Tokyo in November

I am back in Tokyo again, staying at someone's house (Airbnb). That's important to note, because my experience below applies to someone at least a little immersed in how people in Tokyo live. Also, if you are traveling in the same part of Japan as Tokyo but into the mountains (e.g. Hakone), be aware of significant differences in climate due to elevation.

The last time I visited was also a month of November, albeit two weeks later (over Thanksgiving). Back then, I lived in the southern United States and so failed to notice the true nature of the climate in Tokyo (because it was essentially the same as where I lived). Also this time around, I am in a suburb where I am noticing more of the vegetation. Persimmons have yet to be harvested, tangerines are maturing, and there are palm trees here and there. Not what you find in a northern climate. That's the kind of vegetation one finds on in the southern United States, or to talk about a similar region of the world, on the southern island of Jeju, in South Korea. Trees have all their leaves and some are only starting to turn yellow.

Large Asian persimmons on a tree in Tokyo

Tokyo is quite southern in latitude (35 degrees North, that's the latitude of North Carolina). I am picking a state in the US on the Eastern side of the continent because Japan is on the Eastern side of a continent and so the climate is most similar. That's important.

If you want to know - short climatology 101 lesson

West coasts of continents tend to be milder, with winters being warmer at equal latitude compared to the east coast of said continent. Compare Seattle to New York City for instance, or Vancouver to Montreal, or moving across the Atlantic, Madrid to Philadelphia.

This is due to the direction of the Earth's rotation, and the way it pushes the ocean's currents. West side of continents receive air masses from the ocean, while east side of continents receive air masses that come from inland. Water masses are slower to heat up and cool down than landmasses and so on the west coast of continents summers tend to start later and winter also comes later. In addition, the ocean air acts to tone down seasonal differences. At equal latitude between west coast and east coast, summers are generally cooler on the west coast and winters warmer. Seattle does not suffer from the wide difference between summer and winter that exists in New York City.

Of course the climate in Tokyo is mitigated by the fact that Japan is an island, and so there is a sea not far to the West.

Back to Tokyo - what to expect in November

Somehow I thought winters in Tokyo were cold, because of those many scenes in Japanese movies where people in Tokyo live huddled around space heaters (and let's not forget the famed kotatsu). But this is precisely because winters are mild. Areas with mild winters generally have poor indoor heat. It is not in the culture or building codes to be hardy against cold weather. My host, a Korean immigrant, lamented that floor heating, common in South Korea, is not used in Japan even though in both countries, people live on the floor. When you travel southward in the winter time, you can expect to be cold indoors. So the rule of thumb is pack light in terms of outerwear (leave your parka at home), but pack warm indoor clothing. I am talking about being ready for indoor temperatures in the 60's and possibly 50's. Warm underwear, warm socks, a good sweater.

I arrived in Tokyo just as their weather was turning. When I left home for Tokyo, we had just narrowly missed our first snow, but our trees were bare and we were squarely in night freeze territory (as a matter of fact, I was unlucky to leave in the premorning hours, when we broke records and bottomed out at 15 degrees Farenheit). Of course, that follows weeks of adaptation  to colder weather. So I am not living their days in the 60's and nights in the 50's the same way they are living them. People here are in full winter gear (sweater dresses, winter coats), while I am layering short sleeve shirts under my tops and find my early fall jacket sufficient for the morning hours. Layering is important, as while indoor heat may be lacking, it is not lacking on some subway lines. I don't know how they do it wearing sweater dresses.

Packing tip - small things that make a big difference

I have a host of accessories that keep different parts of the body warm. They are great because they don't take a lot of room and can easily be put on and taken off. They include the common things (scarf, hat, gloves), but I have my travel version of them, and in addition, I use leg warmers.

Scarves - When traveling to more southern climates, instead of a winter scarf, I bring a stole in a light fabric. It's not quite as warm as a scarf, but it gets the job done and doubles as an accessory I can use in the warmer climate. One extreme example is to use the stole as a light cover up in a tropical climate, and wrapped multiple times around the neck for warmth in  the northern climate.

Hat - Instead of a hat, I bring a headband. When it's cold and windy in the winter time, I favor the headband over hats at home anyway. It is snug against the ears. I pull my hood over that, and there is zero heat escaping from my head. For southern travel, the headband is great, as it easily fits in a carry on and can be slipped on easily when in the northern climate. It protects the most important thing from frost and other ill effects of the cold, the ears.

Leg warmers - There is true magic in those. When traveling to warmer climates while dealing with winter weather at home, I don't want to wear boots. That can be rough, but leg warmers help mitigate the effect of not having boots. You can feel warm, simply by keeping your shins and your calves cozy. And again, light to carry and easy to take off (if combined with easy put on shoes, which I always wear when traveling because of airport security). It's also comfortable on the airplane, if there is cold air pooling at your feet. I will use leg warmers at home during the changes of seasons as well, when I want extra warmth in the morning.

Leg warmers, warm climate (or early fall) version

Leg warmers, winter version

A difficult trip and how I discovered that a mix of light green, peach, and highlighting eye shadow can hide dark circles

When I have an uneventful trip, I consider that a small miracle. Today, I paid for all the stolen small miracles with a trip from hell.

Trip: Scranton, Pennsylvania to Denver, Colorado.
Original plan: American Airlines, leave at 7:30pm, arrive at 11:50pm.

Morning of the trip: American Airlines informs me that I will be missing my connection in Charlotte because of a delay out of Scranton. I call and they rebook me on United, flying through Chicago instead of Charlotte.
New plan: United, leave at 5:30, arrive at 9:20pm (I am actually happy about the change, as it gets me to Denver earlier).

At the gate at the Scranton (Wilkes-Barre) quaint little airport: I notice that American Airlines is not flying any of their planes. I get online and discover that Charlotte underwent a major computer meltdown and the airport has essentially been shutdown since the day before.

Boarding gets delayed 15 minutes because the coffee maker on board was malfunctioning (or maybe not).

We get on the runway, right on the wide strips. Expect a revving up of the engines, and the acceleration. We taxi for a while on the runway, then veer off of it. We wait out a thunderstorm. 15 minutes. By then, I am starting to worry about my connection in Chicago O'Hare, it's a big airport.

We arrive over Michigan and start going around in circles. Weather over O'Hare has grounded all traffic. After 45 minutes of holding, we have to land for fuel. We end up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where we wait for hours.

10pm: We finally make it into Chicago. But upon deplaning, we are informed that the jet bridge requires repair. We sit on the plane for 10 minutes while they take care of that. My connection got delayed to 11:45 so I am in no hurry.

11pm: At the gate, we are informed of a further delay. Now 12:20, arrival 2am.

2am: We land in Denver (that's 4am for me, with the jetlag).

3am: I am at the United lost luggage service desk. Despite over one hour in Chicago to transfer luggage, my suitcase stayed behind.

4am: I turn in for the night at my Airbnb. I don't sleep much both because of jetlag (by now it's almost time for me to wake up) and because of the fact that my earplugs are in my overnight toiletries kit that I cleverly put together... and put in my checked luggage. I didn't want to go through the headache of little bottles and baggie for my liquids. And because of unfortunate living arrangements in the past, I have gotten addicted to sleeping with earplugs.

8am: I get out of bed looking awful and missing all my liquid makeup. That includes the concealer. I make do with eye shadow.

There is a happy ending. One, I got to my destination and two, my luggage was delivered in the early afternoon.

Packing: trip to Austin, TX

Nature of the trip: 3 weeks, activities ranging from business to home improvement, possibly some dancing. Climate: season change from spring into early Austin summer. Hot to very hot, with possibly one more "cold" front (for reference, in case you are wondering what high summer is like if early summer is very hot, the third kind of hot I use to describe the climate in Austin is "miserably hot"). The weather in May is mostly dry, but when it rains, it comes down hard. Extended periods in ferocious indoor air conditioning (Texans like heat, as long as they can spend their summer in the arctic blast of AC set to "freeze everything in sight"). Leaving from cooler climate.

Step 1 The base outfits

Because this is summer travel (light clothing), I am allowing myself to break the rule of bringing mainly separates for increased versatility. Instead, I am centering my travel wardrobe around a set of selected dresses. Dresses take less thinking, as one garment can make an outfit. With a dress, one also has the option of having a loose waist or no waist at all, much appreciated in hot weather. And with cover-ups and layering pieces, dresses can also be versatile.

The dresses, arranged from least formal to most formal. In the middle, there is a wide crossover between dresses that can be worn both for business and leisure purposes.

Another rule of packing light is to pick a color palette and stick to it. Since this is a three week trip and one color can get boring, I picked two: blue/greens and pink/orange.

The left-most dress is one I will wear when at home. It doubles as a nightgown if needed, or as a swim-suit cover-up. It's easy slip-on slip-off and comfortable.

The next 3 dresses can be dressed up or down. The blue one and the salmon one are my favorite dresses to wear when it is hot. They are both light cotton. The blue one ties under the chest, while the salmon one barely touches the body. It also doubles as a long skirt for added possibilities.

The salmon dress working its magic in Hawaii.

The green dress with white flowers is another comfortable one. Rayon, no belt. The last two are more dressed up and also better for cooler temperatures, having defined waists, and being lined. The right-most is my go-to dress while flying, because it absolutely does not wrinkle, is non-constricting, and has a medium length, flowy skirt (no worries about sitting down and showing too much of anything, or on the flip side being impaired while walking or running). It is the dress I will be wearing flying to Austin. In Austin, it is not clear that I will be able to wear it past the first week.

Step 2: Layering pieces and cover-ups

When I stay in Austin in the spring (I don't do summers anymore), I am torn. One part of me wants to go outside butt naked because the thought of wearing clothes seems unbearable considering the heat. The other part of me wants to be stylish, and in a professional setting, a little modest. That's where the art of the cover-ups that don't cover much comes in.

The cover-ups. From left to right: a sarong, two lace almost-no-there vests, one short-sleeve for more cover, and a classic cardigan when a little warmth is needed

Most of my cover-ups are white or off-white, for versatile pairing. With the exception of a light purple one that fits within my color schemes. It goes well with the blue dress, and brings it from sundress to office wear.

I never travel without a sarong anymore, be it summer of winter. In the winter, they can accessorize a plain sweater or double as a winter scarf. In the summer time, they do a lot. Lay it down on the grass and sit on it, use it as a shawl when a little warmth is welcome, wear it at home as a dress or a skirt, use as swimsuit cover-up. A light fabric makes them easy to wash and dry.

To further modulate the desired amount of coverage and level of warmth, I am also packing two tank tops (one white, one grey), a white T-shirt, and a white long sleeve T-shirt. The latter is almost exclusively for indoor use (where it's cold in Texas), or if it happens to be cold when I leave Pennsylvania, possibly for the early part of the trip. Also, white leggings. They work for added warmth with the green dress at home, with my jean skirt (see below), or with the shorter dresses.

Some separates

It sounds insane to bring nothing but dresses on a trip, right? Even for me, yes. So I am bringing a few separates, for added versatility.

I am keeping with my palette of blue/green, pink, and off-whites. It's still mostly skirts, because that is mostly what I wear. And again, when it's hot, they are more comfortable. On particularly miserably hot days, when I am about to step out the door and get arrested for public indecency, I put on my jean mini-skirt. It's low waist and short. The tops I chose are non-restricting or breathe otherwise. Again, there is a range in how formal the bottoms are, from a summer suit skirt, to lace shorts. Off camera, I have another pair of shorts, to wear at home and for the home improvement part of the trip.

Shoes

That is the trickiest part of the planning for a trip, as shoes take up a lot of space and weight, even my child size summer shoes. So a lot of thought goes into minimizing the number of pairs one brings along. My standard choice for summer travel is a pair of pumps (for when closed toe footwear is desirable), a pair of sandals to wear everyday, and a pair of sneakers.

My favorite summer travel pumps are a sturdy, nude pair that crosses over from office to leisure. They can be worn with a formal outfit while not looking strange when paired with my jean skirt. Both the pumps and the sandals are mid-heel, for comfort and style. This time around, I am bringing my Highschool musical sneakers. They have survived through medium hikes and moderate amounts of dirt and mud and are a good choice for this trip. Both the pumps and the sneakers can be useful when it rains, though it is best to stay out of the rain altogether when it comes down, as when it rains in Austin, it rains hard.

For the trip, I will be wearing the pumps. They come off the easiest at security and go well with my dress.

Bonus Japan post: the capsule hotel experience

While reposting pictures on this blog, I realized that I never talked about my capsule hotel experience in Tokyo, back in 2012. Following a lodging booking mistake on my part, I nearly ended up homeless in Asakusa. I was able to find a bed in a capsule hotel and spent two nights there. In a way, while it was stressful going around Tokyo with a friend and colleague without knowing for sure where I would be spending the night, I am glad I got to experience the capsule hotel.

The hotel was far from luxurious, but safe, clean and the staff was professional. That pretty much describes Japan.

Much like a hostel, you are essentially renting a bunk bed in a dormitory style room. However, your bunk bed is outfitted with full privacy, your own outlet and light. You can read at night without disturbing other people in the dorm and you have a dark, quiet space to sleep. It is a great low-cost accommodation.

The hotel was gender separated, with men on different floors from the women.

The door to the dorm room.

The capsule bunk bed. A heavy curtain closed off the entrance if I wanted privacy.

Next to each bunk bed, there were personal lockers for valuables

There was a common storage space for luggage, and a personal locker for valuables.

The rest of the hotel was setup to accommodate a high population density, while minimizing wait times for access to the miscellaneous facilities.

Outside the bunk beds room, there was a common area with low sinks to brush our teeth and do our makeup.

There were also restrooms on the same floor. This is where I first learned how to use a Japanese toilet (they had helpful diagrams on the walls to help with that, as it is not intuitive).

A Japanese toilet. Now you understand the use of special slippers to use the toilet (see post on the slipper etiquette)

The washroom was on a different floor. There was a common bath and even a small sauna. I elaborate on the Japanese bath in a post on the Japanese bath etiquette. 

There was also a surprisingly nice common area for meals. And I am not sure if that was included in the price, or if the old lady who took care of the place felt that I was not having a healthy breakfast, but I was treated to a very nice miso soup and rice in the morning. It gave me the opportunity to practice my "gochisosama" (see Japanese table etiquette) as I was leaving and spotted her sweeping the stairs. 

The dining room

Travel makeup kit

I often travel for business, so having a complete, compact makeup kit is important. Even as a tourist, I like to maintain a minimum of a semblance of being put together. The challenge is to do that with a minimum of volume and weight.

This is it, at the moment. This is good for about two weeks, if I use my foundation every day.

It includes:

• Day moisturizer with SPF 50PR+++ for good measure 
• Eye cream 
• Foundation 
• Loose powder, concealer, cream shadow and highlighter 
• Peach blush, pink blush 
• Mascara 
• Brow powder 
• Eyelash curler (the purple device, special travel version) 
• Blush brush 
• Lipstick, one in pink tones, one in red/nude tones 
• Lipbalm and lipgloss permanently reside in my purse and so are not pictured. 

Aside from my travel eyelash curler and a number of small tubes of foundation, there are more items that I save for when I travel.

One is the loose powder/concealer and more set. The whole things gets screwed one on top of the other, to form a single, compact cylinder.

I also like lipstick palettes. It's like bringing multiple lipsticks in one. This one is in pink tones, good for summer. The retractable lip brush is stored in the top, which also comes with a built-in mirror.

Speaking of retractable, love my blush brush in a tube. The gold sleeves comes out to gather the bristles, then one can put the cap on and push everything in.

For summer travel, I replace the liquid foundation with a tube of green BB cream (the kind that hides redness). It is light, but can be built up. It is still good to set it with loose powder so I always bring that. And I skip the mascara, unless I expect to have to dress up for a formal occasion. I curl my lashes and fill my brows to give the illusion of having done my eyes.

For light travel or shorter term, I might do without eye cream and I bring only one shade of blush and one shade of lipstick (and coordinate with the clothes I bring accordingly). I usually end up bringing the pink blush and nude lipstick. I really like brow powder, but if I want to save space, I can go with a brow pencil.

Some further travel makeup tips, good also for a long day at the office or at home:

• lipbalm can be used to wipe makeup smudges around the eyes. Pat on the smudge and wipe gently with tissue paper. 
• body lotion doubles perfectly as makeup remover. But it can't be used for mascara removal (another reason to skip the mascara when traveling light). I use body lotion as makeup remover even when I am at home, as a cost saving measure.

The NYC-Boston Amtrak travel adventure

I took the plunge and gave Amtrak a try. Living in the densely populated areas of the North-East, it was only a matter of time. I needed to travel from North-East Pennsylvania to Boston. New York City, a ground transportation hub, is right on the way. To Boston, it was about 5 hours by car, longer by plane (no direct flights). I was about to drive, but December is not the best time to be on the roads in that part of the world. It is also a busy time of year. Driving is tiring, especially if roads are bad, and on a train, I knew I could get some work done.

The Amtrak Acela Express at the Boston South Station

I have traveled by train plenty in Europe, having grown up there. All in all, the Amtrak experience is not very different from any train travel. I boarded a train at Penn Station in NYC to Boston South Station, then back.

Penn Station, NYC

Boarding an Amtrak train

I arrived at Penn Station way early (that's how the bus-train connection worked out) so I was happy to find that Amtrak has a waiting room for ticketed passengers.

Amtrak waiting area at Penn Station

The Amtrak website says to arrive at large train stations an hour in advance, but if you purchased your ticket in advance, I really don't see a reason for that. If you are unfamiliar with the train station, 30 minutes is plenty. If you know the train station or it's small, then 20 minutes.

Penn Station (and also Boston South Station) have a system that I have seen in some large train stations in France. Tracks are announced as the trains pull in. Many European train stations have set schedules and displays where you can find out the tracks ahead of time. You can then go and wait for the train right along the track. But not so at Penn Station. So when the train arrival time approaches, it is best to move to the main hall and watch the displays for the track announcement.

Main hall at Penn Station

I was puzzled to find a large crowd waiting near a track gate, when there was no announcement yet of what train that was going to be. It turned out to be a train to Washington D.C. I figure they were week-end commuters (this was a Sunday afternoon) who knew the usual gate. It gave me the idea that I should place myself strategically to be able to read the displays and quickly get to the correct gate as soon as the track was announced.

What follows was something I have experienced in France multiple times, but never before in the US: flocking. That was a little unnerving, but years of experience kicked in and I did not panic, nor got injured. And I found a seat on the train before it left the train station. Boarding on the way back was a lot more relaxed, as Boston South Station is not nearly as large as Penn Station and it is an end station, or a beginning of the line station coming back.

Onboard the train

Aside from the adventure boarding at a large train station, the experience was very positive and familiar. The train was on time both ways. There are power outlets at each seat, leg room galore, clean, large restrooms and free Wifi. If you have a laptop, tablet or smart phone, you can follow the path of the train real time, and easily pull up the scheduled stops. There are announcements and the old fashioned way of printing a schedule ahead of time too so a device that gets you on the internet is not a must.

No doubt the reason for the awesome comfort and legroom is because I was riding in business class (Acela Express trains do not have coach cars).

Conclusion

I overcame my fears of riding Amtrak (I had heard that their schedules were completely unpredictable) and I will definitely do this again. At least in the North East United States, it is the best way to get around medium distance. When my family visits, I would love to take them on an Amtrak to Boston adventure. I just wish there were the option to pay extra to reserve specific seating, like on European trains. When traveling with family on busy lines and on long train rides, it's worth the extra money. As far as I can tell, that is not an  option on Amtrak. One can make reservations, but that only guarantees a seat somewhere on the train. Hence the mad flocking I experienced at Penn Station.

Packing for the other hemisphere

Last week I took a short trip to Chile for a conference. The challenge was that it was the beginning of winter where I live (with first snow already past) and I was headed for the Northern part of Chile, in their late spring/early summer. Quite a drastic change of seasons. The goal was to be comfortably warm leaving winter and to not sweat arriving in summer.

An additional challenge was that I was going there for a conference, which included a formal dinner (so I had to bring heels - not a must for everyone, but a must in my book). On the other hand, I was headed for San Pedro de Atacama, a village in the middle of the desert with unpaved roads.

I like to pack light, as I often fly through New York City, meaning I carry my luggage on all manners of public transportation. That limits what I can bring, particularly footwear.

I also refuse to give up on style, ever.

My strategy, which worked both ways (going and coming back):

Footwear: functional, hardy summer heels on my feet, light, cute plain sneakers in the suitcase
Underwear: summer tank top which doubled as a camisole. Spring nylons.
Additional layer on legs: warm leggings
In my carry-on: lace shorts
On me upon departure: warm sweater dress
On top of that: warm cardigan
On top of that: light colored coat, light colored scarf, white gloves

Added bonus for comfort: built-in bra in the camisole with no underwire. I was about to take a 3 and a half hour flight to Houston, followed by an overnight 9 hr flight to Santiago, followed by a 2 hr flight back up to Calama.

Tank top doubling as camisole for warmth and shorts

For versatile, extra warmth: fuzzy cardigan and leggings

No fuss, warm slip on sweater dress

You might wonder why the heels were on my feet and not in the suitcase. That's because my cute sneakers were far from being water proof. Perfect for the desert, not so perfect for rain and snow. In addition style wise, they were not quite as versatile. An added bonus is that pumps come off a lot easier at security in US airports. So I often wear comfortable pumps when flying. Abroad, sneakers are better, as we are not required to take off the shoes. Heels have metal reinforcements in the soles that trigger the metal detectors, so I take them off even when not required.

I shed layers as I was headed south. The coat, scarf, and gloves went into my checked luggage upon check-in in Newark. My cardigan went into my carry-on, as did my leggings (it was warm in the terminal). Instead, I put on the shorts under my dress in preparation for arrival.

Upon arrival in Santiago, the dress came off. I was summer ready underneath.

When returning North, I reversed the process.

For much appreciated added warmth, I also wore leg warmers found at a market in San Pedro de Atacama. When I arrived in New York City, a cold front had just come through (as could be expected in December). It was on the chilly side and windy. In addition, I had to use public transportation to get to my car, where I had left my winter boots. The leg warmers were a light weight, small volume alternative to warmer footwear.

Aside from the dress, all of the items above were light colored so I could use everything in Chile as summer wear. Where I was going, days were warm, but nights were cool. I also did an excursion at even higher elevation, where my coat came in handy. I wanted to be able to coordinate my summer wear with my winter wear.

The cardigan, layered under my coat for warmth. Even in the tropics in the summer, it can get chilly at 4,300 m elevation. I had my leggings layered under my rayon pants (which do nothing for warmth and so are great as sunblock in warmer climates)