My First Staycation

Since Yoko and I have been married, we have taken numerous family trips and vacations. Most of the time, we were so busy on vacation we would arrive back home more exhausted than when we left! When we were living in Japan, we were 12 time zones away from my family. Now Yoko is 12 time zones from hers. Travel time to Tokyo is typically 24 hours, door to door, assuming a direct flight. With stopovers, it takes two or three days, round trip.

When I worked in Japan for Arthur Andersen, we were allowed two weeks for home leave, all expenses paid. Typically we would fly home from Japan using a direct flight, but sometimes we would plan our trip to spend time in Hawaii, one of my favorite vacation destinations. Stopping in Hawaii was a great way to transition between time zones and cultures and get a little caught up on sleep.

Home leave trips usually entailed a combination of vacation time with obligatory family visits, since we rarely had the chance to get home to see everyone. Between the time required for travel and visiting relatives, there was rarely little time left for real rest and relaxation.
When we lived in San Francisco for a brief period in the 80’s, we were busy just trying to get established. Money was tight and time was scarce. I remember taking Yoko and Paula, who was a baby, to Trinity Lake in the Cascades for a long weekend in June one year. We spent a day in a remote mountain cabin and then decided to rent a house boat to troll the lake. The scenery was peaceful and beautiful. The mountains were still snowcapped and we were in the middle of a gigantic lake in a huge national forest. No one was around. Yoko, who was born and raised in the big city, was scared that we would be attacked by animals, mugged by drifters, or be stranded without help in some remote cove. It was a nice vacation idea but, between bears, raccoons scratching around and the bats at night, it turned out to be less than restful.

One of my favorite vacations spots on the planet is Jackson Hole, Wyoming. In fact, we liked it so much the first time we went, we ended up buying a vacation rental on a butte overlooking the Grand Tetons. I remember one year going with Yoko and the kids to ski for Christmas. With the highest vertical drop in North America and light powdered snow, Jackson Hole is a fantastic place to ski, but what a hassle to get there and then return with ski equipment, winter clothing, gifts, etc.! Sadly, we only went once for a winter wonderland vacation.

Since getting out of Japan was so expensive and time consuming, we took short weekend vacations. We sometimes took the kids to Club Med in Hokkaido. You could fly to Sahoro from nearby Haneda Airport in about one hour and be on the ski slopes by late afternoon. While the kids were being entertained, Yoko and I could go off to enjoy ourselves without worry.

I had always wanted to take our family to Europe on vacation but never had the chance, since it was so far from Japan. After Hurricane Charley destroyed our house in August of 2004, I decided to take all the girls to London and Paris for a week, just to get out of town and give everyone something good to remember for that year. By that time, however, Paula was working and couldn’t go
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Yoko and Jessie left today for Japan for a two week visit to see family and friends. I am at home with the dog reading, writing, and enjoying my first “staycation”. No cost. No jetlag. No bags. Yeah baby! Now that’s what I call a vacation!