On The Road Again

I'm heading back home to Japan, but this time it has been more stressful than ever. The Japan border is completely closed. The only people who can get in are Japanese or the spouse of a Japanese national. On top of that the forms and types of covid tests the Japanese government will accept are getting harder to find in California. Luckily the travel agency I usually use has their own in-house testing capability. Only another $195 out of my pocket to tell people what I already know, I don't have COVID.

One of the nice things about my trip is my ticket was almost half of what I have been paying, $1200 down to $698.

Now when I land there is a bad possibility I will have to quarantine in a hotel instead of my home for 6 days. This is a new change since I have been flying back and forth for the past 2 years. Usually I just rent a car and drive home, half awake. I'm still hopeful that my wife will be able to come pick me up this time after I clear customs. Really not looking forward to six days in a hotel, jet lagged, unable to go out.

This lead me to think about some things, especially travel and all of the young people who are missing out on traveling to Japan. There is nothing like exploring the streets of Tokyo when you are you and free. A lot of people will never have that experience because of a coof that barely affects young people. Our children and a generation will never forgive us for what our governments have done to their lives.

As soon as my quarantine is up I am going to be hitting the city hard. There is lots to photograph and lots to blog about. I've got some places on my bucket list like the ship Daigo Fukuryū Maru which suffered radiation fall out from the Castle Bravo test at Bikini Atol. It is now a tourist attraction in Tokyo.

Boarding time, wish me luck on being able to go straight home and not some hotel!