I’ve loved many of the 90 or so countries to which I’ve traveled, but Japan is my favorite. That’s why Steve and I have broken our cardinal rule for it; we go back. Steve first traveled there when he was 8 years old, and he accompanied me in 1979 for my introduction to the land of the rising sun. Since then we’ve returned five times. The last two were brief stopovers on the way home from elsewhere in Asia, but the other visits were substantial, including a month-long home-exchange in Tokyo in 2001.

I also traveled back to Japan in my mind in 2020 and 2021, when I had two big trips arranged. For each I secured real tickets. Figured out the itineraries. Reserved all the accommodations. But Japan closed its borders in an attempt to keep out Covid, and that clobbered the first trip. I figured the country wouldn’t be locked down for long but I was wrong about that and had to cancel the second trip too. Now, however, it looks like we’re really about to return.

We’re scheduled to depart Tuesday (September 17) on an itinerary that will take us to Tokyo, Kobe, the island of Shikoku, Hiroshima, Kyoto, and Osaka. More than half the time, we’ll be in places that are new to us.

This also will be the first time I’ve ever blogged about Japan; I didn’t start this site until 2010, and all our big visits were before then.

I don’t expect to lack material. So stayed tuned.