It started out OK...

For over 33 years, I promised myself I would never go back to Japan. Never. In 1990, I found a very cheap airfare leaving a few days later from Toronto to Tokyo. Because it was my first trip to Asia, I had not made any plans or done any research. The only guidebook I could find on short notice was insufficient. So, problems ensued. It started OK for the first three days. Pre-internet, pre-cellphone, finding and reserving hotel rooms was much more difficult, especially in a foreign language. But I chose a place from my guidebook, and took my first Japanese subway ride with no problem. It was a small private room for three nights with breakfast. So far, so good. I enjoyed Tokyo enough that I decided to stay one more night before going north by train to Sapporo, arriving one day after the end of a festival of gigantic ice sculptures. I would avoid the crowds and still be able to see the beautiful displays. Obviously, they would not all melt overnight in January. But my Tokyo hotel said they were full for the fourth night, so I had to vacate the room. An early morning train would be quicker to board from a hotel near the station, so I just went to that neighborhood to find one. Then it got worse. I spent the entire day searching — 35 places! Most were completely full. Some were extraordinarily expensive, more for one night than I budget for a week. Some were "love hotels" that rent by the hour, not by the night. Other places said "Japanese only" the moment I walked in the door. It was the first time in my life I had experienced blatant racial discrimination first hand, and I heard "Japanese only" several times that day. By the end of the day, I decided the only option was to try to sleep in a chair at the train station overnight, despite the bright lights and noise. It worked — for a couple hours. At 1 a.m., the station closed until 5 a.m., so I ended up outside. It still qualifies as the only night in my life I was homeless. It probably would not have been so bad, except it was pouring down rain all night. I found some refuge in a phone booth. (If you don't know what that is, ask your grandparents.) The Shinkansen bullet train ride was super fast and comfortable. But when I reached Sapporo, I discovered they bulldoze all the ice sculptures immediately after the festival ends, so what's left is giant mountains of ice cubes. Then I could not find a hotel room anywhere. Fortunately, the city tourism office came to the rescue, twice. After many phone calls they found a bed in a room with 12 strangers in a youth hostel. That was also a new experience. For the following night, they sent me on a package tour to the nearby Shikotsu Toya National Park. It included all transportation, meals, a few smaller ice sculptures, and a room for the night. I rarely do group tours, especially when I don't understand a word the guide is saying, but it worked. For most of the rest of the trip, I never knew when I woke up in the morning if I would have a room that night. Eventually I learned the reason why. High school seniors apparently take college entrance exams at the university they want to attend, and the two weeks I was in Japan were exactly the right time. The problem was everywhere, and there was nothing I could do about it. Eventually I found a travel agent (remember those?), JTB. It's sort of like AAA. With great effort, they found rooms in each city I visited. One was so small I could reach out and touch both walls. It was also an hour away from where I intended to be, and the most expensive hotel room in my life. Adjusted for inflation, it still is. By the end of the trip I vowed I would NEVER GO BACK! I'm going back. In retrospect, once I knew I had a guaranteed room for the night, I mostly enjoyed it. I heard "Japanese only" several more times, but far more often I was treated with great respect as the honored guest. In the decades since, I have visited numerous Asian countries, rich and poor, capitalist and communist, urban and rural, with an incredible variety of cultures. I love Europe, but Asia is more fun because I never quite know what to expect around the next corner. After a tremendous visit to South Korea and Taiwan in 2023, it occurred to me that maybe I could finally give Japan a second chance. The more research I do, the better it looks. In 1990 it was extraordinarily expensive, but the dollar has strengthened, so prices are much lower than expected. Hotel rooms can be easily reserved online. Everywhere I check they seem to be available, unless there is a local festival that day. Frankly, I have agonized about going back to a country where I had so many problems. Then I decided to make it 100% new, and tack on South Korea at the end so I can quickly leave Japan if I still don't like it. I have already checked the ferry schedule. The flight is into Osaka, not Tokyo. The evil spirits from 1990 will be left behind. Plan A is trying just one week in Japan, up to three blissful weeks in South Korea. Plan B is up to three weeks in Japan and one week to see Koreans again. The more research I do, the more I am leaning toward Plan B. Making this decision only took 35 years. Someday I'm going to join the Procrastinator's Club. Wish me luck! David Koehl is a former member and chairman of the Seneca County Board of Elections, and was chairman of the Seneca County Republican Party. He can be reached at paperandink44883@yahoo.com.