Japan has been the most amazing country to explore. From their clean and quiet streets to their efficient transportation system – the list of things we have loved about this country is long. Their culture is so vastly different than ours and I feel so thankful that we had the opportunity to experience it. The people here are respectful, humble and kind to their core. When wild animals bow to you, I think it’s safe to say there’s an overarching respect within the culture.
Here’s a slideshow of our favorite memories from Japan, and some fun stats about our time here.
Japan Life in Numbers
Number of Kitkat flavors tasted: 16
Percentage of meals eaten with chopsticks: ~ 75% (our skills are pretty impressive)
Number of miles traveled by train throughout Japan: 566
Number of times I replied yes in Spanish instead of Japanese: 4
Number of attempts to win at the claw machines: way too many!
Number of actual wins at the claw machines: 2
Number of walks along the Sumida River: ~ 40 (once a day while we were in Tokyo – sometimes more)
Number of times Alexis had to remind us of proper Japanese etiquette: ~ 20 (at least daily for the first couple weeks)
Number of times we had to remind Alexis to be quiet: ~ 31 (each day in tiny Tokyo condo)
Number of melon pan breads eaten by Alexis: 54 (one a day since our arrival in Japan)
Number of nights we all slept within 15 feet of each other: 31 (tiny condo in Tokyo)
Number of times someone declared “I quit gap year”: 4
Number of days we have kept our daily journals (to date): 109
Average number of daily steps taken in Tokyo: ~ 16,300
Number of new experiences and memories made: countless
Bags Packed – Hearts Full
We leave for Guam early tomorrow morning, with a fairly short flight just over 3 hours. We will be renting a car for the first time this year and I imagine it will feel a little weird to drive. As we took our final walk around the streets of Japan today Dave said, “I bet we look back during this year and really miss this place.” Goodbye Japan – I hope we can visit again!
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Greetings Conrads family,
Thank you for sharing your fantastic adventure with us. As you know Dave’s grandfather, Bernard, was stationed in Guam at the end of the war in 1945. He was in the ROTC while going to Rice and after graduating he served as an officer on a mine sweeper searching in the bay of Japan and other areas. He never said much about the war to me except his sadness at seeing so many children without food and shoes. When at port in Japan, he said the ship members would distribute left over food from the day and stuff newspapers in their shoes so the orphaned children living in the warehouses could wear them. I would enjoy reading Alexis’ report on WW2 from the view of the Japanese. Look forward to hearing about Guam.
Hi Carol! Thank you for sharing those personal memories from Bernard. We are excited to explore Guam – where Bernard, and then Steve and Debby were stationed. We will email you Alexis’ paper. Thanks for following along!