What Japan Feels Like

Excitement vs Relaxation

Something felt off about our trip. The first week was incredible; the second week, things shifted.

Here’s what I figured out.

We spent most of our time in Tokyo, and what makes Tokyo extraordinary is what’s happening inside places. The overwhelming majority of restaurants are inside. The jazz venues are inside. The incredible shopping, inside.

And most of that has to be planned and reserved in advance. After a week of that, plus navigating a real language barrier, we were quietly exhausted without quite knowing why.

By contrast, Europe, where we live, is built for the flâneur, someone who strolls with no destination in mind. The architecture, the café culture, the pedestrian streets are all designed for getting lost on purpose. This is why we love Lisbon, London and Lyon, where we spend the bulk of our time. These are cities built for wandering until something finds you.

I think about a moment in Lisbon when my wife and I were sitting at a café on the waterfront, watching sailboats go by over two-dollar sangrias. She turned to me and said, “But if we move here, what are we going to do here?” I paused and said: this. Sit at a café on the waterfront and watch the sailboats go by.

This isn’t an essay telling you not to go to Japan. It is spectacular in so many ways. But it’s a different kind of vacation, interesting, exciting, and genuinely wonderful. Just not always restful.

And sometimes you don’t know what you needed until you notice what’s missing.