We are going to Tokyo!!

When my husband told me there was a possibility of him being offered a deal to play baseball in Japan, I didn’t think much of it. We were getting married in two weeks and I had other things to focus on. I figured we could talk about the various possibilities, and deal with the final decision once we heard about a solid offer. We were on the second day of our honeymoon in Mexico when we got a call from his agent. It was now real, the first major decision we would make together as a married couple of only three days. After weighing our options we decided the offer was to good to pass up! We are both very adventurous and independent people who saw this as a once in a lifetime opportunity! The chance to live in another county for a 8 months! Not many other people could say they have done that in their lives. Now is the time to do it! The only sad part was that we were going to have to leave our house, friends, and family. Knowing that our house was going to be looked after was a huge load off. The next stressful thing… PACKING!!

I am a terrible over packer. I get so stressed out. With the changing of seasons in Japan, what will I need more of? What if it gets hotter sooner? For March, April and May the weather is pretty cool, and then summer weather hits and it’s suppose to be extremely humid and hot. Basically, I had to plan for all kinds of weather. In the end, I had two large suit cases and one medium one, pretty solid in my eyes! I tried to keep it to basics and layering options. I figured, when I come home mid July for about a month to check in on the house and visit with my family, I could switch out clothes. This eased my mind.

I was very grateful to be traveling business class for the 13 hour flight! I came prepared with my leopard silk pajamas, that I changed into the moment the fasten seatbelt sign went off. Thirteen hours?! It’s time to get comfy! Once my fuzzy socks were on, I was ready to go. I flew Delta, and was very happy with the whole experience. They give you two pillows, a comforter-style blanket, slippers, headphones, eye mask, and a vanity packet. I also made sure I drank a lot of water, and threw in two Vitamin C packets that also have minerals and electrolytes to battle the jet lag I heard so much about. After two movies, two meals, and seven hours of sleep, I finally touched down in Tokyo!

Miles, my husband, had already been there for a month and a half for their spring training and season opening, and I couldn’t wait to jump into his arms. He told me that he was going to pick me up from the airport, and boy did he in style! I walked out to find this handsome stud channeling his inner Richard Gere from “Pretty Woman”, dressed to the nines with roses and a white limo!

After arriving at our apartment, showering and unpacking a little, it was time to eat and explore! We live in Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo in the Oakwood T-Cube building. We really got lucky with this location. In terms of convenience, nothing is better. Our apartment building is connected to a metro station, and has a variety of cafes, restaurants, and a market at the bottom floor. The connected overpass leads you to more restaurants, my gym, and a courtyard area where there are weekend farmers markets and festivals!

As you venture out along Roppongi Street, you end up in the more famous city feel that is “Roppongi Crossing.” Here you will see more of the city nightlife, neon lights, crowds, restaurants, and Japanese advertisements that are almost always animations with funny jingles. Like NYC, the buildings have something different on every floor, from more restaurants, shops, massage salons, and clubs.

My family kept telling me how much we would stand out, and boy where they right. We were now the minority. Walking up and down the streets in Tokyo, heads turn to see the very tall muscular man holding my hand, and then glance over at me, the blonde American that they rarely see. When we walked into the restaurant, more heads turn. It’s a little off setting at first, but you have to be understanding of people’s curiosity.

The city is more tourist friendly than the rural areas. Most restaurants have English versions of their menus, or very detailed pictures of each dish, so you can easily point to what you want. At most of the Japanese restaurants they give you wet naps at the beginning of each meal, and most of the time will bring you either water or a hot green tea right away. I chose this seafood noodle bowl with a spicy red sauce that resembled a pasta fra diavlo. It was sooo yummy! I had to watch the other patrons at the restaurant to see how they used their chopsticks and spoon to eat these noodles: some slurped, some placed the noodles on the spoon with their chopsticks, and some (including Miles) gave up and used a fork. At the end of your meal, you almost always will pay up front at the register, and in Japan there is no tipping.

After a long two days, I was very happy to go home and rest. I wanted to go to sleep around 10pm Tokyo time, to help eliminate any jet lag as well, but not before drinking more water and a Vitamin C Pink Lemonade travel packet. I also took a natural sleep aid from NatureMade called Sleep, which has L-theanine- helps relax the mind, and Melatonin- which plays a natural role in the body’s sleep cycle. I never felt any side-effects of jet lag!