Maid Cafes, Ryokans, and Onsens...Oh My!

When my husband (then fiance) told me that we can do whatever I wanted on our trip, my first thought was, 'How Sweet!'

I have since changed my mind.

Apparently, doing "whatever I wanted" implies that I am also doing all the planning.  Which is good one regard, because I can be a control freak when it comes to things like planning trips.  But still, it would have been nice to have had more of an input than "Let's go to maid cafes!"

Fortunately, I really only had to plan the Japan trip.  My family (mom and aunts) did most of the planning in terms of what we're going to be doing in the Philippines.  And Dewi, my best college buddy, was going to take us around Singapore.  So at the end of the day, I only really knew what we are going to be doing in Japan.

One of the first things I looked at when planning the trip to Japan was the type of lodging we would like when in the country.  Upon internet research, I learned that there are these things called 'ryokans' which offer a more authentic Japan travel experience than a western hotel.  To sum it up, it seems that ryokans are like bed and breakfasts with the exception of beds.  Instead, they have futons.  And I believe, the floors are tatami mats.  Anyway, at the end of the day, after much research, James and I decided to go for the ryokans.  Because really, where else are we going to get that experience?

Like James, there was one thing I wanted to try in Japan--the onsen.  So when I first started looking for things to do, I looked for places that were known for onsens and that's when I stumbled upon Hakone. It was perfect.  A hot springs town.  Now I just had to find a way to get there :)

And I did...through a Mt. Fuji tour!

My college roommate also had suggestions...and it was from these suggestions that James and I heard of maid cafes.  Yeah, my college roommate, Kyoko, knew how much I watched anime and probably guessed that I would marry a guy who was also into them.  And so she suggested Akihabara, and she volunteered to act as our tour guide for a day in Japan's electronics (and anime!) capital.  Definitely checking out the maid cafe there.

And lastly, because we only had a few days (four to be exact) to explore Japan, Asakusa was our last stop before going to Singapore.  I can't wait to shop at the Nakamise St. and get some tacky souvenirs and street food!

Now based on our itinerary, here are the three places we've decided to stay in:

Sawanoya Ryokan
Yunohana Onsen
Kamogawa Ryokan

Anyway, the Japan trip is coming close...less than two weeks to go!

A Visa or a Citizenship--that is the Question!

It is a sad when one has to choose between finally getting the long awaited citizenship, or canceling thousands and dollars worth of travel plans.  I admit, part of the fault lies in my own procrastinating tendencies...but seriously?!?!

Okay, here's how the story began...


After years of procrastinating (and even renewing my green card!), I've finally decided to bite the bullet and apply for my US citizenship.  Now you might wonder, what exactly finally spurred my lazy ass into finally applying?  Well, several factors actually:

1. My mom gave me an e-copy of the application.  Yeah, I know.  Pretty lame of me.  But yeah, she electronically filled it out stuff like my name and alien registration number and when I've been out of the country.  All I had to do was check that all the data is right and print it out.
2. My mom gave me the money for the processing fee.  Okay, yeah I'm cheap.  I mean dude!  It's almost $700 to apply. Why do you think I chose to renew my green card like five years ago (for less than $100, mind you) instead of applying for the citizenship (at that time was over $500).  But yeah...Mom gave me the money for this.
3. I got tired of having to fill out visas.  This spring, James and I considered going to the UK to visit his grandparents and because I'm not a US citizen, I needed to apply for a visa.  I guess it didn't help that the country that I was a citizen for was pretty poor and known for immigrating illegally.  Still, a real hassle.  And now, while James and I are planning our honeymoon, we were thinking of making a quick stop to Tokyo and Singapore on the way to the Philippines.  Ugh...and guess what?  I need a visa to go to Japan!  Where's the love, dude?  I'm Asian!!

So, yeah those are my reasons.  And here's the timeline on how things went down:

• week of 27July2011 - sent via Priority mail my application and all accompanying docs, checks, pics.
• week of 04Aug2011 - saw Big Bro cash my check in my bank account and received something in the mail letting me know that they got my application and to please tell them if any of the information is incorrect
• week of 11Aug2011 - got my letter for a Biometrics appointment.  It's gonna be in Aug. 30.  Luckily, I don't have to go to Charlotte like I did several years ago for my green card renewal.
• 30Aug2011 - Biometrics appointment was about five miles from home.  I was there about 10 minutes early and left 10 minutes after my actually appointment time.  Wow!  It has gotten fast.  They fingerprinted me and took my photo and sent me home with a guide to help me with my civics exam.
• week of Sep - got my letter for the interview
• 17Oct2011 - INTERVIEW!! Passed :)

Anyway...November came by and went...and still no letter from the USCIS with my oath date.  I called the help line and even wondered whether I should schedule an INFOPASS appointment as I am definitely passed the time as to when I was supposed to receive notice about it.  When December finally came, I gave up waiting.  I figured at this time, there was no way I'm going to get any letter from the USCIS before I will have to travel for my honeymoon.

And so, I booked out tickets...and...

• 28Dec2011 - Got an email from USCIS telling me that they had sent me a letter that had the date and time for my oath taking.
• 03Jan2012 - finally got the letter!  The oath day they gave me was 27Jan2012 :(  

Super bummer.  I had to write them back to ask for a new date.  Why?  Because I'm going to the Philippines, Japan, and Singapore the first week of Feb.  I'm pretty sure I will be unable to get a U.S. passport in time for me to travel.  And so, I finally applied for a Japanese tourist visa.  Who knew those things were easy to get?  I sent my application on Thursday, they got it on Friday, and I got my passport with the Japanese visa in my hot little hands by Saturday!

• 13Jan2012 - received the letter from USCIS saying that they got my request for a new oath date and that they would contact me for a new one ...

What if the Mayans Had It Right?

1. It's our honeymoon.
2. We're going to my cousin's wedding.
3. It's about time I visited my college buddy.
4. On the off chance that the Mayans were right, we might as well splurge.

Those were just a few of the reasons/rationales/excuses/justifications that I gave myself to finally decide to take the plunge and do a small trip around Asia. The three countries we're going to visit are:

• Japan - because James and I are anime freak and we sooo totally wanna go.  It helps that my college roomie lives there.
• Singapore - because my best college bud, Dewi, has been visiting in NC ever since we left college and I haven't returned the favor ...ever!
• Philippines - because my cousin is getting married and it's a great way to introduce the Motherland to my husband.

And so, as we planned our wedding last year, so too did we plan for a big trip this year.  Why put off the honeymoon four months after the wedding, you might ask?  Well, weddings take a lot of TIME.  Which means times off work.  Which means, where did all my vacation go?  Hence, the start of the year was the time when we actually had enough vacation to make a proper honeymoon and trip to Asia.

So, wish us Bon Voyage!