Just reading back over what I've missed.... I just ordered today, what I believe may turn out to be the ultimate cosmetic bag. It is by EMME. Which I had never heard of. It is a hanging cosmetic case with a zip off clear quart-sized pouch for TSA liquids attached. So I can leave the little bag out for TSA and then zip it back into my toiletry case at the hotel. So everything stays together. It also has another small pouch that zips off that I am thinking could be for makeup that I carry in my purse, and then again, can zip back into the bag at the hotel. I always used to end up with multiple bags of this and that, it seems, and then had to try to remember where I stashed everything. I have high hopes for this bag.
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Just reading back over what I've missed.... I just ordered today, what I believe may turn out to be the ultimate cosmetic bag. It is by EMME. Which I had never heard of. It is a hanging cosmetic case with a zip off clear quart-sized pouch for TSA liquids attached. So I can leave the little bag out for TSA and then zip it back into my toiletry case at the hotel. So everything stays together. It also has another small pouch that zips off that I am thinking could be for makeup that I carry in my purse, and then again, can zip back into the bag at the hotel. I always used to end up with multiple bags of this and that, it seems, and then had to try to remember where I stashed everything. I have high hopes for this bag.
Not really a travel story but after moving to Japan, I went out to dinner that first night after a very long flight. I was starving and just dropped off my suitcases in my apartment and went to eat. It was maybe 10 or 10:30pm there. It was a Japanese holiday and took me a while to find an open restaurant, I walked around in many circles and there are no street signs there. Coming from NY, I was not used to that.
I had a great dinner and even met some friends... The problem? After dinner I couldn't find my apartment complex at all with the lack of street signs. No Google maps since I didn't have a Japanese cell phone yet. Getting back home was tough and in the end I was only a few blocks away...
I met some people that night who turned out to be long term friends and they never let me live down how I "lost" my apartment building.
I had a great dinner and even met some friends... The problem? After dinner I couldn't find my apartment complex at all with the lack of street signs. No Google maps since I didn't have a Japanese cell phone yet. Getting back home was tough and in the end I was only a few blocks away...
I met some people that night who turned out to be long term friends and they never let me live down how I "lost" my apartment building.
I looked it up, since I was not familiar with it either. It appears to be very cool, and well organized!
My only problem with these bags is that once they are together they are really bulky. I tend to prefer ziplock that I can fold and make as small as their content, and can fit in the little corners and crevices of the bag. I like compact packing, therefore the absence of dead space is essential!
That's a great story. Did you speak Japanese when you moved there?
Many years ago I lived in Japan for two months (in Nagoya) without speaking a word of Japanese, and I truly felt like I was on an other planet. The most frustrating experience was going shopping in a supermarket. Not being able to read I had to rely on the pictures on the boxes, which did not seem to provide clues about the function of the product. I mean, for soap dish we usually have a glass and a dish on the box. For laundry detergent we have a Tshirt. Not in Japan. Flowers, flowers everywhere!!
When I travel light, I used those vacuum bags to segregate my items - the first trip I had everything sorted by type - tops in one, bottoms in another, underwear and socks in a third. Having to open multiple bags each morning was extremely annoying, so now I pack complete outfits in each pouch. I've also graduated to the sil-nylon zippered packing pouches from muji.
I spoke enough to get by and could read and write pretty well (enough to translate novels that weren't written in ancient "classical" Japanese or overly technical) so I did have that advantage. My speaking was pretty broken at the time and I had trouble expressing myself in conversation. I remember getting a cell phone and dealing with bank accounts and immigration offices to register my address were difficult. I made a point to socialize with Japanese speakers and avoid getting caught up in the "bubble of English speakers" (both native speakers and fluent Japanese people) that many expats do. I also attended university, went to the hospital, paid my bills etc all in Japanese which moved things along. It's sink or swim in those cases and you learn fast.
I'll never forget how it took hours and a lot of help to find my apartment though. On a sidenote: in Japanese, this kind of apartment is called a "mansion" and it took a lot of getting used to to say I was dropping my things in my mansion or that I returned to my mansion when I lived there.
I've been to Nagoya a number of times and have some great memories there.
Yes, and it is not terribly attractive either.
But I'm hoping I'll like the way it functions. I have done the ziplock thing too, and it has real advantages. Lol! I have this probably unrealistic vision of finding the perfect low-profile, elegant, functional case. I want to travel light and elegant, and am always looking for the perfect system...
My closest friend is Japanese. We raised our children together. We do not live close to each other though our friendship through the years is a bond forever. I am thankful for that. I'm sure you feel that way too about your friends
My husband is ten years older than me. So when we got married he was not that young. He is extremely introvert, to a pint that he needs to prepare mentally when we go meet our friends. He is definitely not a talker but a doer. As a voracious reader he knows a ton of stuff like history or arts that I have no idea about. So while traveling it is both enjoyable and difficult for him. He doesn't like to deal with all the talking at the custom or in shops. Often he needs some quiet time to clear his mind. The magic is that given his personality you would think it's boring to travel with him but it's the opposite. He would do extremely thorough research then answer my endless questions in the museums for example. I love impressionists' paintings so he found all the best museums in France for me to visit. In the museum he would pretty much tell me all the artists background. And restaurants and metro directions are never the topics I worry about because I know I have a live gps. Introvert people can be great travel companion too. [emoji8]I am slightly off topic here...
I would love to pack as little as I could. Ppup's luggage is like a five star luxury hotel to me.
often I have to decide on one pair of shoes for the entire trip or at most two pairs.
I would love to pack as little as I could. Ppup's luggage is like a five star luxury hotel to me.
often I have to decide on one pair of shoes for the entire trip or at most two pairs.Karen thank you for thinking of petit Lou Lou. He actually loves my bags. He likes to play with the little locking system on the bags but I have to watch him very carefully on that. My toddler Rémi started preschool this week. He burst into tears when I dropped him off. And then he would have silent cry with tears during school time when he thought about his mom and dad. He also started forgetting to tell his teachers that he needed to go. This is all sad for me. But there's no option. Every kid goes through preschool phrase. I tell myself to tough it up because I have to do it again tomorrow morning. The silent cry part is terrible. He tried to hold his tears and not to make any sound when he is sad. But then more tears burst out...
Kyokei I know your ID sounds like Japanese.
My ID came from a play on kanji that a friend nicknamed me as a joke once. I couldn't think of anything else at the time as I use different names on different sites typically.
Very interesting conversations today from everyone! I agree that it is probably mostly personality that influences the preference to travel alone, or to do anything alone by choice. I can also relate to wondering if being an only child born to older parents fosters more independence and a greater comfort with doing things alone. I am a lot like cremel's husband, an extreme introvert. There are misconceptions about introverts - it does not mean that we don't like people, or that we are unfriendly, because I'm certainly not. I like people very much, and I love talking with people in small doses. How I experience this personality trait, and it's definition, is that I feel drained after being around people and need to be alone to recharge. Extroverts are the opposite and are energized by being around people. My husband is an extreme extrovert - he loves doing thing "together" with me, family, friends, and is sad and feels it is pointless to do things alone. He would much rather do something he didn't care for with a friend or family than do something he intrinsically prefers on his own. I admire that, and our relationship makes me challenge myself to do social things more often, but I still do need 2-3 hours alone every day to recharge. I can see both sides of why you all like traveling alone or with someone special.
Cremel, your post about your little son broke my heart. Poor little sweet boy! You will both get through this time, but my heart goes out to you. We are looking at preschools for my little 9 month old son, as many have 1.5+ year wait lists, so what you are going through really hit home. I know you are giving him extra love and kisses! Also congratulations on your upcoming SO bag! I will stay tuned in to find out more. Hopefully it is a good delightful distraction.
Cremel, your post about your little son broke my heart. Poor little sweet boy! You will both get through this time, but my heart goes out to you. We are looking at preschools for my little 9 month old son, as many have 1.5+ year wait lists, so what you are going through really hit home. I know you are giving him extra love and kisses! Also congratulations on your upcoming SO bag! I will stay tuned in to find out more. Hopefully it is a good delightful distraction.
I spoke enough to get by and could read and write pretty well (enough to translate novels that weren't written in ancient "classical" Japanese or overly technical) so I did have that advantage. My speaking was pretty broken at the time and I had trouble expressing myself in conversation. I remember getting a cell phone and dealing with bank accounts and immigration offices to register my address were difficult. I made a point to socialize with Japanese speakers and avoid getting caught up in the "bubble of English speakers" (both native speakers and fluent Japanese people) that many expats do. I also attended university, went to the hospital, paid my bills etc all in Japanese which moved things along. It's sink or swim in those cases and you learn fast.
I'll never forget how it took hours and a lot of help to find my apartment though. On a sidenote: in Japanese, this kind of apartment is called a "mansion" and it took a lot of getting used to to say I was dropping my things in my mansion or that I returned to my mansion when I lived there.
I've been to Nagoya a number of times and have some great memories there.
Lol! If your place looked like mine, it was nothing that could resemble a mansion!! I didn't even central heat in spite of the fact of being an apartment building, not a traditional japanese house.
There weren't many expats or even locals who could speak English when i went there, but it was 1997. I heard much changed since.
Congratulations for the great life experience!