Ready, set….go!

Bags are (finally) packed! Our of office notifiers are on! I think it might be time for a holiday…?

In just a few hours, I’ll be safely tucked up on a BA flight to Tokyo and then on to Kyoto, for what has almost become our annual pilgrimage to Japan. “Excited” doesn’t do it justice.

The last month has been especially hectic, even for me, so this is a most welcome break. I’ve started to picture Kyoto’s streets and parks, visualising myself wandering aimlessly and in a very, very relaxed state. It’s done wonders for my stress levels already.

So, the plan?

A few days in Kyoto, a few more in Tokyo. A possible day trip to Hiroshima and maybe a jaunt to Kanazawa. All courtesy of a week-long Japan Rail pass. So, plenty of Shinkansen action. We don’t have a fixed agenda, apart from the hotel bookings already in place.

I want food, walks, high-speed trains and lots and lots of time in an onsen or two. And more food. It strikes me that my recent burst of gym activity and resulting weight loss are going to be undone very soon – possibly even before we leave Kyoto. It matters not. I’d sacrifice a lot, including a tidy waist-line, for 10 days of top notch Japanese cuisine. And even some of the more delicious bottom-notch Japanese fast food.

I’m not that fussy.

So. Off to Heathrow T5 shortly, the obligatory visit to the BA lounge for free-range grazing at the generous buffet and then a 12-hour flight accompanied by an iPad full of comics and The Walking Dead, a Kindle full of great books and BA’s own onboard entertainment system.

In all honesty, I’ll probably sleep for most of the flight. A combination of insomnia and business travel over the last week have left me with quite the sleep debt to repay. So sleep is on the agenda. Especially if the food on board is as good as our last flights to and from Japan. This is one flight where it’s most definitely an investment to go business class.

Japan: brace yourself. I am on my way.