** Note: all headings in italic and underlined indicate the start of a travel journal entry. The headings indicate the date written and location, so at times they do not match the timeline exactly. Italicized passages are the notes I wrote while on the journey. PROLOGUE Without a doubt, living and working in Japan completely changed my life trajectory. Above all, I was exposed to a culture radically different from my own. Equally important to my personal growth were al