Chasing the Tokyo dawn

I'm packed and ready to fly to Tokyo!

I'm über-excited about my first trip to Japan. I love traveling and don't do it nearly enough.

I especially love trips where I can explore and discover new cultures. There's something about visiting a country where you can't speak, read or understand the local language and where the social customs are so different than your own frame of reference that really heightens your senses. I'm actually really looking forward to being plopped into the middle of this alien world where I'll definitely be outside of my comfort zone.

I'm also very excited to visit Tokyo. There's something about Tokyo; the blazing neon and concrete jungle, the city that never sleeps, the densely-packed throng of humanity, the frenetic buzz and relentless pace of life, that really appeals to me. I love visiting cosmopolitan, world-class cities and Tokyo, like New York and London has a palpable energy that is derived by the dense accumulation of the sheer number of inhabitants in one space. I love tapping into the energy of the city and feeling it course through my veins. It makes me feel so alive. I can envision myself standing at Shibuya Crossing, staring up at all the neon lights and electronic screens and excitedly proclaiming "Woo!!! I am in Tokyo!!!"

I'm looking forward to exploring the different neighborhoods of Tokyo, the fabulous shopping and of course there's the food. I love sushi and one of the biggest draws of Japan for me is the opportunity to sample some of the freshest and highest quality sushi on the planet. I'm definitely a foodie and I love trying as much of the local cuisine as possible even if it means that those foods are "spoiled" for me. I haven't found gelato quite as tasty as the varieties I had in Italy and I'll never forget how delicious that fresh seafood paella I had in Barcelona tasted. Tokyo is a foodie's wet dream and I intend to take full advantage of it!

Also, I find that when I travel it is almost always a chance for self-discovery and self-realization. The backpacking trip through Europe I did in the summer of 2005 turned out to be one of the most formative experiences of my life. When you leave the comfortable little bubble in which you live and the regimented monotony of the daily grind you are really forced to observe things from a different point of view and I find it really puts things in perspective.

I'm ready to take on the full brunt of what Tokyo and Japan are going to hit me with!