[Nao]

Just to keep you all updated, my trip is still on the calendar. I've already booked my plane tickets, as you have seen above, and I have reserved my room. I'll be living out of Ueno in Taito-ku, on the Ameyoko.

My departure date is a little over a month away. I won't say things have been going smoothly here at home, however. Due to the fact that I'm my little sister's primary caregiver during certain parts of certain days, there is a little worry about my being gone. I've offered to cancel my trip if things should become too dire, but so far my mother has maintained that I shouldn't worry about it too much and just to go. She seems to be supporting my doing this to a great degree, which I find rather surprising.

I'm a little nervous, of course, but it's not exactly because I'm going to be in another country. First, I'm worried about the planes. I like to fly, so it's not a fear issue, but I haven't flown for ten years, since I was nine years of age. I hear that problems in the airport have grown drastically since that time, with delayed flights and lost baggage becoming fairly commonplace. To make things even worse, I'll have those two stopovers you see in the itinerary above. On my way there, I'll be stopping for bit in Washington D.C. to change planes. On the way back, it's Chicago, Illinois.

Next, even though I've run the numbers time and time again, I'm still worried about my budgeting. Everything should be fine, but if I made any critical mistakes (which I don't think I have, but can't stop myself from thinking about it) then problems could certainly mount. For instance, every travel insurance company I've consulted has told me that it can take two to four weeks to collect on a claim. That's a pretty long period of time, considering this is a one-month outing. I know the odds are against my getting hurt, falling critically ill, losing everything I have, or otherwise, but it still worries me. Some people tell me I shouldn't even bother getting traveler's insurance. What do you think, JF travel vets?

This week is my finals for this semester of college. Come Friday's end, I have nothing but free time to prepare for this trip. I have an entire month to hammer this stuff out, unless some other vastly time consuming activity comes into play that I am not yet aware of. I'll have a lot more time to worry about this stuff then, so I would appreciate any food for thought you all may have to give me.

I plan to continue updating here on major changes, as it may help those who have questions similar to mine, or those in a similar situation. I may even continue to update while on my trip, should the opportunity present itself (not daily, but perhaps periodically... possibly even weekly, while I'm keeping tabs on a few matters online). Looking over this thread, I think there is a respectable amount of information condensed into one location. If I do continue this, it will have gone from the planning phase, to the execution, to the conclusion. Most of what I've seen otherwise were just conclusions or preparations.

This is turning/turned into a project for me fast, JF. When I first suggested this trip, long before ever coming here, it was more of a passing joke. Then I thought about it, and figured... "you know what, I might actually be able to do that." I was amazed when I ran the numbers (with a little help from some friends who frequent... asking about tourist pitfalls, cheaper lodging, etc.) after a little research and found out that with my current funding it was more than possible... not for just two weeks like I tossed in initially, but for a month or possibly longer if I really stretched my money. That was this past fall. Long before Thanksgiving, though I cannot coin any specific date or even a narrowed range.

A thanks goes out to those who have helped thus-far. This trip has given me something to look forward to in the past few months, which have been nothing short of teeth-grinding. Quite a lot has gone on that I'm not willing to speak of here (not that anyone would be interested in hearing, anyway), so I'm going to do my best to enjoy the hell out of this.

-Nao