If you follow me on Instagram (or Facebook), you know that I've just returned from a 2-week trip to Japan. I've been home almost two weeks now and finally getting over jet-lag. I took a huge load of photos, most of which I shared on social media, so I hope not to saturate my blog with them. It would take me all winter to post on every place we went so I will stick with the highlights. This was a big deal for me - my first ever trip outside the U.S. It was an eye-opening experience and an amazing one. First, Tokyo, which dazzled me. The architecture was phenomenal. I will have to do a separate post on the city at night. It was stunning. I was there two nights before our official tour began. On the second day (after arriving in Tokyo on Saturday night in pouring rain), I got a chance to walk around and explore some of the city with a few others. My first impression was how well organized and CLEAN this city was. Now this is coming from a person who thinks the city of Portland is