Balance is the key to everything, especially when it comes to packing for a 5 month trip, and trick or treating on Halloween night before departing at 3:00 am, the next morning. After a night of handing out, and gathering candy, we wrapped up our packing, and a long day at around 9:45 pm. We were about to doze off in our last sleeps in our own beds, before 150 nights of Hostel beds, sleeping capsules, and caravan bunks. It was crazy to imagine that I wouldn’t be seeing any of those cold white flakes (or whatever that stuff is called) on the ground all winter long. Speaking of crazy feelings, even though I had sat through 13 plus hour flights before, it really sunk in that I was going to have to sit up right for 12 whole hours in a crammed, clammy seat. It was rough, but I managed to do it with 4 movies and a couple hours of sleep to distract me. Only a 1 hour Japan Railway train ride to go before a peaceful floor-sleep for me. During the train ride it was quiet, and I was alone with my mind. As I got thinking I realized how much I was going to miss my friends and the good times I have had with them. My friends and home will be missed for sure, and those thoughts would consume very much of my mind for a while to come. We had made it to Japan, which was a new country, and a new beginning in a new world.

Crazy salted fruit drink at a Tokyo Supermarket.

Shibuya Crossing: A crowded intersection filled with hundreds of people crossing in every direction