Japan

JAPAN

TRAVEL ESSAY words and photography by KC Lostetter

I was 29 weeks pregnant when we hopped on a plane from Hawaii to Japan with a 16 month old toddler in tow. While living in Hawaii for the last 4.5 years we tried to make a point of seeing every island. Then we started to hop the rest of the way across the Pacific, starting with Australia and then New Zealand. Our time in Hawaii was coming to an end and we were trying to take full advantage. Before moving to Colorado, we had a chance to make a quick trip over to Japan. I have a lot of places on my travel bucket list but Japan has never been one of them. When a chance to visit popped up right before leaving Hawaii, I felt like I needed to jump on the opportunity. After spending a little over a week there, I felt like I wanted to stay forever. I was so impressed with the culture. The people were so respectful of each other and their city. We spent a lot of time on the trains and I swear I could have spent days just riding the train and observing people. We visited a number of shrines and local attractions but the people were my favorite.

One of my favorite things on the train was watching the youth stand up to offer their seat to the elderly. Without hesitation or obligation they would stand and respectfully offer up their seat. After one of the longer days of exploring and being on my pregnant feet all day with the toddler on my back, I was standing on the train holding the handle as I usually did. An elderly woman noticed me and my belly and toddler and stood to offer me her seat. “No, No, I am fine. Thank you” I told her. Three more times she offered me her seat, until finally she grabbed my hand and essentially forced me to sit in her spot.

Traveling with our daughter was easier than you think. She has always been along for the ride and this trip was no different. Staying as minimalist as possible has been key for our travels with her. An ergo carrier to explore with, a backpack with basic essentials, and snacks… lots of snacks. I will always be an advocate for traveling with children. Now that we have two it may be a little harder but we will figure out what that looks like. We are still trying to decide what our next international adventure will be... our first as a family of four.