Travel Bits: October 2024

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Getting Ready for My Trip...... 


Exactly three weeks from now, I will be at the airport to board the flight for my vacation to Japan. Settled my pet's boarding arrangement and now planning how to ensure my plants stay hydrated while I'm away for almost two whole weeks.

Trip accommodations have also been booked and paid, except for one which will be automatically paid before I commence the trip. No necessity to change currency because I still have lots of Japanese Yen left over from the previous trips and I will mostly be using credit cards to pay for my trip expenses. But if the currency exchange rate is in my favour, I will probably change some Japanese Yen to average down from the previous exchange rates of Yen vs SGD (Singapore Dollar) from two years ago. 

Work-wise, I have completed most of my more urgent work tasks, well within the scheduled timelines. No hiccups there so everything seems in order, at least for now.

My trip itinerary is rather flexible, as is my travel style. Travelling to Nikko for a two-nights stay at the Nikko Kanaya Hotel where I have plans for hiking trips around the area including to Lake Chūzenji. Then there is the Tokyo International Pen Show (TIPS), which I have secured tickets for 3 November. Besides Nikko, I also plan to visit Kawagoe and the Hitachi Seaside Park in Ibaraki. There is also the idea to go for a hike up Mount Nokogiri in Chiba Prefecture. These are "soft" plans subjected to change, depending on my mood and the weather. Yes, weather plays an important part in any trip planning. 

It will be the beginning of autumn. Hopefully I can get to see some early autumn colours in Nikko. Clothing wise, I'm planning to pack only basic t-shirts, bermudas, a couple of pairs of jeans and some hoodies.

Of course, I am also bringing along some stationery items for my travel writings and journaling. Probably not too much to cut down on unnecessary weight and luggage space. Just an A5-sized Travel Journal, a Regular-Sized Traveler's Notebook which serves as my Travel Scrapbook, a Stamp Book to add to the stampings I had collected all over Japan over the years, and an A6-sized Field Arts Journal for my random doodles and sketches. Also about five fountain pens and two mechanical pencils as my writing instruments. Anything else I may need, I will just buy during the trip. After all, Japan is a stationery lover's haven.

Seems like I have everything planed out for my trip. 🌏

Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan (2018)

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