The Hilarious Adventures of Traveling in Japan Pt. 2

Welcome to part 2 of my Hilarious Adventures of Traveling in Japan series. In case you missed part 1, things get a little weird and it’s completely worth the read: Accidentally Engaged in Japan?? So my partner and I decided to travel to Japan last year, which incited both excitement and anxiety. When I pictured going to Japan, I imagined a relaxing vacation. I definitely didn’t prepare for any worst-case scenarios. So with all that said, this is that one time I went to Japan and…

Californians in Shibuya

We’re from California, land of the drought. So when the weather forecast predicts 20-40% chance of rain, that pretty much means it won’t rain. With that said, we ignorantly applied the same weather concepts to Japan’s weather. As it turns out, if the forecast predicts a 20% chance of rain in Japan, it will actually rain.

Needless to say, we were not prepared. As we made our way over to Shibuya Crossing, it began to lightly rain. No biggie, right? Then Cyrus said the magic words, “At least it can’t get any worst!” And I kid you not, as soon as Cyrus said this, it immediately began to downpour. We ran over to a tiny convenience shop and bought an umbrella. The rain wasn’t going to hurt us and we had no plans for postponing our day. We walked for miles in the rain. This was only the beginning of what became known as that one time in Japan.

A Shocking Weather Update

After spending a few days in Tokyo, we made our way over to the beautiful Kyoto. In case it wasn’t obvious, Cyrus has a tendency to jinx situations, which can be amusing at times, but considering we didn’t prepare for any worst-case scenarios, let’s just say things got a little out of hand.

While on the shinkansen a.k.a. the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto, I was checking the weather forecast just to be a little more prepared for what was yet to come and jokingly, Cyrus leaned in, “Well, at least it can’t get any worst!” This was in reference to the sprinkle to downpour we had just experienced. Yeah, right!!

A couple of hours later, I checked my news feed and saw a typhoon warning pop up. I looked over at Cyrus and silently passed my phone to him. He was shocked at first but quickly shrugged it off. “Well, at least it can’t get much worst!”

“SHHHHHHHH!” I hissed through my teeth.

“Cyrus… It’s not just any typhoon.”

“What do you mean?”

“Look… It’s predicted to be one of the worst typhoons in Japan’s recent recorded history. And it’s coming this Saturday.”

With all the information laid out in front of us, we reacted just as any responsible and put together adults would. We laughed our asses off. Who were we kidding? Of course, this would happen to us. What’s a vacation without one of the most powerful typhoons to make an appearance?

Saturday: Predicted Day of Typhoon

When it comes to survival and natural disasters, Cyrus is pretty brilliant. Although he had never experienced a typhoon prior to this, he started making lists for what we would need in case the electricity went out, if we were stranded and needed food, he even went as far as helping me create barriers for the windows to protect us from broken glass, should the wind get that powerful.

Saturday morning, we went shopping with my aunt to stock up on food. My anxiety was beginning to shed. We might actually make it through this, I thought to myself.

Cyrus must have felt the same relief I felt because he decided to open his big mouth and say, “Well. Now, it can’t get worst.” As soon as those cursed words left his lips, my aunt attempted to start the car without any success. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? This isn’t happening!!! Here we were, stranded on top of the grocery store’s parking garage, hours away from a record-hitting typhoon. I thought I was about to lose my mind.

As my panicked aunt called a car maintenance shop, I just glared at Cyrus. And man, could he feel my hostility. If we made it out of this alive, he was so in trouble. Luckily, we were rescued by some mechanics. They fixed the problem without any issues and we were able to return back to the house in a timely fashion.

Hours Before the Typhoon

As I mentioned in my previous post, The Hilarious Adventures of Japan pt. 1, we originally had dinner reservations at a local sushi restaurant and rather than canceling the order, they still made it. Cyrus and I couldn’t believe the amazing work ethic they had, even when a natural disaster was on its way.

Seeing that it was meant to be a larger gathering, my aunt on the whim concluded that we, ourselves, should deliver the meals to each family. The skies grew more threatening as it began to downpour. We drove to each house, shared greetings as my aunt continued to announce that Cyrus and I were engaged when we were not… You know, the norm! After this long and exhausting day, all I wanted was to go back to the house, lay down, and hopefully get through this disaster that was meant to be a relaxing vacation. We were almost home when Cyrus went to open his mouth. Before any words could come out, I put my fingers to his lips.

“No!”

Apparently, that was enough to stop him. We parked in the driveway, made our way up the front steps of my grandma’s home when my aunt went, “Uh oh!” Cyrus and I turned to her.

“I lost the keys. Probably left them at someone’s house. Don’t worry! I’ll be back.”

She backed out of the driveway and drove off, leaving Cyrus and me standing under the eaves, locked out of the house, as the rain splattered harder against the ground. We took one look at each other, threw our heads back, and cracked up. If we did make it out of this, this would make one hell of a story and as it turns out, we did.

That One Time in Japan

And that’s the story of that one time in Japan when my partner and I got through a typhoon. It was a pretty wild vacation with a lot of first-time experiences. (1) It was our first trip abroad. (2) It was the first time I had to navigate Japan as the designated translator. (3) First time I got lost in a foreign country. (4) The first time Cyrus and I were mistakenly engaged. (5) Our first time preparing and making it through a typhoon.

So maybe it was wasn’t the most relaxing or exotic vacation, but it was certainly memorable, hilarious, bizarre, and one of the best vacations of my life. The fact that Cyrus and I got through this made me realize that perhaps we could get through virtually anything. I couldn’t imagine experiencing this with any other human.

Thanks for reading, friends. Feel free to share your experiences of traveling below. I would love to read them!!

Good luck on your journey,

Harumi