Top 5 Things I Look Forward to Seeing and Doing in Japan!

I Look forward to doing many things in Japan but I thought I could compile a list of my top 5 for tonight's blog.

Number One: Cherry Blossom Trees!
I think these trees are beautiful. I cannot wait to be in Japan sitting under a big a big ol' Cherry Blossom tree.
I would love to be able to plan our visit to be at the same time as the cherry blossom festival but I also fear having to fight a big crowd around those times as well.

Number Two: Onsen!
There is nothing I love more than a long hot bath, so what better way to spend my day than relaxing in the Japanese hot springs. I want to seek out the interesting onsens as well that have wine and green tea baths. I can't wait to walk out of there feeling like a limp noodle from all that relaxation.

Number Three: Ryokan!
No thanks big fancy hotels, I can't wait to stay at a ryokan. We want to get the most out of our trip so we decided we will be staying at a ryokan for the most authentic experience. I have heard great things about staying at a ryokan such a friendly staff/owners, great food, and super comfy futons.

Number Four: Food!
Now I'm not a big fan of sushi (yet) but I love Japanese rice, teriyaki chicken, and miso soup to name a few. I can't wait to try all of the yummy authentic Japanese food. I definitely want to visit some good ramen places as well.

Number Five: Sight Seeing!
I think one of the most enjoyable activities in Japan will simply be walking around sight seeing. I look forwards to visiting quite a few temples and rock gardens. I also look forward  to shopping and bringing home lots of Japanese goodies for our friends and family.


So that concludes my top 5 list. There are a ton of other things I want to see and do and perhaps one night when my toddler isn't shredding toilet paper and trying to mame our cat I'll make my list a bit more in-depth.
Good Night!

A Little About Our Family.

To start off I though I would make my first post a little about our family. I'm 22, mommy to a beautiful little girl and currently working as a medical assistant. My fiance Derrick is also 22, the greatest daddy in the world and currently works data entry on the night shift. We have been in a committed relationship for almost 9 years and have been engaged since 2007. We have been dreaming of a trip (or move) to Japan for almost 4 years now.

In 2008 we got into watching Anime. I fell in love with the art, characters, and language. I started researching Japan and all in entails. I read about the culture, the people, the land. I fell in love with everything about Japan. I realize in hindsight I romanticized Japan with unreal expectations but I have since learned to appreciate the culture for the good and bad and most of all for the vast difference between Japan and America.

So in 2008 I told Derrick "I want to go to Japan" and that is what started our long journey of finding a way to make it happen. We started planning, budgeting, and researching. We bought books on learning the language and customs and spent countless reading on the internet.

In 2009/2010 I became pregnant and we had our little girl. We sort of fell off the Japan bandwagon with all the stress of a new baby. We spent our Japan savings and forgot almost all of the language we had learned. Now our baby is turning into a rough and tumbly toddler and we are more than ready to start planning again. I made this blog to document our journey to making our dream come true and to share my crazy everyday life as a mommy. I also hope to meet other people who also want to visit or are currently staying in Japan.

Our plan now: start saving money and learn as much Japanese as we can! Hopefully very soon we will be able to make this a reality.