyo

Our trip was bookended with Tokyo. This allowed us to explore two different parts of the city and take a break in between. The first leg was spent to the west of the city center in a residential neighborhood between Shinjuku and Shibuya. Hiromi was kind enough to meet us at the airport and travel with us to our air bnb. She also ensured that we had an exceptional first meal in Japan by izakaya (pubs that serve small plates and drinks) hopping.

Hiromi returned home to allow us time to explore the city on our own. Learning the train system was easy and we traveled many miles exploring gardens, temples, and various neighborhoods. A favorite day was spent in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. There was a steady rain all day, but it made the garden even more magical. We started at the traditional tea house for tea and onigiri (rice balls), strolled through the expansive, traditional Japanese garden, and ended in the greenhouse.

Tea and onigiri at a traditional style tea house.

View from a pavilion in the Japanese garden.

This was a special day that we'll both remember for many years. Looking back, it's hard to remember why it was so special. The garden was peaceful and magical. We felt so far away from our comfort zone, yet so safe and at home in a way. There was no agenda-just walk, take it all in, and stop for tea as much as possible. A perfect day.

After a couple peaceful days in our little neighborhood, we ventured out to Ginza, a luxury shopping district in the heart of Tokyo. The primary goal for the day was to attend a tea ceremony which was a gift from a special friend. :) Ginza is made up of many skyscrapers with shops and restaurants stacked on top of each other. We arrived in the area early and found a pleasant tea house nestled in the basement of a shopping mall. The special tea of the day was a fresh green tea. After we enjoyed the tea, the leaves were served to us garnished with a drop of soy sauce to be eaten. What a treat!

We left the tea house with plenty of time before our scheduled ceremony. All of our sources pointed to the same location, but when we arrived, we found an office building guarded by security officers. We showed one of them the address, and we were pointed in the opposite direction. We re-entered the address in Google and arrived at a different location. This time, a spa. Again, we were told that we had the wrong location and pointed elsewhere. The next stop? A kimono shop which seemed closer as the ceremony included a kimono experience. We were at the wrong shop. I wish I could have watched us from above. For nearly an hour we roamed back and forth and all around Ginza trying to find the meeting point for the ceremony. It eventually became obvious that this was a lost cause. Melt down. Recovery. Tea. Yes, there were tears, but they were short lived. Tea was still the goal of the day.

Two tea servings at Ippodo Tea Room

In honor of our missed ceremony experience, we treated ourselves to the special seasonal teas at Ippodo Tea Room. They were an early spring sencha and an exceptional koicha which is high quality matcha prepared with less water than usual to bring out the umami and grassy flavors. This was served with a side of hojicha which has a natural sweetness to offset the bitterness of the matcha.

It's easy to get wrapped up in the experience of having tea in Japan. Hours feel like minutes and there's a high level of relaxation that comes naturally as you remain present in the moment, enjoying the flavors and the company. While we didn't get the tea experience we'd planned, we feel that we truly got to enjoy Japanese tea the way it is meant to be enjoyed. Plus, the day ended happily with udon and sake. :)

Fuji

Our time as tourists took a backseat as we transitioned to Hiromi's family home. We spent an entire week living like locals. This is what we always strive for when on vacation-experiencing a place as if we were locals. Hiromi's parents took this to heart! Nearly every day we had a chore in the garden-picking onions, picking tea leaves, and planting rice. Their property has been used as farmland for many years, and they are carrying on the tradition. We were honored and grateful to be included in the experience.

Laura carrying a pallet of rice to be planted. Mt. Fuji stands in the background.

Freshly picked tea leaves.

Their farm is nourished by the waters that flow hundreds of years down Mount Fuji which stands watch over them day after day. I've always been drawn to mountains and Mount Fuji is a special one indeed! On one of the day trips, after our garden chores, we toured the Mount Fuji World Heritage Site in Fujinomiya to learn more about the mountain and how it impacts the lives of the people who live in the area.

Atami bay with Atami Castle in the mountains above.

While we spent most of the week at the family home, we did take one night away to visit Atami, an oceanside town at the north east edge of the Izu Peninsula. Since we visited mid-week, it was a sleepy little town full of ryokans, fish markets, and beautiful views of the ocean to the east and mountains to the west. All the while, Atami Castle kept guard up in the mountains overlooking the bay.

Our visit to Atami helped us later during our second stay in Tokyo as we needed someone to root for in the sumo tournament. Atami Fuji was our guy!

Tokyo Again

Back in Tokyo, we stayed closer to Asakusa near the Sumida River. We returned to the

A large lantern in the main hall of Senso-ji Temple with the Pagoda in the background.

life of a tourist and had some really special moments in the process. One of these

moments happened at Senso-ji temple. Senso-ji is the oldest temple in Tokyo and despite the crowds, felt incredibly special. As we walked a shop lined street towards the temple, it became more and more crowed and by the time we reached the gate, the crowd felt overwhelming. I was tempted to check it off the list from here. Erik insisted we move forward. I'll always be grateful for his encouragement. Once we reached the main hall and squeezed our way to the front to toss in our coin and offer a prayer, a strong sense of peace, and gratitude, and belonging came over me. It's a feeling I won't soon forget.

Sumo wrestlers being presented in the middle of the ring prior to their class matches.

The finale of our trip was an experience that we were very excited about and required the most attention during our planning process. A sumo wrestling tournament occurs every odd month and rotates in location throughout Japan. Our last days in Tokyo happened to coincide with the Tokyo tournament. The sumo tournaments are very popular events and tickets sell out quickly. We researched carefully, joined a lottery, provided our preferred dates and seat class, paid a fee, and waited nearly 3 months before our tickets were confirmed. Our last full day in Tokyo was going to be at the sumo tournament! The tournament is an all day event. You are allowed to come and go, but most people come and stay. So did we. The early morning matches are between lower ranking wrestlers and the intensity grows throughout the day. The entire day is filled with ceremony-the parade of each class of wrestlers, the announcements before each match, the sword dance. It's filled with music and drama and it all intensifies as the tournament progresses. Finally, our chosen wrestler, Atami Fuji, joins the ring. He is one of the crowd's favorite but is, unfortunately, overtaken and pushed out of the ring. While our wrestler didn't win, this was a great ending to our first trip in Japan.

Japan left quite an impression on us. While I was lucky enough to share bits and pieces of this culture growing up with our exchange students, I never imagined how special it would be to experience it in person. This will not be our only time in Japan! Many more visits are to come, I'm sure!

This blog only highlights parts of our trip. If you're planning to visit Japan, let us know. Neli and I can help you plan a detailed itinerary so that you enjoy every moment of this special country.