I called our dog sitter today and she told me she was going to take care of my overweight Chihuahua. Right after getting off from the phone with her, a flush of excitement went through my body. It was quite strong.
I am leaving for Kyoto exactly in three weeks. My parents and my brother’s family still live in Tokyo and I am not telling them that I am coming to visit Japan. This is a huge deal. Please don’t get me wrong, I enjoy visiting my family every time I go back. I have to admit however, I don’t feel like I “travel” when I visit my family. I enjoy the food, hanging out and catching up with them but it is visiting my family, not a travel experience. 
Kyoto’s history starts in year of 794 when Emperor Komu stated Kyoto as the capitol city. It is 1200 years old and there are over 3,000 temples in the city. Millions of old buildings are still intact. Not like in Seattle (ugh! Ugly new developments!), they don’t demolish old architecture. During World War II, the Allies actually did not bomb Kyoto because of the conscious choice not to destroy tons of historical sites. In a way, it is like Paris. Kyoto tries very hard to preserve the way of living and Japanese historic culture. It does not mean they are not open minded. It just means they embrace and respect its history.
My grandma was born in 1906 who passed away in 2004. She had been through a lot. She was a strict Asian grandma yes. I remember she never wanted to do things in a convenient way. For example, she taught me how to make bonito/kelp stock (dashi) from scratch instead of buying ready-made packets at the store. She showed me how to filet a fish yourself instead of buying fileted fish. Those thing take time. To me, people in Kyoto in general seem that they choose traditions over convenience.
I am beyond excited. I have my passport, Green Card and the bestest travel companion that I can ever ask for. I am all set.
What would you like to do if you have a chance to visit to Kyoto?
Have you eaten? 