Everything Was Illuminated.
Once upon a time, a couple told me when the family found out they were engaged, they sat the couple down, and told them, palms on the table:
You think the wedding is about you, but it's about the family.
That's all you need to know about Asian and non-Asian, traditional and contemporary upbringing.
Due to irreconcilable differences, couples often have two or three weddings, boosting the industry around the world.
War is good for business.
I left home at eighteen, and the last time I did 家族旅行 (family traveling) was probably six years before that.
So the first time I did it with Chika's family was a shock to the system.
Whenever I saw signages for the 'largest waterfall' or 'the luckiest temple' and ‘best souvenir spots’ and snickered to myself (who'd fall for that?) the car would pull into the exact spots. The most tourist-trappy traps, we walked into them voluntarily.
It took me ten years to figure out that traveling in Japan as Japanese and non-Japanese are two completely different sports.
Tourists want to be like locals; locals want to be like tourists.
Do you think Donald and Goofy queue up for popcorn at Disneyland after their shifts?
Ten years later, whenever we go on a family trip in Japan, I clear my cache and bear no expectations.
Family traveling is not about me; it's about the family.
On this road trip to Nagasaki, we had six adults (grandparents, experienced parents, a new mother), two kids, and one infant. Almost a representation of each demography on the chart.
I don't know how Chika did it, it's almost like she fed the information to an AI and asked for a hotel that would make everyone happy.
And Hotel Nanpuro delivered.
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