A little bit wiser

My dears! I've missed everyone & hope you're all doing well. I've been back a few days & trying to recover from a cold I got over the weekend....Has the weather been crazy up where you are? We've had nonstop rain & winter coats had to be dragged out. What a great homecoming it was!

As with all trips that have just ended, I am still longing for my days in Tokyo. I've been trying to think of how to sum up my trip, but I must admit it's very hard to put everything into words. First things first---the city is magnetic. Its people--the culture, mannerisms, everything about this city is amazing. Guidebooks don't do the city justice. Usually before a trip, I do some major planning--subway system, specific stores, restaurants, etc.... But with Tokyo, I basically had to throw out most of my notes. The city is best experienced through meandering its streets. This might also have to do with the small fact that street names, except major streets, are hard to come by. So from the start you are already lost. But that's OK because this is one city you wouldn't mind being lost in. There is a sensory overload when you experience Tokyo. There are no better words to describe the beautifully chaotic Tokyo scenery. They are a people of contradictions---yet everything peacefully coexists in harmony. Their impeccable manners are what throws them over the top. I've never met such courteous, well meaning individuals. I'm probably rambling on, but that's only because I'm still trying to process my thoughts & experiences. I promise to provide a glimpse of what I saw each day in the posts to come shortly! My title says it all really. As B & I were leaving our hotel for the last walk to the train station, I turned to him and said I felt I was going home a bit wiser....To soak in a culture that is so incredibly different than the one I live in---I truly feel lucky!