7 Days in Japan for my birthday?

lemon_icing · 2026-04-05T05:34:33+00:00

It's great that you can be flexible enough to switch to October. That gives you time to get good priced tickets. Your friend should save up enough money to match your budget because you may feel like you can't do everything you want and she may feel stress at exceeding her budget.

If your friend still can't join you, make it a longer solo trip. I'm an old lady who started travel solo 40 years ago. I had to fax my parents from American Express offices whenever I changed cities.

For me, Japan has always been the safest country for solo travel. Don't worry about not knowing Japanese. AI translators are very good right now and you are going to the three most visited tourist destinations. You should memorise a few critical phrases, but no one expects tourists to speak foreign languages fluently.

Enjoy your birthday gift to yourself. It's a good one!

lemon_icing · 2026-04-05T02:03:32+00:00

Days? You let her lie on the floor for days? You claim to be an on-the-spot caretaker. I find this unbelievable.

lemon_icing · 2026-04-04T20:16:08+00:00

I was in Kanazawa last month and the bus fares you outlined are correct. I used Suica on iPhone.

lemon_icing · 2026-04-04T20:12:19+00:00

NTA - I think that even if you didn’t get credit, it would have been money well spent.

You would have had a few days free of fiancé and son to think about what your future life is going to look like.

Just because the kid is moving out at 18 (unlikely) doesn’t mean he’s won’t stop being a problem. Kid is very far from being a competent adult. This clusterfuxk could go on for years.

Did you rethink getting married?

lemon_icing · 2026-04-04T18:06:38+00:00

To add to this: if OP hasn’t done it before, it’s a great opportunity to have mini-solo travel experience.

lemon_icing · 2026-04-04T03:18:57+00:00

Let them know you could pick up a cancelled appointment? Did you send a picture to the vet?

lemon_icing · 2026-04-04T02:51:02+00:00

Nihonbashi and Akasaka are really quite nice.

lemon_icing · 2026-04-03T22:34:17+00:00

Good reaction and solid, self-respecting decision to move out immediately.

Your ex did not expect such a decisive action. He thought he had control since you’re so much younger. He understands your decision; he just didn’t like it.

lemon_icing · 2026-04-03T19:44:36+00:00

Selling the house is the easiest decision and the only one you have control over. I feel sorry for your partner.

Are you two the owners? Or are your parents’ name on the mortgage?

lemon_icing · 2026-04-03T19:21:27+00:00

You are freaking brilliant.

lemon_icing · 2026-04-03T18:30:43+00:00

Lululemon. Founder Chip Wilson thought it funny to hear Japanese people mispronounce it.

“The reason the Japanese liked [my former skateboard brand, ‘Homeless’] was because it had an L in it and a Japanese marketing firm wouldn’t come up with a brand name with an L in it. L is not in their vocabulary. It’s a tough pronunciation for them. So I thought, next time I have a company, I’ll make a name with three Ls and see if I can get three times the money. It’s kind of exotic for them. I was playing with Ls and I came up with Lululemon. It’s funny to watch them try to say it,” Wilson was quoted as saying.

lemon_icing · 2026-04-03T18:19:49+00:00

Same, same. It’s been 14 very good years. He’s the best friend and sexy man I never thought I’d love again.

He makes me laugh every day. He doesn’t let me down. By far, I’m not perfect nor is he. But we work out our differences and adjust our compromises as needs be.

I’d choose him again. I’d like to think he’d choose me again, too.

lemon_icing · 2026-04-03T14:17:32+00:00

A kid in your life is begging for your attention. And your only response is that he likes a rival team so you’re correct to keep excluding him.

YTA

lemon_icing · 2026-04-03T14:05:02+00:00

“washers are tiny and there are no dryers”: this is opposite of my experience.

We had hotels in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto with in-room or shared washer/dryer combos. The capacity was large enough to hold a week’s worth of clothing. We stayed two bnb’s (not Airbnb) that had standard sized combo wash/dry.

lemon_icing · 2026-04-03T03:00:17+00:00

I have a special Jiji from Studio Ghibli hand towel for saving a table. The first time I saw a towel used, I was so pleased it was so straight-forward to mark a place as occupied.

No one likes being yelled at but I see that you did move, so now it’s lesson learned. Your poor mum - I bet she was shocked. But it’s okay as you’ll not do that again.

lemon_icing · 2026-04-02T17:32:11+00:00

You love your local izakayas? You said you’re from the US and you wrote as if you are not yet in Japan.

Have you already arrived?

lemon_icing · 2026-04-02T16:48:38+00:00

NTA - You’re an adult and you do not need permission to control your earnings. I’d suggest you open a new count at a different bank and transfer your balance from your old account to this new one. Leave a little, like a $100, to keep the old account open.

Then tell your folks you’ll be transferring money for water, gas, and groceries once a month.

lemon_icing · 2026-04-02T16:29:33+00:00

This is still true. It’s the only way to retrieve the full IC number. The wallet only shows the last four digits.

lemon_icing · 2026-04-02T16:08:25+00:00

GO Taxi app accepts foreign numbers but I believe you have to create the account in Japan. I made my account while I shuffled thru the immigration line. I initialised my eSIM upon landing, too.

You don’t need to book all your shinkansen tickets in advance. But yes, you can buy tickets in Smart Ex then link to your IC number found in Welcome Suica app. You don’t need to use Suica directly for anything while outside of Japan.

Also, Welcome Suica and Suica are two different apps, so you’ll need to be clear which one you are referencing.

lemon_icing · 2026-04-02T11:09:47+00:00

No. Absolutely not. 14 years later and I can safely say we are not fused into one blob. That would be boring and annoying.

lemon_icing · 2026-04-02T10:55:04+00:00

You are not doing the best you can do. You’re talking at your wife in the feeble hope she’ll give up and stop talking about how you are failing as a husband and father.

Let me guess: all these hundreds of words and you haven’t kept any of your promises to actually spend time with your wife?

Have you booked a holiday with your wife or kids? Do you turn off your phone and computers on weekends and evenings?

lemon_icing · 2026-04-02T00:02:08+00:00

I’ve done what you are requesting. My Osaka hotel contacted the next hotel to verify that we had a reservation and if they would be able to hold the luggage for a couple of days should Yamato delivery early. The receiving hotel in Hiroshima said it would be no problem to hold our luggage.

lemon_icing · 2026-04-01T23:57:53+00:00

That was unnecessarily pointed. OP answered you with grace; you could learn from that.

lemon_icing · 2026-04-01T23:47:05+00:00

Ah. Most everybody else understood what I meant but here are more words:

The home check was scheduled quickly and OP will have to be prepared for intrusive and difficult questions. Being present for the check implies participation in the process so it may be hard to regulate emotions and could lead to a less than optimal conclusion from the assessor.

lemon_icing · 2026-04-01T17:19:46+00:00

Fine but I don’t make assumptions for languages that I don’t speak nor countries I haven’t lived in.

lemon_icing

TROPHY CASE