by Sharna Steer

The last week or so before I left it started to set in that I was about to move so far away. Before then it did not really feel like a reality that I was about to be living so far away from home. With that aside though, I felt really excited to get moving and see new things as I was getting a bit bored at home. It was a bit stressful making sure that I had everything ready to go, but with a consistent plan and support system it all worked out. 

Homesickness has never really kicked in at any point of this trip so far. I was incredibly lucky that my mum accompanied me on the flight to Japan and then we travelled around the country for almost three weeks! I am very thankful to have had her with me because it would have been very overwhelming otherwise. It was great to have someone to get lost with and have someone else who could provide insight into figuring out Japan and its crazy transport!! Since she has left, I have had a few moments of missing home, but at the same time, you are constantly busy so it is hard to find the downtime to be homesick. When things slow down I might feel it more, but by that point, I would be more settled and confident in my capabilities to live in and navigate Japan.

Jet lag was absolutely horrendous. The lack of sleep, extreme heat and humidity, and jet lag really knocked us around for some time. We felt really unsteady and woozy all the time. I think it was mainly from the climate because we were so dehydrated and exhausted. We got into Japan after one of the big typhoons so the humidity was at an all-time high which I did not expect to be that bad. The good thing though is that they have a lot of different things for coping with the humidity. Some of my favourite things have been the sports drink called Pocari Sweat, cooling sprays and wipes from Biore and a little handheld motorised fan. After a week or two it isn’t so bad, but my best advice would be just mentally prepare yourself for the humidity, and give yourself time to rest after you get off the plane. We went straight into exploring and it was a bit too much!!