Returning to Japan after a year 🇯🇵

Almost as soon as I returned from my two-week trip through Japan a year ago, I began thinking that I had to go back.

The main reason was that many things had not gone as I hoped and I had made some mistakes. I wanted to visit Japan again and do everything better.

I had considered going in autumn, but problems at work and personal circumstances meant that I only managed it in the spring of this year.

This trip will be different, though: I am travelling to Japan entirely on my own. I have to admit that I am nervous about it.

Flights

I wanted to fly from Prague with a European airline, transfer somewhere in Europe and then continue directly to Tokyo.

Paradoxically, adding a flight from Prague to Amsterdam or Paris often raises the price so much that it becomes more expensive than flying with Emirates or Qatar Airways.

I may be one of the few people who also considers the aircraft type when choosing a flight. Emirates returned the Airbus A380 to its Prague–Dubai route in December, so I wanted to fly with them.

I hesitated too long before buying the ticket, however, and missed the good prices. In the end, I am flying with Qatar Airways, partly because the Prague–Doha leg uses a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

Plans and goals

This time, I am going to Japan for only one week rather than two, and I will probably spend most of it in Tokyo.

Travelling alone gives me more freedom to make decisions, and I want to be more spontaneous.

I am considering trips to Yokohama and Nagano, where I want to see the snow monkeys bathing in hot springs.

I am also considering a night photography course in the streets of Shinjuku.

Overall, I want to plan less and avoid the detailed schedule for every day that I had last year.

I want to buy more interesting things, especially for myself, and make the trip more about experiences.

I will also try to communicate more in Japanese, although that will not be entirely easy with only JLPT N5-level proficiency.

I see this return to Japan as an opportunity to correct the mistakes from my previous trip and experience the country a little more authentically.