At Japlanning we talk a lot about upcoming travel and planning, what to do when your away in Japan, all the amazing food, sights and people. The anticipation of a trip can make any miserable day marvellous, however what happens when you return and the post holiday blues kick in? Today we're helping you with some great ideas to sooth the post-Japan holiday blues, and keep you on a happy high with your holiday memories.
No one wants to think of the after holiday times, right? We are all on such a high when planning and researching an impending jaunt to Japan, it’s what you live and breathe 24/7 on the days, even months leading up to the amazing journey. Then the actual trip is mind-blowing: you’re there, you made it, huzzah! However, eventually the dark times approach, and before you know they have engulfed you, and you’re back home and your holiday is but a mere memory, and the post holiday blues kick in.
Now don't let these blues get you down! Here are some Japlanning certified ways to get out of your post Japan funk, look at the sunny side of the rising sun and pull yourself back into the light!
One of the best ways to get out of a post holiday funk, is to get a rocking playlist going on your iPhone.
Take a look through your music and find your favorite J-Pop tunes, soundtracks from your favorite anime, video games, Japanese films, and take your ears away back to Japan and think of all the amazing places you visited, remembering music you may have heard in a restaurant or bar, even Google for some atmospheric tracks of Japan, and close your eyes and float back to the middle of, say, Shibuya's crosswalks, or the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto.
If you loved your time at the Tokyo Disney parks, hopefully you picked up one of the countless park, parade and show soundtracks, which are a joyfully bouncy soundtrack to get you reminiscing back to your time at Tokyo Disney.
A personal favourite is the Lost in Translation soundtrack, track one - Intro Tokyo. If you ever want to close your eyes and be swept back to Tokyo this short track will do the trick!
Need to stock up on some Japanese music? It's quite easy to get yourself a Japanese iTunes account,here is a easy guide to getting some great J-Pop and quick, which will surely put a smile on your face, and melt those blues away.
Another way to bring back the memories of an amazing trip and lift your spirits is watching a few Japanese films, or western films set in Japan!
I can admit to already having watched Lost in Translation since getting back last week, to simply see the places we visited and be able to go "I’ve been there!"
A new release, The Wolverine, is another great one to go catch if you’re missing Japan -- it's 98% filmed in Japan, with many famous landmarks present for you to feel like you’re back home -- uh, I mean, back in Japan.
But don't forget about you’re personal favourites from Japan, whether it be a contemporary classic, like Tokyo Sonata, or your favourite Studio Ghibli film -- they are all a great way to lift your spirits and get out of the post Japan blues.
We can only imagine you’re like the team here at Japlanning, and basically had a camera as an extension of your arm for the entire time in Japan, so time to put all those pictures to use!
Go through them all, and find some of your best, most candid and greatest memories, and get them printed, put them up on the wall, on your desk at work or school, and keep the amazing times in sight at all times.
Another great idea is making a photo book through a great online publisher, like Japlanning's favourite, blurb.com. This way you can organise, write and make the perfect holiday companion, and the writing and organising is like re-organising your trip, and a great way to get that planning a trip high back!
Okay, so this is a easy one to help the post vacay blues. Get into some Japanese cuisine!
Get some of your favourite sushi, have a go at making some authentic ramen at home, or perhaps a night out with friends at a local teppanyaki joint is in order. Japanese cuisine is some of the best in the world, and usually a key factor to what you miss about being in Japan!
Here’s an idea: have a Japan night, where its all Japanese food and drinks! Get some Sake, Asahi, Calbee chips, sushi and more, and get your friends suckered into the magic of Japan too! Then you'll have more to come along on that next trip that you’re probably already planning, which brings us to our next idea...
We saved the most effective tactic to last: Start planning your next trip to Japan! That's right, the easiest way to kick the blues of no-holiday, is... to plan the next one! Start re-reading your favourite Japlanning articles, make a list of the places you missed, you want to see next time, and start looking at flights and costs! It's never too early!
Starting the Japan planning again is the easiest of ways to give yourself something to anticipate again, and, let’s be honest, can you ever really get too much Japan?
Naturally, this is the technique that Japlanning's team use, and a few of the team are already outlining the next research jaunt to Japan, which has already turned those post Japan frowns upside down!
It's either this, or opening your own cat cafe, as the quickest way to avoid the blues. Since the start up costs of our own cat cafe are sadly out of our reach, this time we’ll just settle for planning our next trip instead.
Hopefully our tips on how to avoid the blues above will help you when you return from your next trip to Japan, or anywhere really! The best thing you can do is remember all the amazing times you had while there and look forward to the future ones.
Do you have some sure fire blues killers that we didn't mention?
We'd love to hear about them, tell us in the comments below!