2 weeks in Japan and 2 x 14 hour flights: how did my body respond?

You’re traveling. Maybe it’s a loong flight. Maybe there is a timezone change.

Maybe you’re not traveling, and just want to feel better.

I’m sharing what I tried / what I learned, as well as a few photos of some of the delicious food I ate. Whether you’re planning a trip to Japan, or you’ll be on a plane headed somewhere else.

Hope it helps!

Tokyo, Japan 2013. Pescetarian me, on our way to lunch.

The last time I was on a 14-hour flight was 11 years ago. I was about to turn 41. My mom and I were going to Tokyo before my move from San Francisco to New York.

The last time I was on a two week trip was…I’m not sure! I spent three weeks in Thailand in 2006. Trips after Thailand were typically 5-7 days, mostly having to do with my inability to disconnect (perceived or real) from work.

Kyoto, Japan 2024. The zen rock garden at Ryoan-ji Temple. You have to enter the temple / remove your shoes before getting to the rock garden — it’s worth it! The favorite temple of my tour guide and Steve Jobs.

How did I prepare for a long flight, and

two weeks away from home and routines?

On the flight.

Hydrate, and hydrate some more.
Before the flight, on the plane, after the flight.
I stick to water during the inflight service. I bring my 24-ounce Hydroflask and fill it up after I get through airport security. If I have the space in my bag to bring a larger water bottle, that helps.
I don’t drink alcohol while I’m in flight.
It sounds nice, but it’s dehydrating and I’m playing the long game for feeling good when I land.
I don’t take sleeping aids.
I tried melatonin years ago. Did it work? I don’t know. If I don’t know, I don’t want to waste the money or the space in my bag.
If I’m on an overnight flight, I think about minimizing screen time. There’s evidence-based research that the blue light from screens keeps us awake. This article from Harvard Health recommends we “avoid looking at bright screens beginning two to three hours before bed.”
I pack my sleep mask in my backpack so it’s easy to grab.
I pack healthy snacks.
Go-to’s are: raw vegetables, fruit, tofu and crackers, with an emphasis on the veggies and fruit.
Yeah, I may be the only person on the plane with their own food, but my recovery is best when my diet is high in fiber, vitamins and minerals, and I’m hydrated. I talked more about this in a previous blog post: What I ate on the plane.
From Tokyo to NYC, I brought roasted soy nuts, crackers, a scone and cookies, all from Natural House in Tokyo.

Food prep at home for the flight from NYC to Tokyo — raw radishes and carrots.

Raw and cooked salad with whole grains for lunch on travel day from Tokyo to NYC.

Snacks from Natural House in Tokyo for the flight home. The “guilt free cookies” are savory and more like crackers. The “salt and cacao sabre” are cookies.

In Japan:

I went to sleep most nights around the same time I do at home (10pm!).
I woke up earlier most mornings, around 6am, not be design.
Going to sleep ‘on time’ or earlier in the evening may be more conducive to restorative sleep vs. sleeping in.
There was LOTS of walking, every day.
I’m plant-based (vegan diet). That didn’t change.
I ate as many raw fruits and vegetables as I could.
Typically breakfast, lunch and/or snacks.
There are many small food markets in Tokyo to pop into. Many are also open to the sidewalk or street, you don’t even have to go ‘in.’
We bought the best pineapple of my lifetime at one of the markets. It’s not easy to describe, without photos, how much pineapple we ate that afternoon (we bought it in containers, pre-cut). It was a lot. We went back for more. It was worth it. 🍍
I had many restaurant meals.
Eating out several days in a row is not usually my preference. Restaurant food tastes good, restaurant experiences are fun, but my body knows the difference between the food I prepare at home and the food most restaurants prepare for mass consumption.
At home in NYC and in most cities I visit, I need a break after a few restaurant meals in a row. I don’t sleep as well. I don’t have as much energy.
↪️ I didn’t have this experience in Japan. Dishes were ‘lighter.’ What I mean by lighter is lower in fat, salt and sugar. These are all processed ingredients that can be more difficult to digest, pro-inflammatory, and drain my energy.
Can you relate to the feeling of food that takes hours to digest, and the energy highs and lows of foods high in processed sugar?
↪️ Portions were typically smaller in Japan.
I felt good.

Mochi. Oshino, Japan. “According to archaeological research, the homemade production of mochi increased beginning in the 6th century (Kofun period), when earthenware steamers became popular in every household, mainly in eastern Japan.”

The aforementioned pineapple. We learned it came from Taiwan.

I LOVE food. Food is also fuel.

The food may be different, my enjoyment is no less.

Incredible (really) plant-based raw cake from Stardust in Kyoto, ordered by my (not vegan) tour guide, shared with me.

The chef/owner of Kyotei Fukuwarai in the Jiyugaoka neighborhood of Tokyo specializes in making soba noodles with buckwheat, and only buckwheat. Most soba noodles contain both buckwheat and wheat flours. Making soba with buckwheat flour only requires a different technique.

Ichigo daifuku (strawberry red bean mochi) in Oshino, Japan near Mt. Fuji. This trip was my first time trying mochi. I’m in love, as long as it’s red bean (adzuki bean) mochi.

How was the 14-hour flight? ✈️

I was anticipating the length of the flight being (figuratively) painful, knowing I get antsy on 6 hour flights from NYC to California.

It wasn’t bad!

I slept for a few hours on both flights.

🌱 I think it’s planning vs. luck.

Birthday dinner at Veganique in the Jiyugaoka neighborhood of Tokyo. Not the whole meal, 1 of 5(!) dishes we shared.

How was the jet lag? 🛌

The jet lag in Tokyo didn’t seem to last long, about 2 nights.

Jet lag after the trip took longer to shake, 4 nights.

I have a flexible schedule that allowed me to sleep 1 to 1.5 hours later than usual each morning for the first 3 days, when I returned to NYC.

A few plates from dinner at Trout House, a traditional Japanese inn, in Oshino, Japan. Each of our meals, dinner and breakfast, had 9-10 different components, served on different plates. It was stunning.

What else happened after the trip?

Let’s see what Whoop says.

Starting with some baseline data:

I rarely reach 4 hours of restorative sleep each night.

I’m satisfied if I reach anywhere north of 3 hours. I’ve not seen 3 consecutive nights of 4+ hour restorative sleep since I started using Whoop ~6 months ago.

Whoop sleep data, following 2 weeks in Japan. I don’t pay much attention to the efficiency data. I focus on restorative sleep. My flight back to NYC was Monday, April 15.

How do I interpret the Whoop data?

My body needed to recover.

Devices aren’t the end all, be all. Tuning in, observing how we feel, is the first place to start — it may take time to develop, it’s worth it.

One part of the lunch set at Brown Rice in Omotesando. First day in Tokyo.

Why do I make the effort?

🌱 Because I have things to do. And I don’t want age, physical or mental unease to prevent me from doing those things.

🌱 Because I like feeling good.

🌱 Because I like bouncing around 5 different cities, even more neighborhoods, restaurants, a couple of bars, shops, and temples in another country WITH EASE.

👟 Even in fashion sneakers when I should have been wearing my Vivos …humor and also the truth.

Sakura illuminations, Tokyo. Fun fact: same scarf as the photo from 2013.

I loved spending two weeks in Japan. I could throw my everyday health habits out-of-the-window when I’m on vacation. Over several years of experimentation, observation, and planning, I’ve made the decision not to. I’m happier for it.

📌

What tips do you have for feeling your best when you travel? Let me know in the comments below!

🌱 Embrace the power you have to change and to improve your health.
🌱 Consider experimenting with new foods, new routines and habits. Have fun.
🌱 Celebrate results.

Reach out if you’d like support.

Resources

I use this sleep mask by Drowsy. If you find a less expensive sleep mask that works for you, by all means do. If you have a sensitive (high maintenance?!) face and head like me, I love this one and I use it nightly. This is a less expensive, cotton, but similar style I would try; the reviews flag it may not wash as well — not an affiliate link since I haven’t tested it.

cover image: Kinkaku-ji (AKA Golden Temple, AKA Rokuon-ji), Kyoto, Japan

Interested in more Japan pics? You can find them on my Instagram.

Thanks for reading!

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