One of the reasons I enjoy traveling is that reminds me of the simple pleasures of home. Or, as my friend Paul said during our Aconcagua climb earlier this year, "Sometimes you take vacation to remember that ordinary life isn't all that bad." And while I can't say that running between different hotel rooms and sights in Japan involves the same level of suffering as climbing a 23,000 foot peak, life in Japan does have its challenges and I've come to appreciate that there are certain things about home I care about quite a bit -- that is, beyond the obvious, like family and friends.
First and foremost is solitude. There are people everywhere in Japan. You can't escape. You expect to see bright lights and massive crowds at Tokyo's Shinjuku Station (where 3.5 million people pass a day) or Shibuya Crossing (which sees 100,000 people cross paths every hour). But the crush that Japan's population exerts goes way, way beyond that. Hillside towns connected by tangled nests of electrical wires exist where you expect nothing. Ancient temples and shrines resemble amusement parks, and store fronts and vending machines line their thousand-year-old walkways. Modern buildings grow up and over and around the old cities of the empire. People are everywhere. And while I'm sure there are places you can go to escape, I haven't found them.
I also miss simple things about home. I miss eating Cheerios each morning; drive-thru restaurants; and listening to annoying Sportscenter anchors. I miss my routine and the ease by which I can go about the ordinary tasks of life -- like hailing a taxi or buying new socks.
I don't mean to say that Japan isn't great or that I'm not having a fantastic time. It is and I am. Only that maybe life back home isn't so bad itself.
Follow @Conquests