Going back to Japan

Well this is the umpteenth time for me to go to Japan.  It's mainly to introduce my son to his Japanese family and for my wife to load up on Japanese goodies that are either hard or impossible to find here.  We'll be gone for a few weeks.  We'll get to see many of our friends and family and will do and see somethings that have been on the bucket list for a long time.  Chief among these will be going to Beppu.  Beppu is on the island of Kyushu and is famous for its sulfuric hot springs.  I've wanted to go there for years, but never got around to it.

This will also be the first time for me to use the Japan Rail Pass.  It's basically a ticket that allows you to use any JR trail as many times as you want within a certain time frame.  There are some restrictions, but that's for another post.  We will be purchasing the week long pass and with it we will go to Kyushu, Kyoto and a few other places.  I certainly intend on getting more than my money's worth from it.  I wish I could convince my wife to let me get the two week pass, but it's not really worth the effort.  Besides if I were to go to more places, I'd be more tempted to spend money that I don't really have.

Another part of the trip that I'm particularly excited about is the food.  I miss Japanese food.  I also look forward to karaoke and just having fun in my old haunts.

The hardest thing about this trip is the inevitable feeling of wanting to stay.  It happens each time I go back there.  I arrive and the nostalgia and good memories of my time in Japan flood back and I begin entertaining thoughts of staying.  I know I can't, but I still feel that way at times.  I've built a life here finally so I'm not going to just toss it away on an impulse.

Anyways, this trip will be fun and we're all excited.  Well excited except for the part of taking a young baby on an international flight...