Preparations

Katsura Imperial Village

Preparing for a year's journey anywhere can be daunting, but in some ways it is no different from any other trip:  it involves getting ready to leave where you are, planning to go to another place, and keeping and making connections.  It's like closing one door as you move to open another, while keeping a link to both.

Leave-taking.  Getting ready to go involves tasks and lists that never seem to end.  There are all the things that need to be taken care of when you're gone -- the mortgage and credit card bills, annual insurance renewals, etc.  Fortunately, with today's technology, I just needed to make sure  that all my bills came by email. There are the things you need to stop, like the newspaper and other subscriptions (and get the apps to read them on line).  Then there are the things you need to do differently.  For me, that meant subletting my apartment:  finding a broker, keeping the apartment clean, arranging for storage, etc.  Last, it's a good idea to find someone you can rely on who's willing to take care of what you forgot and things you cannot do from afar.

New York City Skyline

Leave-taking really became for me a time of letting go, not of the memories but of the things that were part of past lives.  It was time to give away the business clothes I no longer wore, the books I had to admit I would never read again.  I threw out files of work completed.  Even tossing out boxes of slides became easy:  the things were immaterial, the memories lasting. I was making space for new experiences, new ways of thinking and doing.

Going.  Going obviously means planning:  where do you want to be when and what do you want to see?  Since I was applying for a cultural activities visa and was traveling throughout Japan, I needed to prepare an itinerary, which I'll discuss in my next and last posting before I actually leave for Japan.  This was a useful framework for my journey, but I realized it was just that, not something to be slavishly followed .  As I read the guidebooks and talked to people who had spent time in Japan, I realized it was important to walk the streets, visit flea markets, be willing to explore and be open to the unexpected.  

Shinjuku Skyline, Tokyo

There are other essential, practical tasks:  booking your flight and getting a visa if you're traveling to Japan for longer than three months.  It's a good idea to get trip insurance -- I'd seen first-hand the value of it when a friend fell and injured both knees.  And of course, it's essential to  have Internet access and a SIM card to make local calls.  I made reservations for the first week of my stay, and will be making others for holiday times and the first night or so when friends come to join me in my travels.  The rest I'll do when I'm in Japan.

Shinto Shrine, Imperial Palace Kyoto

What to pack requires careful thought. Since I was traveling throughout Japan, I wanted to travel light, using a carry-on suitcase and a day pack.  But for a year?  The answer is layering.  I ended up taking 3 pairs of pants and a pair of tights to wear underneath in the cold,  4 heat-insulating long-sleeved shirts, a silk camisole for added warmth, 3 T-shirts, an easy-care dress, a light weight V-neck sweater and nice-looking cardigan, a warm down-like jacket with hood and zip-off sleeves, a compact raincoat, a few decorative scarves, and a couple of pairs of underwear.  In addition I took the usual toiletries, camera, and laptop (thank you, Apple, for your lightweight Mac Air).  Shoes were the real challenge.  Americans have big feet compared to the Japanese, so I bought shoes here and arranged for them to be shipped or brought when I think mine will have worn out.  I did a trial pack, but the actual packing proved I needed to take less.  While I stay with friends in a brief transition from New York to Japan, I'll have to take out some things  and repack.  

I ended up buying new clothes for the trip, taking very few of what I had.  Some made sense: I didn't have warm, very light weight tops, for example.  But it also symbolized my embarking on a new adventure, in a new direction.  Starting out new seemed right.

Connecting.  The process of preparing made me realize how important staying connected is.  Many friends had good advice for my travels ("think about shoes!", Karen said) or referred me to others, whether here or in Japan for me to look up.  I made new friends here -- Gabriella, who took Japanese with me; Suzanne who suggested I read a book on pilgrimage.  At year end, I was touched by the care and thoughtfulness friends took in Christmas gifts, finding small useful things to take with me, all of which will remind me of them.  And, despite the hectic pace as I finished my preparations, there was time for dinners and conversations as we bid each other good-by. 

I created this blog to stay connected with my friends, old and new, so I could share with them this amazing journey.  As I make friends in Japan, I hope they, too, will enjoy this tale of travel.