Right before I left for San Francisco, Naoto booked our flights to Japan!
In some ways, it feels like we just got back. I still have some washi tapes and some stationery I haven’t even opened! And, our bank account just recovered from our last trip (and Christmas!) But I’ve always wanted to go in the spring, and rather than go this summer again (too hot!) or hold off an extra long time until next spring, we decided to take the plunge and go in March. We scored a decent airfare (on ANA…love those Japanese carriers!) and made reservations at the same hotel.
I’m on pins and needles about seeing the cherry blossoms bloom. It’s hard to predict when they will open, but we will hopefully be there to at least catch a few…
Naoto wants to spend extra time with his mom while we are there this time. That means I will be adventuring around Tokyo by myself sometimes. I’m dreaming of spending all day in Itoya or Sekaido or spending extra time at Mister Donut for postcard writing and donut tasting. While this whole independence thing makes me super excited–I always feel bad for dragging Naoto into every single stationery store in the city–I’m also a little nervous. I don’t usually need to ask questions in stores–I have spending money in Japan perfected. But taking the train in Tokyo is still puzzling to me. So, if you hear about an American lost on the subway in Tokyo, you can say, “Hey I know her!”
The best part of our trip is that I get to spend my birthday in Japan. I’m already making up my list of must-do’s on that day.
I’ll share more about our trip as it creeps closer. In the meantime, I need to use up some stationery and washi tape so I can make room for more!
Before the excitement of leaving San Francisco happened…there was Ex Postal Facto!For me, going to Ex Postal Facto was mostly about seeing (and meeting some for the first time!) the ladies I correspond with through the mail. The picture above is courtesy of Mary. (Back: Pamela, Bonnie Jeanne, me, April, Mary, Mandy. Kneeling in front: Bethany, Melissa, Anne Elizabeth and Karen.)
In the months leading up to Ex Postal Facto, it seemed like everyone I knew was planning to go, so it just seemed like the right time to take a little postal-themed vacation to San Francisco. When we looked into flights and found one for less than $300, it kind of felt meant-to-be. I am so glad I went…meeting everyone renewed my excitement to write to more letters!
On Friday night, there was an opening reception for Mail/Art/Book at the San Francisco Center for the Book. Many people sent in mail art submissions that were amazing interpretations of mail and books…seriously…the creativity! During the reception, there were opportunities to exchange artist stamps and addresses with the other participants. We had little red passports for collecting stamps and information…I will share a bit more in the ephemera portion of the Ex Postal Facto series of blog posts. You can see the fancy National Postal Museum stamp above, alongside Melissa‘s DC stamp.On Saturday there was a vendor expo at the Elks Lodge. There were tables and tables of great mail lovers selling and giving away paper, stationery, artist stamps, rubber stamps, postcards…and in the next room…there was a bar! It was a relief to escape the hectic fair and chat and make mail with friends (while drinking a root beer). I met some really amazing mail artists and sellers and my eyes were opened to the vast array of personalities and styles in the mail art world.
On Sunday there was a panel discussion at the San Francisco Public Library. A few of us decided to skip this in favor of enjoying the California weather. (What can I say…after two and a half days of not wearing a jacket, I was hooked!) Mary’s Ex Postal Facto write-up covers this event nicely, if you’d like to read about it over there.
I am so glad I went…most of my “near-home” friends aren’t into letter writing or the post office or old paper bits or stamps, so it was fun to get together with “my people” and geek out over that stuff. I’m hoping, whether there is an Ex Postal Facto II or not, we all can get together again for more postal shenanigans.
My trip to SanFrancisco ended in dramatic fashion.
In hindsight, I believe I was never in danger, but in the moment…the unknown, the adrenaline, the confusion…
My hotel in SanFrancisco was in a decent area–a busy, tourist area filled with restaurants and shops and people. It reminded me of Chicago’s Michigan Avenue because there were high-end stores, plenty of travelers and also plenty of homeless people. I never felt unsafe going to and from my hotel, even though I had heard and read that the area near the hotel was a little questionable. I just did what I do here at home…I paid attention to my surroundings and held my bag close.
On Sunday night, I was scheduled to fly the red-eye home so I said goodbye to my friends, went back to my hotel, gathered my belongings and made the two-block trek to the BART (the subway that goes to the airport). If you are familiar with subways, typically you walk down from street level to the station, then go down another level to the train platform. That’s how the Powell Station was, and the first set of stairs down from street level is circular, giving you a wide view of the station from above (and the city from below).
I was walking down the first set of stairs (down from street level) lugging my suitcase and big bag when I heard three pops, right above and in front of me.
Pop. Pop. Pop.
I stopped in my tracks. I knew it was gunshots.
Then, in my head, I was thinking, Nah…there is no way that was a gun. I’m on vacation. This is a nice area full of tourists. That was performance art or something.
So I proceeded into the station where no one seemed to be affected by what I’d just heard. Tourists were filling their BART card with money, the transit workers were sitting in their booth chatting…everything seemed normal. Maybe it was just a fluke or something. I headed over to the gate to pay and go down to the train platform. Just as I was getting ready to scan my card, people started screaming and running in the station about someone with a gun.
I was frozen. I felt like I couldn’t go back up because that was where the shots were fired. I couldn’t go down, because the gunman could be down there. I didn’t know enough about the station to navigate a plan. Then some guy ran down screaming at the BART workers to call the police because someone had been shot. People continued to panic and scream around me but I can’t even tell you where everyone was going…I felt like I was in slow motion, but my mind was racing and rationalizing a plan. Although people were running through and around the station, no one was running up from the train platform, so I scanned my card and cautiously proceeded to the escalator down. No one down there even knew what was happening and I saw a group of ladies and asked them if they knew someone had been shot. They looked at me blankly and responded in another language.
I suddenly felt really alone and scared, so I did what any normal person would do…I tweeted.
OMG! A shooting at my train stop. I’m not going to stop shaking until I get home.
I was hoping my fellow mail-loving travelers, most of whom were staying in the area, would see it and know what was going on and maybe send a comfort tweet or two. (My friends did not let me down!)
In the meantime, more people were coming downstairs and no one seemed to be running from a shooter. In the back of my mind, I knew he still could be on the platform, but a train going the other direction had left, so I figured if he was escaping, he’d probably take the first train out, not wait around for mine. A United Airlines worker came down to the platform and we chatted a bit about the shooting and about the BART ride to the airport. He was going to work, he seemed nice and normal and I was feeling a little better because I knew if I stuck with him, I’d get to the airport.
I was still shaking, but I felt better. Tweets were coming in, Naoto and I were texting…it was going to be okay.
Then, the BART came and didn’t stop. There was no real announcement except that the train wasn’t stopping. My heart fell. The United guy assured me that the next train would be in about ten minutes and I had plenty of time to make my flight.
Then, the next BART didn’t stop. Still no announcement but everyone started making their way upstairs. The United guy lamented about taking a cab to the airport and just as I was going to ask if we could share a cab, he disappeared. In the meantime, Carolee is tweeting and asking if I was in Chicago or SanFrancisco…a completely logical question.
I got out of the station went outside. Of course in my confusion, I chose the street that the police shut down for the shooting. I desperately asked a security guard where I could catch a cab and he sent me out another exit and through Bloomingdales to a busy street.
Once I walked into Bloomingdales, I started falling apart. I could not find the exit. I was kind of wandering around the perfume counters, staring off into space, completely overwhelmed. Carolee tweeted me her number and told me to call her. I found the door to a street finally. I got outside and attempted to make a phone call.
I have an iPhone. Typically, when a phone number appears in the iPhone, you can just touch it and make a call. Apparently, not through the Twitter app though. I tried copying and pasting Carolee’s number. That didn’t work either. So I had to switch back and forth between the app and the phone to dial her number. I’m usually good with remembering an entire phone number long enough to make a call. I could not even remember two numbers at a time to make this phone call. My hands were shaking, my mind was racing, I felt this crazy relief that I was out of danger but this intense panic that I had come crazy-close to danger…all wrapped up with the fear that I would miss my flight and end back up at the hotel again. It took about six tries of going back and forth to finally get Carolee’s entire number dialed into my phone. I was on a busy street, there were kind-of-crazy homeless people all around me and it felt like they were all yelling at me. At this point, I felt a lot like Brenda from Adventures in Babysitting. (See clip below if you need an explanation.)
The second Carolee picked up the phone, I started crying. Instead of telling me where to catch a cab, she sent me into the City Target (right at the corner) to wait for her to come and get me…as Naoto put it (so dramatically) she “swept in and rescued me from the battle zone”. I felt an immense relief and although she doesn’t live around the corner, it felt like she got there in a flash. She had tissues waiting for me just in case, she kept me entertained with funny stories the whole way to the airport…Carolee was pretty much the most perfect post-shooting super hero ever.
And that is why all of my postcards came home with me…I completely forgot about mailing them at the airport after all that excitement…
So that’s how I ended my trip…with a scary situation and kindness of friends.
Today I am on my way to San Francisco to attend Ex Postal Facto!
I mentioned before that I will be seeing many of my pen pals while I’m in SanFrancisco this weekend. I’ve met a few in person before at various letter writing and social events, but most of them, I’ve never met. I’m excited to see them and hang out with them…they already feel like old friends.
For my pen pals, I decided to make bonus calling cards by including boxes of candy. Ferrara Pan makes their famous Lemonheads, Red Hots, Jaw Breakers, Boston Baked Beans and more right here in Forest Park and they have a fantastic little shop where you can buy fresh candy for practically pennies. I decided to buy Lemonheads (the classics) and Red Hots (my favorites, and perfect for Valentine’s Day) and make up some hometown treats for my friends.
They are super simple and not too bulky and once I hand them all out, I’ll have a little pocket of space in my suitcase to fill up with treats from San Francisco!
Tomorrow morning, I’m leaving for San Francisco! That means today will be a whirlwind of preparations. I’m happy to report that I finished three loads of laundry before nine this morning, and I think I have enough clothes to cover the next four days. (What is it about packing for trips that makes you realize how dull your wardrobe is?)
Most importantly, my calling cards are made, the treats for my friends are packaged (more on that tomorrow) and my address book is updated for postcard writing…the important stuff, you know…
Today I am packing my bag, packing up my mail supplies (while referring to this post) and I’m working on updating my calendar with information I’ll need while I’m gone.
Oh, and I’m cleaning up the apartment a bit…just in case Naoto and Presley throw a party while I’m gone.
If you will be at Ex Postal Facto, let me know so I can look for you during the events!
Yes, Kit Kats are totally an American treat…but man, are they ever better in Japan! On my first trip to Japan, I was browsing some tourist shops in Kyoto and I came across Matcha (green tea) KitKats. I was very intrigued, so I brought some home to try and to give to friends. When I tasted one for the first time, I realized that it was going to by verrrry difficult to part with those tasty green treats! They were so good–sweet, and crispy with just the right amount of green tea punch–and I didn’t know when I’d be back to Japan, so I didn’t want to give them to anyone! I ended up being super strict about giving them away.
Is she Matcha KitKat worthy?
Nope.
Guess I’ll eat it myself.
When we traveled to Japan together for the first time in 2011, Naoto and I found Sakura (cherry blossom) Matcha KitKats. They were just as fabulous as the matcha ones–a little bit sweeter with hint of flowery taste complementing the green tea. YUM!I love the fact that they are made for gift giving. There is a place in the back for you to write a message for your recipient–the perfect omiyage! Inside each box, there are three small, individually wrapped KitKat pairs.
Now when Naoto and I go, we buy several boxes to bring home so I don’t have to get all hoard-y with them. I actually mailed out a bunch to my pen pals and I think they were a welcomed sight in mailboxes all across the country. Even with giving a ton away, I have five (ahem, now four) bars left in my pantry for an I-miss-Japan kind of day. (Yesterday was one of those days…while drafting this post, I had to take a break to eat a Sakura KitKat.)
When we were there in September, we picked up some Pumpkin Pudding Halloween KitKats. They were…interesting…not my favorite.
It seems that we have a lot more taste testing to do with Japanese KitKats. I found this article that reviews a “care package” of crazy flavored Japanese KitKats. Who knew there were so many more? I’ve rarely seen the matcha or sakura flavored KitKats in regular grocery stores in Japan (just at the airport and tourist shops), so I ‘m going to have to do a bit of research and hunting when we go back this year.
Matcha & Sakura KitKats…yet another reason Japan Does It Better!
When we first moved into our apartment, we had new hardwood floors installed and I decided we would officially become a “no shoes” household. Naoto and I were both accustomed to taking our shoes off at the door, but in our old apartment, with its worn hardwoods, we didn’t really think about asking our guests to take off theirs. But the hardwoods in our new apartment were the most expensive upgrade to our home and I wanted to take good care of them. Wet shoes, snowy, salty shoes, un-maintained high heels, rocks…they were all the enemy (not to mention dog doo, spit, food, dirt and other unmentionables from the outside world).
But my mom pointed out that as a good hostess, you want people to feel comfortable in your home. For some people, that means keeping their shoes on. I know deep down that my mom is right, and I do want to be a good hostess, but it’s hard–especially with the snowy, slushy weather we’ve been having–to not cry when I think about muddy boots traipsing across my floors and rugs.
This is where Japan Does It Better…
In Japan, there is no question whether or not you should remove your shoes. Everyone removes their shoes. You walk into a tiny vestibule, take off your shoes and step into the rest of the home. Outdoor shoes never step up into the rest of the home. And most people have an array of house shoes that you can wear if you choose.
The aversion to outdoor shoes being worn indoors goes beyond homes in Japan. In some restaurants and shrines, you are asked to remove your shoes. Oftentimes at izakayas there are lockers where you place your outdoor shoes to keep them safe while you eat. (It can be hard to keep track of your locker key when you drink too much!) Some places have communal slippers you wear while inside, other places you just wear your socks. I often wonder how the communal slipper thing would be accepted in the US…I am pretty germ-phobic, but I never thought twice about putting on communal slippers in Japan. (Everything just seems very sanitary there.) And luckily, I’ve always had cute, hole-free socks in my suitcase during my trips to Japan!
What do you think? Shoes, no shoes? Would you think it was weird to take your shoes off in a restaurant?
No shoes indoors…just another way Japan Does It Better!
The first time I flew to Japan, in 2008 for work, I flew American Airlines. It was fine. Economy class is uncomfortable on any flight, and it really wears on you after thirteen hours, but really, who can afford first class?
When Naoto and I flew to Japan in 2011, we flew Japan Airlines. Even though we still flew economy, it felt a little bit luxurious because the customer service was so good and because we each had our own little TVs for movie viewing. (I realize that personal screens are available on pretty much any flight theses days, but in 2011 it felt like a rare treat.)
On Japan Air, they serve a special drink, Sky Time. Sky Time is yuzu juice. Yuzu is a Japanese citrus fruit that looks kind of like a tiny grapefruit and it tastes citrus-y…maybe a cross between a lemon and a grapefruit with a little bit of orange? It’s hard to say exactly. But Sky Time is delicious. You can drink it as is or mix it with vodka. Yum. Yuzu juice can often be found at the Japanese grocery store, too, in case you want to try it without suffering through the cost and the backaches of a thirteen hour flight.
At the airport while checking in for our flight home, we were magically whisked out of line and over to a kiosk and upgraded to business class. Our seats were roomy, we were offered slippers and eye masks and treated like royalty. I credit Naoto’s good karma for the luck of the business class draw…(he has amazing parking karma, too!)
In September, we flew All Nippon Air. It was comparable to Japan Air in customer service. We didn’t have any swanky upgrade luck, but they did kindly move me to an aisle seat. And, on the flight home when the flight attendant learned that my screen didn’t work, she apologized no less than four dozen times, offered me every magazine on the plane and offered to move me to a seat with a working screen another dozen times. It felt really weird…especially since we never complained about it and then explained that I could just hijack Naoto’s screen because he would sleep anyway. Yet the apologies continued…awkwardly.
Oh, and speaking of apologies…we got a little bit off-schedule upon departure at O’Hare and though our pilot tried to make up the time in the air, we were still five minutes late upon our arrive in Japan. The pilot apologized profusely…for five minutes…it’s nice to know that some airlines value my time.
I was excited to learn that ANA also has their own signature drink, the Aromatic Kabosu. Kabosu is another citrus (it looks more like a lime but is kind of similar in taste to yuzu) and it is delicious with gin. My cocktail is pictured above with my mid-flight rice cracker snack…the mid-flight snacks are my favorites.
Kind flight attendants, respect of schedules and signature drinks…more reasons Japan Does It Better in flying!
On Sunday night, Naoto’s actual birthday, we had tickets to the Blackhawks game. The tickets were one of my Christmas gifts but we considered it a bit of a birthday treat for Naoto to attend his first game on his big 4-0. The only problem was…it had been snowing pretty much non-stop since Friday and the temperatures were going to drop to sub-zero levels that night. I didn’t want to drive to the game because of the snow. Taking the L was our only real option…so we bundled up and carefully but quickly made our way through the snow. We live a short four blocks from the station and my cheeks and nose were numb by the time we got there. Brrrr! (The picture above was our snowy view from the train platform.) The whole train ride, I kept dreading the seven block walk from the L to the United Center…neither Naoto nor I knew what to expect. In spite of the unplowed sidewalks, the arctic temperatures and the shady characters offering us parking spaces for the game (Did we look like we had a car???) we made it safely to the UC with all of our fingers and toes (and our wallets and cell phones). We got there early enough to enjoy some tasty tacos and a drink before the game. One of the best parts about seeing the Blackhawks live is hearing Jim Cornelison sing the national anthem in person…he’s amazing on TV but hearing it live with the rest of the crowd cheering was spine-tingling! Sadly, the Hawks lost…but they scored twice so we got to hear the beautiful sound of the horn twice…that’s all we could ask for (though it was quite depressing to brave all that cold and snow and not leave with a win.) In case you want to hear the goal horn and song combo:
But Naoto enjoyed his first game and his first time at the UC. And, we were very grateful that Naoto’s colleague offered us a ride home. (He was at the game, too!) I do believe that it’s because of Matt that we still have all of our fingers, toes and noses in tact…by the time we left the game, the temperatures had dropped significantly and they reached twenty below that night (and that’s without the wind chill!) Thanks for a fun Christmas gift, Naoto. xo
Our New Years Eve was just about perfect–Karen, Naoto, me…Manhattans and steaks at Golden Steer, wine and sweets at home, and an Adami Prosecco toast at midnight…
It snowed in Chicago, making for the perfect wintry backdrop to the festivities. In fact, it’s pretty much been snowing since New Year’s Eve, making for a quiet start to 2014. All we did on January 1st was watch Law & Order…it’s kind of a tradition on New Year’s Day to get sucked into TV marathons and Law & Order is our favorite. I should be embarrassed to admit that I watched from 9AM (January 1) until 2AM (January 2), but I also hung up my new calendar and wrote out a few New Year cards, so we’ll call that a productive first day of 2014.
Today, I’m putting Christmas away and trying to get organized for real…a constant battle around here.
Right before I left for San Francisco, Naoto booked our flights to Japan!
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