TOBY! You are close to death!

As I will be on the JET Program for two years, I decided to go home for winter vacation. Initially, I had firmly decided against flying back to the States due to the cost; however, I started to miss my boyfriend and caved easily when a friend of mine, Shadowcat, told me that a trip home wouldn't be a bad idea. Damnit. I'm not as stone-cold as I thought.

As I helped Shadowcat plan her itinerary for getting to Narita airport, my resistance to going back home crumbled. My resolve melted. It took about 15 minutes for me to decide I would be making my way to Tokyo with Shadowcat. Traveling with a friend is an incredibly good idea, by the way. It's way better to have someone to share the experience with-- from sharing meals to sharing stress. Our journey to Tokyo included a 4-hour car drive to Hachinohe, an 11-12 hour bus ride to Tokyo, and a 1.5-hour express train ride to Narita Airport. If I had done that journey on my own, forget about it. It was great having someone to joke with through all of the stress.

Traveling together also strengthens your abilities and resources. When Shadowcat and I were confused about our bus tickets and were worried about missing our bus, it was her phone that didn't have a dead battery and my Japanese ability that enabled us to talk to a customer service representative and get everything worked out. At the end of the ordeal, we could laugh about our former frustration and just relax.

If you decide to go home, know that it will cost from 1000-2000 USD for the flight. Unfortunately, since you could be placed anywhere in Japan, I can't tell you how to get to your closest international airport. There are five that I know of (not including air bases): Narita (Tokyo), Haneda (Tokyo), Itami (Osaka), Centrair (Chuubu), and Kansai. So, if you live far away from everything like I do, give yourself plenty of time to plan your traveling itinerary. This is also a great reason to make friends with fellow JETs. Doing things alone just sucks!

Travel Tip: Take a shower and wear clothes you want to sit in for 20-30 hours. Don't think, "I'm just going to be gross after the flight anyway, so I won't take a shower." SWINE! Take a shower. It'll make a world of a difference. If you're stressed out, lost, or about to miss your plane, the last thing you need to be thinking about is how gross you feel.

Another travel tip: Don't wear contacts. Wear your glasses and put your contacts in at your destination. You'll be sleepy, your contacts will be dry, and you will just generally not have a good time. They will be so unbearable that you will rip them out of your eyes in the airport parking lot and discard them without remorse.

Travel Tip 3: Do NOT under ANY circumstances forget that you need to buy a re-entry permit to get back into Japan. Yes, I put that in bold. And made it fucking huge. If you do not procure this permit, you will NOT be able to re-enter Japan on your teaching visa from JET. I don't care how much you cry. As soon as you leave the country, it will EXPIRE. Bye-bye, comfy job in Japan. Take note: Japan has gotten rid of this law, but it is not effective until 2012. Be careful. The re-entry permit can take a while to get if you live in an area where many foreigners live. I got mine in about 10 minutes because I live in the inaka. Situations will vary. You'll need your passport with visa and gaijin card. There will be a form that you fill out in the office. You'll also need to buy a special stamp for the form. Depending on your prefecture, it may be bought at a konbini or inside the building you get the permit but on a different floor. Ask around for the specifics! Your Prefectural Advisor should be able to help. Mine did. She rocks.

Travel Tip 4: Do not gorge on your home country's food. You will gain five of the eleven pounds back that you lost playing soccer all autumn. However, you will be slightly warmer than everyone else due to recent chubbiness. You will work harder to lose it again. I SAID YOU WILL WORK HARDER.

So, what have we learned? Going home doesn't mean you're pathetic. It doesn't mean you need to reassess your entire life. It just means there are things you need to do or people you need to see outside of your life in Japan. There's nothing wrong with that. If I weren't staying for two years, I would have toughed it out due to the money. As it stands, I'll be here collecting awesome paychecks for another year and a half. Mwahahaha.

Check your airline's policy on how many bags you can check for free. On Delta, I was allowed two free checked bags. When I went home, I put the smaller suitcase inside of the bigger one. When I came back to Japanland, I had two huge suitcases that flew free. Pack those bags and re-pack them to make sure everything fits properly. I actually could have brought a lot more stuff back in my larger suitcase. I've found, though, that I don't want for anything while here. On the rare occasions that we go to the foreign food store (four hours away), I don't grab a cart and start stock-piling. The only thing I bought last time was some A1 steak-sauce. The time before that, I think I bought a jar of jam. Being in Japan has made me very aware of what I eat, when, and portion size. Going back to the US was shocking. I didn't realize portions were so humongous at restaurants!

This was me: O_O

I enjoyed the food I ate during my vacation, but I won't be eating like that ever again. Japan has really put things into perspective.

Not sure if I left anything out. Ah, make sure you bring back some sort of omiyage for your coworkers. They will appreciate it way more than something you got from Japan. I brought my peeps three different types of jolly ranchers, and they loved them! Dollar store. Use it.