How I'm keeping my favorite Japan and Korea travel vibes alive
Getting over post-vacation doldrums is hard. I miss the food, the sights, the daily adventures!
After spending two weeks in Japan and Korea in July, I did not look at my photos for a few days in case it made me sad. But I also returned with a new appreciation for what I saw.
So I’m trying a new way adjust to being home — by adopting small changes that I loved during the trip.
Here are 5 things that have stuck with me.
Why shouldn’t cuteness be a lifestyle?
The Penguin Cafe had cute plushies and cozy seating.
Charms dangling from phone cases. Tote bags with Hello Kitty images. Character plushies clipped to purses and backpacks. Celebrity cardboard cutouts that you can pose with on a street. Everywhere I looked, I saw sprinkles of cute.
It made me wonder why there isn’t more of it in my life. Where are our cute cafés like the one in Seoul decorated with penguin plushies? Cute is too often reserved to describe things related to children or girls. Why?
Cute things make you smile, and that’s something we should get more of regardless of age or gender.
2. Cool and luxurious experiences can be accessible.
The Villa Fontaine Grande hotel is attached to the Haneda Airport. It offers a glorious onsen experience — for $35.
Onsens are hot springs baths, and the Villa Fontaine has gorgeous baths made of dark slate. The indoor and outdoor baths overlook the city and are designed so you can look at the view while soaking. You also can use the various saunas there, from salt saunas at different temperatures to a cold sauna. This is the first thing I did after landing and it rejuvenated me after the long flight. It was also a great kickoff for the trip.
Making perfume at Rettre.
In Seoul, you can make your own perfume at Rettre. You share a photo of a memory you want to capture and fill out a form describing the photo in scents and feelings. Then you’re given different scents to smell and your reaction is recorded using a type of brain monitor. The staff then presents you with the formula for your personalized perfume, and your job is to follow the formula to make it — all for $25.
I chose a photo of me walking on stones over a pond at a lush park adjacent to the Japanese Sword Museum. Now, whenever I use the perfume, I’m reminded of the photo and of the trip.
On the free side, from April through October, the Banpo Bridge Rainbow Fountain in Seoul puts on 20-minute water shows set to music — at one point, Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” rang out over Hangang River. People collected on the steps facing the river to chat or have a picnic. Parents brought their kids to run around. It was a lovely scene at sunset.
Finally, Tokyo has bidets everywhere, even in public restrooms. I truly miss this.
3. Freshly prepared food can be affordable.
At Whole Foods, the salad and hot bar costs $11 per pound. A recent study revealed how half of American adults are worried about rising grocery prices.
I’m Donut creations.
So you’ll believe me when I say my jaw dropped when I saw at the Tokyo grocery store: 10 fresh dumplings for $3 and a 6-piece nigiri package for about $5 (on discount because it was evening).
At I’m Donut, an artisan donut shop, there was short line of customers waiting to get in. These fluffy, cake-like donuts with unique fillings and flavors (matcha or grilled tomato keema curry, anyone?) ranged from $1.50 to $3.25 each. FYI, there’s a New York City Times Square location, where a package of six costs $34.
The convenience store cuisine also did not disappoint! The pork or egg salad sandwiches were great breakfasts for less than $3 each. The sandwiches are delivered every day and often are sold out by the evening, so you know they haven’t been sitting around.
4. Worship your skin, not the sun.
July is hot and muggy in both countries. Yet many people wear long sleeves and pants. They also use umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun.
As one who gets a rash from intense sunlight, I bought an umbrella and a pair of arm sleeves. I was not only thankful for them, I also fit right in with others.
My umbrella for sun protection and my tote for my trash.
So don’t be surprised if you see someone walking around Kansas City on a sunny day under an umbrella and wearing arm sleeves. Skin care is self care!
5. A culture of being considerate is comforting.
In an effort to keep the streets clean, Tokyo has very few trash bins in public spaces. Trust when I say it got to the point where I would notice a trash bin like it was a rare animal.
So people have learned to carry their trash (hence tote bags and backpacks) for the greater good. And the streets are much cleaner for it.
On escalators, people automatically line up on one side to open up a lane for people who want to walk up.
And generally, it’s frowned upon to eat and drink while walking. It was a bit difficult to adjust to this, but it also makes sense. Stopping to eat and drink lessens the chance of accidental spills, and it makes you focus more on enjoying the food.
In Seoul, on buses and trains, there are specially colored seats for pregnant people and senior citizens. No matter how crowded it was — we could be packed like sardines — unqualified riders did not sit in these seats.
So now that I’m home, I’ve decided there are small ways to adapt these experiences into my life.
I will appreciate the stranger who holds the door open for me and I will do so for others.
I will make more fresh food. I will wear long pants and sleeves on sunny days.
I will visit my beautiful local public spaces. I will add to my phone case a charm I bought in Kyoto.
This is how I’ll keep my vacation vibes alive and the cuteness cute-ing.