A departure

Yeah, I've been on hiatus. For a while. Sue me. (Or don't. I have no money. I'd have to suddenly have a lot of money just to make up to the level of "broke.")

I'm a member of SDN - the Student Doctor Network. And we're sort of having a blog challenge right now. Someone picks a topic, and we all blog about it. Today's topic: "If you could go on vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go? What would you do while there (activities, attractions, food, etc)?"


For me, I don't even have to think about this. It's a reflex at this point. Japan. Sure, there's lots of other places I want to see - the UK, Boston, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia... But at the top of the list, it's always been Japan. Some background: around the age of 11, I fell head over heels in love with anime and manga. Which led me to learn more about the culture, and the subcultures. The karyukai, lolita fashion, the history, the food, the art... I collect kimono and I wear them (if you've ever heard that kimono are so complicated that you need someone to dress you, they're either lying and have never tried or they're talking about the really elaborate versions worn by geisha and maiko or worn by nobels in the past).


If there was no time limit, and an unlimited bank account, I'd probably need a month to cover everything. I'd go north to Hokkaido and soak in onsen (hot springs).

I'd climb Mount Fuji. I'd travel to Tokyo and hang out in little hole in the wall sushi bars, and stuff myself on sashimi and miso. I'd go to Akiharbara and comb through manga shops and feed my inner otaku. I'd spend way too much money in Baby the Stars Shine Bright. I'd visit Ueno Park, maybe in spring as the sakura are blooming.

After that it would be further south to Kyoto. I'd browse the old streets, hoping for a glimpse of my favourite geiko, Fukunao. Then I'd try to walk in her footsteps with a henshin make over; again, if time and money were no object, I'd be dressed as a maiko, then a geiko and finally, in the gigantic hair and kimono of a tayuu.

My final stop would be south to Okinawa to hang out on some beaches and hear some music, with a quick trip to the aquarium there. I've always wanted to see a whale shark up close.