Chapter 2 · Japan

Our First Night in Tokyo

Shinjuku at midnight, lucky turtles, and the kudzu connection between Georgia and Japan

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Our first night in Tokyo went by in a blur of lights, movement, and quiet amazement.

We spent a couple of hours walking through Shinjuku, taking in the energy of the city — glowing signs, crowded streets, hidden alleyways, and the feeling that every corner held something new to discover.

Even exhausted from travel, we didn’t want the night to end.

One thing I quickly learned during our journey is that turtles are considered lucky in Japan and are seen as symbols of longevity and good fortune. It’s amazing how travel makes you notice little cultural details that stay with you long after the trip is over.

And then there was kudzu.

Interesting vacation trivia: Did you know kudzu, which is native to East Asia — including Japan — was introduced to the United States in 1876 as a form of erosion control and livestock feed?

In Japan, you’ll see kudzu growing naturally throughout the countryside, but it isn’t considered invasive because the growing season is much shorter.

Back home in Georgia and throughout the southeastern United States, however, kudzu became famously invasive — sometimes growing as much as a foot per day.

What surprised me most was learning that kudzu is actually edible. In Japan, it has a long history of being used as a starch and thickening agent for sauces and traditional sweets called wagashi. It’s even been used to make paper and fibers for clothing.

Travel has a way of turning ordinary things into stories.

A plant I grew up seeing cover trees and highways in Georgia suddenly became a connection point between two completely different places in the world.

That’s part of what makes the journey so meaningful.