Living in Japan Bucket List

I'm not the first one to do this, but I thought it would be a fun idea instead of working so hard on New Year's resolutions.  I know some other military spouse bloggers that have posted their must-do lists, or bucket lists, for their base.  Military families move often, sometimes with only a short time at each base, and a list of things you want to do while stationed there is a great way to make sure you don't miss out on anything.  Plus, it gives you some goals to work towards and ideas for activities when you are just not sure what to do.

This is my list of 100 things I want to do while living here in Japan.  From time to time I will come back to the list and update it, marking off things I accomplished and see what I have left to do before these next few years fly right by.  Some of these we have actually done, but I am keeping them on here since they were on my list before publishing it here.  I'll make sure to come back and update the list after the New Year since a few of these may happen over the holidays.

1. Take Survival Japanese
2. Visit Tokyo
3. Visit Kyoto
4. Visit Osaka
5. Sapporo Snow Festival
6. Ride the Shinkansen
7. Go horse back riding
8. Learn to ski
9. Learn to snow board
10. Visit Hirosaki Castle for the Chrysanthemum Festival
11. Visit Hirosaki Castle for the Cherry Blossom Festival
12. Aomori Nebuta Festival
13. Make okonomiyaki
14. Try takoyaki
15. Make my own sushi
16. Take Beyond Survival Japanese
17. Buy a kimono
18. Visit Oirase Gorge
19. Visit Big Buddha in Aomori
20. Visit Aomori Art Museum
21. Visit Towada Art Museum
22. Take a cruise on Lake Towada
23. See a snow monkey
24. Go snow shoeing
25. Take a trip to Thailand
26. Take a trip to Australia
27. Climb Mt. Fuji
28. Go to an onsen
29. Go to Tokyo Disney
30. See Tsukiji Market
31. Travel to South Korea
32. Go to Universal Studios (in Osaka)
33. Buy something with Hello Kitty on it
34. Write a blog post during an earthquake (any idea what just happened! LOL)
35. Visit Okinawa
36. Go to a Sumo tournament
37. Drive to Tokyo
38. Go to the beef and garlic festival
39. See the Ryusendo Caves
40. Volunteer for Tsunami/Earthquake relief (from 2011 Earthquake)
41. Go to a Japanese baseball game
42. Go ice skating
43. See Kabuki theater performance
44. Travel to Hawaii
45. Take the ferry to Hokkaido
46. Try green tea ice cream
47. Visit Sendai
48. Attend Shabbat services in Tokyo
49. Go apple picking
50. Go cherry picking
51. Visit a Buddhist Temple
52. Visit a Shinto Shrine
53. See the wild horses
54. Go to the Rokkasho Salmon Festival
55. Drink sake
56. Visit Tokyo National Museum
57. Visit Hiroshima
58. Visit Kenji World
59. Visit Morioka
60. Eat shabu shabu
61. Visit Tokyo Tower
62. Have a traditional vegetarian Buddhist meal
63. Buy fresh fish from a market
64. Buy an antique
65. Attend a tea ceremony
66. Dine Japanese style (sitting on the floor)
67. Go to a concert in Tokyo
68. Learn to use chopsticks
69. Use a Japanese toilet
70. Buy a heated toilet seat
71. Go hiking
72. Go camping
73. Visit Nagoya Castle
74. Visit Nagano
75. Visit the Imperial Palace in Tokyo
76. Dine along Dotombori
77. Visit Ueno Zoo
78. Buy a Hard Rock shirt from all locations in Japan
79. Visit a Japanese beer brewery
80. Play a round of golf (all 18 holes!)
81. Drink apple wine
82. See a fire works display
83. Swim in the ocean
84. Visit Shipwreck Beach
85. Build a snow man
86. Eat tofu on a stick
87. Visit the Tokyo Sky Tree observation desk
88. Visit Disney Sea
89. See a professional Taiko drum performance
90. See the deer in Nara
91. Visit Sensoji Temple
92. See a Noh theater performance
93. Go dolphin and whale watching
94. Check out Harajuku
95. Sing karaoke
96. Eat a sea urchin
97. Make a kanji painting
98. Learn how to spell my name in Japanese
99. Ride the subway in Tokyo
100. Be a good ambassador

QUESTIONS: If you were traveling to Japan, what is the top thing you would want to see or do?  What is on your bucket list where you live?


2 comments:

Gina; The Candid RD said...

Wow, that's QUITE a bucket list!! I think learning to snowboard would be the most difficult one for me. It's so much harder than it looks.
I do have a bucket list for where I live, but it mainly includes places to visit, like new restaurants and the art museum.

Special K said...

This is awesome. We know so many folks who don't go out and explore, and your spirit does JUST THAT! Can't wait to share in some of these through your postings here....

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