Kyooka de Nihon e Ikimas

(Tans: 'm going on Vacation to Japan)

"NO!!!! Your going where? For how long? NO!!!!!!"

Well folks, I am off to the land of the raising sun. I’ am so excited! I have been planning this trip for three years and at last the day has come. I still can’t picture how exciting it is going to be for me to visit a land as far away and exotic (not to orientalize or make it sound like a kiwi) as Nihon. Imagine me in Kyoto or the small islands off the coast of Hiroshima with my camera and stupefied looks of amazement, traveling down the east coast of Japan in supersonic bullet trains, blinded by neon lit Tokyo, or making the sign of the cross (*In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen) before swallowing some potentially deadly blowfish. I try to imagine over and over what to expect but I know that nothing my imagination conjures will prepare me for the real thing.

The 15 hour flight will probably be my least favorite aspect of the trip especially since it’s a direct flight. I need some Percocets, Ambien, Lunesta, Oxycodone, anything to get me through it. My BUTT and ADD are going to drive me insane during this flight. The book I am presently reading is the size of a phonebook so it has to stay behind and I can only twiddle my thumbs for so long. My other concerns are the airplane food and the fact that everyone farts on international flights, something to do with the physical affects of air pressure at those altitudes. (Mental note to self: No black beans or fiber loaded food)

I am only taking one carry-on and a camera bag with me; I am going to have to leave the fashionista persona in NYC and plan to somehow manage to live out of about two square feet of luggage. You all know that equates to one pair of shoes and if you happen to know me you know how much of a challenge one pair of sneakers will be. On the bright side I will carry at least 4 gigs worth of empty memory cards, 3 cameras, lots of film, my laptop and a hefty sum of ¥en which I acquired at the currency exchange at Grand Central Station this morning.

I plan to send a lot of postcards, especially since I will be taking many cross country train rides. If you would like to receive a postcard please email me your full name and address to Cubanizm@gmail.com (not to yusef@cubanizm) so that I may send those out accordingly. If you are someone “special” (I’ll leave that definition open to personal perception –you know who you are) please make sure to send an email with the above mentioned details so that I may send one out to you.

Well wish me God speed and may I find everyone (including self) well on my return.