There's No Place Like Home *

* Except Maybe Disneyland :-)

The phone rang at 4:00am and I dragged myself out of bed. After two weeks in Japan I'm fully in sync with local time and this is just too early to be getting up after a day of temple hopping all over Kyoto. I took a shower and packed the last few things into my bags. As promised the van showed up at precisely 4:50 and I was the first passenger on board. As we weaved through the dark streets of Kyoto it suddenly hit me that my Japan vacation was actually over. In that moment I knew I would be coming back, better prepared and for a much longer stay next time. That helped a little, but I still felt an overwhelming sadness at leaving this beautiful country.

We made several stops within Kyoto and eventually the van filled up. I'm starting to get used to being the only caucasian on the bus. Everyone had to give me the once over as they got aboard, but I just smiled and added them to my memory bank. We got on the highway heading south and drove for over an hour before reaching the airport. The Kansai International Airport is situated about 80 kilometers from Kyoto on the far side of Osaka. KIX is famous for being built on a man-made island in Osaka Bay. It's more than a mile offshore and access is over a very long bridge.

Once again I had to layover in Seoul, South Korea, only this time the airport was fully open. I'm still not impressed. The only shops are duty free stores where you can buy a gallon of Jack Daniels tax free, but you can't buy a bottle of Coke to save your life. I discovered all those special amenities for transfer passengers (showers, saunas, massage rooms, etc.) which were closed when I was here before are so expensive even the rich and famous might turn them down. I was very thankful to be aboard my 747 and heading back to the United States at last.

When you fly to Japan you lose a day crossing the International Date Line. I never lived last Wednesday, but now I get it back by having two Thursdays this week. So I had the unique experience of leaving Korea at 4:30pm on Thursday September 6th and arriving ten hours later in Los Angeles at 11:30am of the same day. I love time travel!

The plan was I would arrive in LA about an hour before my mother flew in from the East Coast. That was supposed to give me time to clear Homeland Security and trek across LAX to meet her, but I'd just finished Immigration and was heading for baggage claim when my phone rang. Mom's plane was ridiculously early and she was already waiting on the curb outside of a different terminal building.

Luckily the weather was nice so she had no trouble waiting the half hour or so it took my bag to appear and for me to walk from Terminal B to Terminal 1. We caught the shuttle to the Marriott Hotel and checked in. I wasn't sure if my jet-lag avoidance scheme was really going to work when I made these plans, so I'd set aside the afternoon as recovery time, which I didn't really need. I worked on my blog for a while and mom read the book she'd brought with her. We ate in the hotel and went to bed early.

In the morning we took the hotel shuttle back over to the airport to pick up the rental car. I checked the big board and went to the spot listed next to my name. Instead of the full sized car I'd requested there was a SUV in the spot. It looked like it hadn't been washed in a week and the interior was filthy. I went back inside to complain and without a blink they upgraded me to a sports sedan. I'm having the best luck with car rentals lately!

Friday was my Birthday so what better way to celebrate than a trip to Disneyland! I haven't been to the original park in ages and mom had never been here before. I knew the place had changed a lot when I pulled into the massive six-story tall parking garage. When I was here last there were just acres and acres of open parking lots. They've built a second theme park on those lots and all the cars park here now. The trams are the same though and riding them to the main gate is a nostalgic beginning to a Disney day.

The plan wasn't to hit all the wild rides today. Mom's not into that and I was way too tired, so we just walked around and did the easy fun stuff. Pirates of the Caribbean, Honey I Shrunk the Audience, and the So You Want to be a Princess stage show. One of the attractions I was really looking forward to, the Haunted Mansion, was unfortunately closed. They are turning it into a Nightmare Before Christmas themed attraction for Halloween, which I think is a great way to update an old favorite.

Eventually we ended up in Toon Town where we went through Minnie's House and ended up in line for a photo-op with Mickey. Okay, I admit it, I'm just a big kid. I was really getting a kick out of meeting Micky Mouse on my birthday. He even gave me a kiss on the cheek! I should mention that earlier in the day I'd been tagged by a cast member with a big pink button telling the world it was "Julie's Birthday". They also gave mom one saying it was her first visit, so we were both being greeted everywhere by cast members and guests alike.

We'd made the full circuit of the park and when we missed the Honda ASIMO Robot Show in Futureland by only five minutes I suggested we call it a day. We were both tired and hungry so we headed out and used the GPS in the car to find a really great Italian restaurant in nearby Fullerton. I still had the Birthday button on, so they brought me a cannoli with a candle in it after the meal. All in all it was a great birthday.

The next day we went to see my cousin and his family in Huntington Beach. We sat by the pool all day and even had dinner out there. This southern California lifestyle is pretty inviting, but before we knew it we were heading back to the hotel. I dropped off the rental car, we packed our bags and tried to get a good night's sleep. We'd taken an early flight home on Sunday, but had a longer than normal drive from BWI. Just to make the end of my vacation memorable there was a big accident on I-97, which had traffic backed up for miles in all directions.

At home, I dropped my big duffel bag in front of the washing machine, everything in there has been sweat soaked several times over. After a big welcome home hug, Mom headed back to her house and I was left alone with my laundry and my thoughts. Am I happy with the way my trip turned out? You bet. Do I want to go back someday? Of course, but not for a while. I have other places to go, more people to meet and other things I want to see before my feet touch Nippon's soil again.


When I do return, I won't be a stranger. Rather an old friend, come again to breathe in the many wonders of Japan and bask once more in her rising sun.