The last time I visited Asia I spent a week exploring Japan. I flew into Tokyo and took the train down to Kyoto and Osaka to see a few of the sites in each city. The hustle of traveling quickly through Europe, hopping on flights just a few days apart isn’t new to me. Being able to take the train through Japan allowed me more freedom to change plans whenever I wanted. That is exactly what I did after a couple of days in Kyoto. Kyoto and I just weren’t vibing. Kyoto is a beautiful city, it just wasn’t where I felt I needed to be at the time. I decided to cut a day from my time there and head back to Tokyo.
Back to Tokyo I Go
This was an easy decision to make thanks to my Japan Rail Pass. I was able to show up at the train station and reserve a seat on the next train to Tokyo. My week was already planned but the rail pass allowed more flexibility. I honestly could have taken the train anywhere but as the title of this article suggests I was looking for some rest.
On the train back to Tokyo I was able to book a night at the hotel I had reserved for the last day of my trip using my Pocket Wifi. This made my life so much easier while I was in Japan. I never had to worry about not having enough service to use google maps. If I was ever too exhausted for the metro I could easily order an Uber to get back to my hotel/airbnb/hostel.
The final thing that made this choice less stressful was my credit card points. I’d already used some to book a hotel as a treat my last day in Tokyo so I decided to use a few more and treat myself to two nights at the Intercontinental ANA Tokyo. I did feel bad for the money I spent on my last night at the hostel in Kyoto but not having to spend more money and using points instead made the choice more reasonable.
A Time To Rest
When I arrived back in Japan I made the executive decision to rest and enjoy the hotel room. I also enjoyed the room service. I did squeeze in a few sites, mostly restaurants, in my last two days. Something I didn’t do was force myself to stay out from sunrise to sunset like I usually would. This time around I explored slower than I did the days prior and I thank myself for that grace.
I needed to remind myself that I wasn’t traveling for Instagram. I didn’t need to prove anything to my followers. No one cared if I didn’t post a new pic or need proof from my stories that I was having fun. I had a fulltime job waiting for me at home so my last two days were full of rest and relaxation. They were both new to me. I’m the girl who heads from the office to the airport. I’ve also been known to arrive back home on a Monday morning just in time for work at 9am.
A new Cirrena Marie was born in Tokyo and I hope to continue moving a bit slower through my travels.
Ahh sounds like an amazing adventure. Japan is on my bucket list for 2021
Sounds like you had a wonderful time in Japan! I was supposed to visit in March, but couldn’t because of COVID. I hope to go back!
I always forget to rest when I travel, or I just feel like I’ll miss something, but I think it’s so important. I find when I do rest, I’m so happy and so ready to see more after that!
Sometimes you just need to rest and if the body asks for it, it’s okay to do it! I would love to visit Japan and I find it very interesting that you can take a train pass. Thank you for sharng!
I totally get this!!! I did this in London but didn’t have the words to describe it. I just wrote a post about my trip to London and was kinda beating myself up over not seeing and doing more, your post was a great reminder that we don’t always need to be rushing and trying to squeeze every last drop out of every place and every day. I still absolutely loved my trip even though I was taking the time to relax and go slow. Thank you!
I’ve learned this lesson the hard way…I now try to schedule in rest days when we travel. I often get so excited by so many fun things to do that I exhaust myself and my family. Rest is important- glad you did it!