Well, I’m finally off on my long-awaited trip to Japan! (Had I mentioned I’m off to Japan….? In the highly unlikely event that I hadn’t already made you acutely aware of this fact, well guess what: I’m off to Japan! 🙂 )

When I say ‘long-awaited’, let’s just say this trip has actually been in the making ever since the tender age of 10, when I watched John Leslie (well before later fall from grace) visit a Tokyo capsule hotel on a Blue Peter special*. Suffice to say, my tiny little mind was blown – and I’ve wanted to visit Japan ever since.

A whole 31 years later (better late than never…) and I’ve been lucky enough to wangle 3 weeks away in order to finally do this trip proper justice! I’ll be following the standard Tokyo-Kyoto-Hiroshima route, seeing as much as possible as there is to see while I’m there and eating everything I can physically squeeze in en route.

Naturally – given the above – my first night will be spent in a capsule hotel. I’ve no illusions that – even (or especially…?) after three decades’ worth of long-standing anticipation – the actual experience will be unrelentingly awful, like sleeping in a coffin or MRI scanner or something.