Japan holds a very special place in our hearts, as Jona and I met and were married there nearly fifteen years ago. We lived in Gifu, in Central Japan, between Tokyo and Osaka. It's considered the countryside, as it's at the foot of the Japanese Alps, but, in reality, it's at the very edge of the metropolitan sprawl that seems to radiate out from Tokyo, as far as the eye can see. During our time in Gifu, we built a nice life with a circle of friends that felt more like family. 

We had discussed returning to Japan since we left in 2003, but the timing never seemed right. When we started planning this round-the-world trip, we knew we had to make a stop there. We would have sufficient time to explore and, by now, enough years had elapsed that we would finally feel like tourists. Our goal was to reach Gifu in time for the New Year, but we were nervous about what we would find. Had it changed much in fifteen years? Would it still feel familiar?

After nearly four months on the road, we were ready for a taste of home. We survived the night bus from Bagan to Yangon in Myanmar—which was a walk in the park, compared to the crazy ride we had in the other direction—and headed back to Thailand for a brief stop. By this time, we were positively giddy at the thought of going to Japan. We had an apartment booked in Shibuya for a few days. The lure of Tokyo was growing stronger by the day.

By the time we arrived at Narita Airport, we knew we were home. For the next month, we would step right back into the life we had left all those years ago, as if time had stood still. In many ways, time is indeed frozen in Japan. The country was hard hit by the recession and the economy has been struggling for years. While the people and culture remain unchanged, everything seems a little more worn and a little older, which is painful to observe in a country that prides itself on appearances. Consumers are more frugal. There is less waste. There is also a sense of humility and an openness to foreigners that feels very different. There are even street signs and menus in English (as well as Chinese and Korean translations), which would have been unthinkable a few years ago.

For nearly a week, we walked the streets of Tokyo, exploring nooks and crannies, both familiar and new. Parks, museums, record shops and restaurants. We rediscovered our love for Japanese food and our curiosity for the countless subcultures. The weather was on our side, so we spent a few idyllic days playing at being tourists and yet feeling a sense of belonging for the first time in months. The highlights of our trip were Ueno Park and its museums, as well as the old streets of Yanaka Ginza, the boutiques of Shibuya and Harajuku, and the harbor area that we visited on the monorail. We even stopped off at Fujifilm headquarters in Roppongi to have my camera cleaned and updated (for free). We'd almost forgotten about the amazing customer service in Japan!

The contrast with our time exploring dusty temples in Southeast Asia couldn't have been more different. We rode the maze of the metro, which looks like a game of Snakes and Ladders, and all too often ended up in the basements of department stores where they keep the food. Soba, tempura, sushi, sashimi, onigiri, takoyaki, gyoza and Jona's favorite: ramen. We came to the realization that we like the trappings of modern life. We used to yearn for a simple life without all of our gizmos, but we were quickly cured by a few months of life on the road, constantly worrying about water, food, toilets, safety, transportation, accommodations and weather. When you don't have access to the basics, you start to long for them. We discovered that we LOVE washing machines and wifi...

On Day 100 of our travels, we took the shinkansen (bullet train) to Nagoya, the nearest big city to Gifu. We arrived at Nagoya Station and memories started to flood over us: all the times we traveled into the city for work or pleasure. It hadn't changed a bit, as far as we could tell, but by now we were impatient to get to Gifu. We took a slow train for twenty minutes, reminiscing along the way. When we reached our destination, we knew we were home. Our friend, Kazuo, met us at the station and we all dissolved in tears. 

Kazuo and his wife Naoko are family. They quasi-adopted a gang of foreigners nearly twenty years ago and treated us as well as their own children, who are terrific people. They gave us a sense of being at home in a faraway place, which contributed to making our time in Japan one of the best times of our lives. They were unusual for Japanese people, in that they were unafraid of engaging with us and having fun. Most of their peers are very shy and reserved. Kazuo, Naoko and their family gave us a window into Japan and the soul of Japanese people. While we had seen them just a couple of years ago, when they embarked on a road trip across the American West, they were one of our main reasons for wanting to return to Japan. 

Another reason was our friend Victoria, who has lived in Gifu on and off for nearly twenty years. She was one of my very best friends at university in the UK and she let me sleep on her tatami mat when I joined her in Japan in 2000. She's family too. When we arrived in Gifu, we put our bags down in her house, acquainted ourselves with her cats, Shanti and Joe, and headed out for sushi with our Gifu family. We were all a little older, but it felt like the clocks had turned back a few years.

For the next few weeks, we played at being tourists in Japan. I was determined to see the famous snow monkeys in Nagano and they didn't disappoint. Since the first time I saw the opening scenes of the film Baraka about 20 years ago when we used to project it on screens in clubs where I DJ-ed, I have dreamed of seeing these wonderful animals for myself. Legend has it that a young macaque monkey fell in the hot springs of a local ryōkan (traditional Japanese hotel) and liked it so much that he made a habit of it. Soon his friends joined him and then it became a thing. Now, this troop of monkeys spends most of their daylight hours in the winter grooming themselves in the hot, sulphurous waters of this mountain area. It's an incredible experience to watch them up close and to be able to see their almost-human expressions, as they interact with each other. This was definitely a highlight for us, as we'd planned this stop all the way back in California. How could we possibly top that?

Well, Kyoto's a pretty close second. We headed there on the local train for a few days of adventure. We found a great Airbnb, which turned out to be a hotel, near Nikki Castle. We had no idea how busy Japan would get toward the New Year. Kyoto was packed! Regardless, we walked all over the city and made good use of the metro. Kinkaku-Ji, the golden pavilion, was beautiful as always, but overrun by tourists. The streets of Gion, the old neighborhood of Kyoto, were similarly busy. Yet, we managed to find areas of town that were fairly deserted and just as interesting. At this point of the trip, we were unfazed by the hordes of tourists, so we managed to see the big attractions, but we also minimized our time there and moved on to quieter areas. 

While we loved our time in Kyoto, because it's one of the most beautiful cities in the world, it made us appreciate Gifu all the more when we returned on New Year's Eve. We had a quiet dinner with Kazuo, Naoko and Victoria, followed by a quick trip to the local shrine at midnight to pray for the New Year. It's at times like this, when you're surrounded by unconditional love, that you truly feel at home. Gifu is a special place, with its castle perched on a hill above a beautiful river, fishermen who use cormorant birds to fish the waters, the traditional neighborhood of Kawaramachi, and the newly hip downtown area with its many restaurants and bars, not to mention the big Buddha, second only to the one in Kyoto. More importantly though, this city is special because of its people. As long as our family is there, Gifu will feel like home.