First Impressions of Japan

This was the third planned adventure for our family of three. We called it a carefree trip, but in reality, it was far from carefree—too many stories to tell, let me take it slowly... Our destination, Japan, was a country I had hated since childhood. Maybe because of the brainwashing from a young age, I was even a little afraid of Japanese people. If it weren't for Dà Pàng and Xiǎo Niū insisting on going, I wouldn't have been interested in Japan at all. I originally planned to brush them off by joining a tour group, but when I actually started choosing tours, I found that no matter the price, the itineraries all revolved around various temples and the outer walls of some grand palace. To me, it felt like a waste of time—I have zero interest in Japanese history or culture. If I want blessings from a bodhisattva, I'd rather pray to our own Chinese ones; foreign gods wouldn't have time to bother with me. After much thought, I decided on a free-and-independent trip. Though we spent some extra money on unnecessary things, it was still better than a rushed check-in tour.

The story begins a few days before departure. The nearly-forty-year-old Zhào Dà Pàng actually got scalded by a hot water bottle one evening. At first, we didn't pay much attention, but the wound got worse—his leg became red and swollen, and even walking was affected. To make sure we could still go on the trip, he had to go to the hospital. People like me, with thick skin, can't understand such things. Sigh... The doctor told him to apply ointment and wrap it with gauze. Two days later, the wound was no longer swollen, but it was far from healed. Luckily, walking no longer hurt, so we set off with a big bag of gauze, tape, ointment, anti-inflammatory medicine, and iodine cotton balls.

Our return flight was on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Worried that there might be no car to take us home in time, we decided to drive ourselves to Pudong Airport. We found a parking service online, much cheaper than the airport parking. After parking, a dedicated car took us to the airport—very convenient. At the time, we just wanted to avoid the possibility of some vehicles shutting down during the Spring Festival, and driving ourselves gave us peace of mind. Later, when the COVID-19 virus spread more seriously, we realized how wise that decision was. But that's a story for later.

Day 1 (January 19)

We each put on a new pair of shoes, hoping to sweep away the gloom and start fresh! But we never expected... From the moment he entered the airport, Dà Pàng said he felt itchy all over and kept scratching. At first, we didn't think much of it—we thought he was just hot because the airport was indeed very warm. Our family dressed like we were from the far northeast of China, wearing too many layers. We had lunch, browsed the duty-free shops, and soon it was time to depart. This time, Spring Airlines was quite reliable—taking off and landing on time. The car arranged to pick us up was already waiting outside. The driver was very talkative, telling us about his experiences from his student days coming to Japan for school, working, and eventually settling down. Amid the chat, we arrived at our first hotel, the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel, which was conveniently located near Disneyland.

Once in the room, Dà Pàng couldn't wait to take off his clothes. We took one look and were dumbfounded—no wonder he had been scratching all the way. His entire body was covered in large red rashes: chest, back, neck, arms, everywhere. At that moment, our spirits hit rock bottom. In a strange place with a language barrier, would we really have to go to a hospital in Japan? Even Xiǎo Niū, who had been so excited all the way, said glumly, "I wish we hadn't come." I took a deep breath and decided to look for the hotel pharmacy. By the time we arrived at the hotel, it was almost 10 p.m., so the restaurants were surely closed. I took Xiǎo Niū along to buy some instant noodles while we were at it. The portable Wi-Fi worked great with a strong signal. With simple English and the "Hujiang Xiao D" translation app, we finally found the hotel pharmacy. Inside, there was a young man and an elderly woman. They understood what I needed and brought out three types of ointment. Then came the problem: my "Hujiang Xiao D" could only translate Chinese into Japanese or English, but I couldn't input the Japanese they spoke. Oh my god, at that moment I was blushing and sweating profusely, typing Chinese over and over, guessing what they meant, and asking them to answer Yes or No. That was the first time my impression of Japanese people changed. No matter how many times I repeated myself, the young man never showed the slightest impatience or mockery. Instead, he did his best to use body language to convey his meaning. Later, the elderly woman found a translator from somewhere. Although it wasn't perfectly accurate, it gave me a general idea—she was saying I needed to choose one of the three. I finally breathed a sigh of relief. After we paid and walked quite far out of the store, the elderly woman actually caught up to us to remind me to fill the bathtub with water in the room to keep it humid. I had heard about the Japanese being dedicated to their work, but I never expected it to this extent. I was truly grateful to them.

Back in the room, we applied the ointment to Dà Pàng, all three of us ate some instant noodles, bathed Xiǎo Niū, and went to sleep with heavy hearts. That night, except for Xiǎo Niū who slept soundly, the two of us tossed and turned, already planning to cancel the next day's itinerary and go to the hospital.

Day 2 (January 20)

The next morning, we drew open the curtains to find a cloudless sky, golden sunlight sparkling on the sea, and across the way, we could see Mount Fuji. Our moods instantly lifted! And when we checked Dà Pàng's rash, it had faded by more than half. Thank heavens! Our spirits soared immediately, and the anxiety and worry of the previous day evaporated into thin air. Dà Pàng declared that the ointment was miraculous and that we had to buy some to take home. As it turned out, the rash never reappeared after applying the ointment. Even the third-class drugs, sold like health supplements in Japan, were so effective—it was truly admirable.

In high spirits, we took a few photos! I specially booked the Premium Main Building this time, but whether you can see Mount Fuji depends on the weather. It seemed our luck wasn't too bad on this trip! The hotel had four restaurants, all of which accepted our breakfast vouchers, but afraid that the Japanese breakfast wouldn't be filling enough, we opted for the more down-to-earth buffet. Since we got up a bit late, the first-floor restaurant already had a queue, so we chose the second floor. The second-floor restaurant had a smaller selection of food, but the milk was absolutely superb. For Xiǎo Niū, the highlight of this Japan trip was getting her fill of milk! After eating, we headed to our first stop—Tokyo Disneyland. Tokyo has two Disney parks: Land and Sea. Actually, we should have chosen DisneySea, as it's said to be the only one of its kind in the world. But seeing that most people on the monorail got off at the Sea station, and looking at the massive crowd at the entrance, we chickened out. Forget it, we'll go with the traditional Disneyland. Our goal today was just to relax and wander.

After the DisneySea stop, the Disney monorail was nearly empty.

Let me also mention the location of the Sheraton Hotel. It's not an official Disney hotel, but a partner hotel, so it doesn't have any park privileges. However, its location is truly great—just outside the hotel, there's a free shuttle bus to the Disney monorail station. You can buy one-day or two-day tickets for the monorail, similar to buying subway tickets. Actually, the monorail station is right across from the hotel, just a short walk away, so even if the shuttle bus isn't available, you can just walk there. The monorail line is a loop, so there's no need to worry about missing your stop—you can always ride back. It's really convenient.

I remember when we went to Hong Kong Disneyland, we sprinted through the entrance to try every ride, always in a hurry, and never had time to properly enjoy the fairy-tale beauty of the park. This time, our goal was to make up for that—to slow down. We didn't rush to the popular rides or frantically get FastPasses. Instead, we interacted with the cute characters, greeted the friendly staff, bought a Mickey Mouse accessory, and blended into the fairy-tale world.

I have to complain about the "Mickey's House" attraction. We barely had to queue for anything else at Disneyland, but this one had the longest wait. Since we just wanted to stroll around, we hadn't done much homework before coming. We had no idea what was inside this house, but seeing the long line, we assumed it must be fun. Little did we know, after winding through countless turns and finally getting inside, it was just Mickey's house. The decorations were cute, sure, but definitely not worth such a long wait. In the end, after queuing all the way (even inside the house), we discovered that the ultimate purpose of the line was to take a photo with Mickey—and it cost over 2000 yen! Xiǎo Niū and I were furious. We couldn't understand whether all those people in line were as clueless as we were, or if they had actually come to get a photo with Mickey. It was a crying shame! We braced ourselves and told the staff we didn't want the photo, and they politely escorted us out. Forty minutes wasted for nothing!

I thought I was still full of childlike wonder, but I guess I still can't understand this otaku culture.

Since we hadn't slept well the night before, we returned to the hotel early without waiting for the fireworks show, saving our energy for the next day's dream-fulfilling adventure.

Dà Pàng insisted that his full-body rash the day before was caused by an infection from his leg burn, so he went back to the pharmacy after returning to the hotel. He found the same kind elderly woman and bought a tube of burn ointment. I couldn't help feeling that this trip to Japan was turning into a medical trip for him!

Day 3 (January 21)

The first thing we did after waking up was to gaze at Mount Fuji in the distance again—another clear day. To commemorate the youth of us two post-80s, Dà Pàng and me, we had booked a chartered car to Kamakura today. The driver was punctual, arriving at the hotel entrance at 8 a.m. Since we got up early, we finally got to enjoy the first-floor buffet with its wide variety. We checked out, loaded our luggage into the car, and set off!

At the Shonan coastline, we saw the famous photo spot at the railway crossing. Although we felt a bit embarrassed for being typical Chinese tourists (almost everyone taking photos there was Chinese), we couldn't resist doing something mundane and got out to take the obligatory photo!

Xiǎo Niū, of course, wasn't interested in all that. Her attention was already drawn to the sea across the road. After taking photos, she eagerly rushed to the other side, down the stairs, and started chasing the waves.

After wandering along the beach, we still had time, so we asked the driver to take us to the nearby Enoshima Island. It was said that you could see Mount Fuji from there. Before the trip, we had been torn between going to Kamakura for the "Slam Dunk" photo spot and climbing to the Fifth Station of Mount Fuji. Both required a chartered car and were in different directions, so we had to choose one (the main reason being we were broke). Later, I read some netizens saying that you could also see Mount Fuji from Enoshima, though not as clearly as from the Fifth Station, but the scenery was still nice. Sure enough, as we walked across the bridge to the island, Mount Fuji came into view.

See that bird soaring in the sky? That's a hawk! There was a whole flock of hawks flying freely, with only a warning sign telling visitors not to wear hats or hold food. Xiǎo Niū was terrified and screamed, insisting that we hurry away.

This is Enoshima. To me, it felt similar to Gulangyu Island, only smaller.

We found a very busy restaurant on the island and went in. Later, we realized why it was so busy—most of the customers were Chinese tourists because the staff there could speak Chinese. However, the food was pretty good. Since it was near the sea, the seafood was very fresh.

After lunch, we climbed a short hill. Halfway up, there was a temple. Before entering, you had to purify yourself. Devout Japanese people also rinsed their mouths and sprinkled water on their heads. Of course, these two were just following the crowd—we didn't even bother to go inside the temple.

Xiǎo Niū didn't want to explore much, so we didn't climb higher. I heard there was an observation deck at the top with beautiful scenery, but to get back early, we gave up looking for it. The driver took us to our new hotel.

Now, let me introduce this internet-famous hotel! It's located in Shiba Park, right next to Tokyo Tower, and the park is a popular spot for local residents. Japan has two famous towers: Tokyo Tower, modeled after the Eiffel Tower, and Tokyo Skytree, also known as "Sky Tree," which is much taller but looks like a monotonous candlestick. I personally think Tokyo Tower is prettier. So after much deliberation, I chose to stay near Tokyo Tower, also to prepare for taking the Shinkansen from Tokyo Station the next day. From Shiba Park Station to Tokyo Station was only three stops.

I had booked a tower-view room long in advance. To afford this room, I even gave up having breakfast at the hotel—the next morning, we made do with onigiri from Lawson.

But what truly attracted me most was the bar on the 33rd floor with its unparalleled night view. For the first time ever, I left Xiǎo Niū alone in the room and went with Dà Pàng to enjoy a little luxury. (Because minors weren't allowed in the bar!)

With such a night view, did I still need to go to the Roppongi Hills observation deck?

Embarrassingly, my alcohol tolerance is terrible. After just one glass of fruit wine, I was dizzy and blushing. When I returned to the room, Xiǎo Niū teased me mercilessly. Sigh...

Day 4 (January 22)

Early in the morning, the hotel sent us a newspaper. Even though we couldn't read it, we could tell from the pictures that our Wuhan had "made a name for itself." From then on, Dà Pàng's panic gradually began. By the time we arrived in Japan, the COVID-19 virus seemed to be getting more serious, so we put on masks just in case.

We set off to take the Shinkansen. Today was a test for us. Luckily, we had prepared Suica cards.

The Tokyo morning subway was as crowded as Shanghai's. We braced ourselves and squeezed in, thankfully for only three stops. Google Maps was accurate. After getting off, we followed the signs and finally found Tokyo Station for the Shinkansen. Because of the language barrier and fear of trouble, we had pre-purchased Shinkansen tickets through Taobao—the fastest Nozomi trains with reserved seats, so we wouldn't have to stand all the way to Kyoto. The tickets were sent directly to our hotel, which was very convenient.

The Shinkansen has three types of trains based on speed; Nozomi is the fastest, so we chose it. With the route directions we found online and help from staff, we confirmed the train. Once on board, we felt relieved. The ticket showed the arrival time, and the screens on the train displayed station names. We could read "Kyoto" in Chinese characters, so there was no worry about missing our stop.

Upon arriving in Kyoto, the B&B manager told us how to take the bus. Since we had luggage and didn't want trouble, we took a taxi for the first time in Japan. Although the manager said the B&B was close to the station, I was nervous watching the taxi meter jump—every jump was money! In the end, it cost 1000 yen, which wasn't too bad.

Our B&B was very close to Kiyomizu-dera Temple, and the bustling Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka slopes were just nearby. After the B&B manager finished explaining the check-in details, we walked over. With Google Maps, we easily found the crowds of people wearing kimonos. Before the trip, I had read many travelogues saying you must try wearing a kimono in Kyoto. But perhaps due to nationalistic resentment, I couldn't bring myself to dress up as a Japanese woman, even though the outfits and makeup were beautiful. I also didn't consider letting Xiǎo Niū wear one, because I think being a Japanese woman isn't happy. I don't really know Japan, but I have this prejudice.

So we just enjoyed watching the handsome guys and beautiful ladies!

There was a group of five handsome guys—I tried several times to sneak a photo of their faces but was too shy.

We still didn't enter the temple; we only came for Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka.

We came across authentic matcha ice cream—we had to get one each!

Ninenzaka was full of Japanese snack shops. If it weren't for the COVID-19 virus, we could have eaten our fill just from samples. Sannenzaka was full of doll shops, which were a delight to browse.

Fans of Hayao Miyazaki must visit "Donguri Kyowakoku" (Acorn Republic).

After wandering around, we got hungry and decided to have a bowl of Ichiran Ramen, which many travelogues recommended. We intended to find a subway station, but we kept walking and ended up in downtown Kyoto, passing Gion and Hanamikoji without interest, heading straight to our destination.

While searching for the ramen shop, we stumbled upon a room full of gashapon (capsule toy machines). Xiǎo Niū was overjoyed! In Japan, gashapon machines occupy a status similar to claw machines back in China.

We finally found the ramen shop, tucked away in an alley. Truly, the fragrance of noodles doesn't fear a deep alley! After finishing the ramen, we came across a drugstore, did some light shopping, and felt extremely tired. Thinking about the long walk back, we called it a day and returned home early. This day had the highest step count. Every time, we wanted to travel leisurely without overexerting, but we always succumb to temptations—such a contradiction!

Day 5 (January 23)

Overall, our luck on this trip to Japan was quite good. The weather forecast had predicted rain for today, and yet today was the day we chartered a car to Nara to see the deer. We were worried that the deer would hide from the rain, but before we even reached Nara, the rain stopped. And it didn't rain again until we left Japan.

As soon as we got off the car, we saw deer roaming along the roadside. Xiǎo Niū was conflicted: she was afraid of the big deer, but the small deer didn't want to take photos with her, so we didn't get a single photo with a normal expression.

As soon as I bought some deer crackers, I was immediately surrounded by a group of deer. I forced myself to stay calm while Dà Pàng took a photo of me, then I ran away, breaking out in a cold sweat. Travelogues had said the deer by the roadside are wild—and they were right. The deer along the path leading to Kasuga Taisha were much gentler.

To enter Kasuga Taisha, you also had to undergo purification. Washing was fine, but we still had no interest in temples, especially since we had to buy tickets to enter. I thought about buying a protective charm from outside, but then realized we'd probably just stuff it in some corner at home, which would be disrespectful to the gods. So I didn't buy anything.

It was lunchtime. The driver told us there was a shopping street nearby with many eateries and sent us a GPS location. Following the navigation, we went in search of food! Before even eating, we came across the internet-famous gold leaf ice cream. We couldn't miss it, but we only bought one to share.

We finally found the shopping street, which indeed had many restaurants. We chose the most popular one again, but this time, it seemed to be frequented mostly by locals—we didn't hear familiar Chinese.

The sauce at this restaurant was unique. You had to grind sesame seeds yourself first, then add sweet or spicy sauce. I noticed that Japanese "spicy sauce" wasn't spicy at all—it was more like salty sauce. The mixed sauce was very fragrant, which was the soul of the entire set meal!

After lunch, we still had plenty of time. We asked the driver to take us to the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, which was across the bay from the Universal Port Hotel where we would be staying that night. The driver said there was enough time. Wonderful! Children seem to naturally love animals. No matter how many aquariums we visit, Xiǎo Niū is always fascinated! Don't you think the expression on this fish is hilarious?

The entire aquarium is designed to be explored from top to bottom, and the goal I brought Xiǎo Niū to was on the first floor. I've been to many aquariums, but none allowed you to actually touch small sharks and "smiling fish" (forgive me, I can't remember their scientific name). On the first floor of the aquarium, there was a large pool where children could wash their hands and then, following the instructions beside the pool, touch the red-marked areas on the diagram—basically, you could only touch their backs. I couldn't resist touching them too. Shark skin is very rough, while the skin of the smiling fish was incredibly smooth—completely different.

After visiting the aquarium, on a whim, we decided to put our successful experience of taking the subway to the Shinkansen to use. We asked the driver to take us to the hotel first for check-in and luggage drop-off, then drive us directly to Shinsaibashi. The plan was to eat and shop there, then take the subway back to the hotel ourselves. It sounded good in theory, but we underestimated our own abilities.

The driver was diligent. He dropped us off at Shinsaibashi, and our chartered car time was just about up. At least we didn't waste a minute. Once we arrived at Shinsaibashi, we regretted it. First, the crowds were overwhelming—people were packed shoulder to shoulder. Then we heard Chinese everywhere, and our imaginations ran wild with worry: if just one person from Wuhan was among them, we would be in danger. Xiǎo Niū and I are naturally optimistic, but Dà Pàng's face was deeply furrowed with worry. I knew he wanted to turn around and leave immediately. But since we were already there, we decided to at least have dinner. We found a sushi restaurant online with good reviews; it was said that Bai Yansong had eaten there once. The ingredients were generous and fresh. We passed a famous billboard and took a photo for memory.

The chef was right in front of you, so you could order more anytime and he would make it fresh. That was good—no waste. The ingredients were indeed generous; the fish slices were thick and tasty. The restaurant was mostly full of Japanese regulars, chatting and greeting each other familiarly.

After eating, we took Xiǎo Niū to a stationery store. The stationery at Loft was exquisite and beautiful, but Dà Pàng kept urging us to leave, so we couldn't fully enjoy ourselves. Oh well, during these extraordinary times, safety comes first. Xiǎo Niū quickly picked out a few favorite items, and we started studying the subway route back. When we looked at Google Maps, we were shocked—we couldn't quite understand the route it gave. We had no choice but to brace ourselves and navigate step by step, walking to wherever we could first. We found a subway entrance by foot, swiped our Suica cards without much thought, and went in. The first leg went smoothly, but at one station, a sign said "no transfer, continue three more stops"—maybe we misunderstood, because after getting off, we couldn't find the JR line platform that Google indicated. We wandered around like headless chickens, then rashly swiped our cards again and went back into the station we had just exited. Once inside, we realized something was wrong. When we tried to swipe out immediately, we got stuck—no matter how we swiped, the gates wouldn't open and started beeping. My first thought was, "Oh no, I'm going to disgrace the Chinese people today." My heart raced, I was sweating again, waiting for the staff to catch us. Suddenly, a small machine next to us made a sound. Listening carefully, it was a staff member speaking to us through it. But in my panic, I couldn't understand a word he said. I forced myself to calm down. The staff patiently repeated himself in very slow English, and this time I understood: he asked what I wanted to do. I said I wanted to get out. He told me, in extremely slow speech, where to place the card and what to do next. The entire process was very patient, without a hint of contempt. My impression of the Japanese people instantly improved. After resolving the card issue, we finally got out. We couldn't find the station marked on Google, so we decided to ask for directions. After walking a bit, we spotted a staff member (why are there so few staff in Japanese subway stations? No security checks, and often you walk a long way without seeing anyone). The Hujiang Xiao D app was useless, but Youdao Translator came to our rescue at the critical moment. After asking for directions, we finally had our bearings. We got on the train and asked two young ladies for route confirmation. They said we needed to transfer at the next station. Following their advice, we eventually found the route that Google had originally shown. When I saw the line name, I was so excited I almost cried. We could finally go back to the hotel! Later, we felt both scared and amused—this might be the fun of free travel.

Back at the Universal Port Hotel, our spirits lifted. We explored this Minions-themed hotel, bought some snacks, and relaxed in the room! Japanese pickled plums and drinks were pretty good. The elevator was decorated with Minions, and at each floor's elevator entrance, there were cute little jellyfish!

An exhilarating day finally ended. If given another chance, would I still go to Shinsaibashi?

Day 6 (January 24)

We saved the most anticipated day for New Year's Eve. Today, we were going to Universal Studios Japan, which we had been looking forward to. You could say it was the reason for our entire Japan trip.

A wonderful day started with a hearty breakfast. The buffet at this hotel was the best breakfast I had in Japan. Fellow post-80s, does this jelly look familiar? I think its shape and taste are exactly like what we ate when we were kids!

After breakfast, we walked to Universal Studios, about 10 minutes from the hotel. It was easy to find. Xiǎo Niū is a huge Harry Potter fan, so we spent almost the entire morning in the Wizarding World. Naturally, she became our tour guide. The park recreated scenes from the movies, and Xiǎo Niū was ecstatic!

We bought a four-item Universal Express Pass. Only the Harry Potter ride had a designated time slot—we reserved it for 10:30 a.m. Since it wasn't time yet, we first queued to watch an impressive magic wand selection show. We also bought "Butterbeer" from the Harry Potter series, which is actually just soda. Among countless magic wands, Xiǎo Niū chose Hermione's wand because she is her favorite character, and she felt regret that Harry didn't end up with Hermione. We found all the magic spots in the park, tried out various spells, and rode the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride. Finally, Xiǎo Niū was willing to leave the area and head to Minion Park.

For lunch, we ate something that tasted pretty good. I regretted not ordering the burger set, because the Minion-shaped burger buns were the cutest! We also had Minion ice cream, which was delicious—even Dà Pàng couldn't resist having one! I must say, all the snacks at Universal Studios were tasty. The only downside was that they only sold soft drinks, not bottled water. At Disneyland, you could find water everywhere.

In the afternoon, we used up our three remaining Express Passes. Thank goodness we bought them; otherwise, I estimate we could have only ridden three attractions at most with all the queuing—the crowds were massive. Minion Mayhem was my favorite ride—funny and silly, unlike some parts of the Harry Potter ride which were a bit scary (Xiǎo Niū screamed throughout and claimed a venomous spider touched her foot). The Jurassic Park ride was under maintenance, so we didn't go. That was fine—I had been wavering about whether to ride it anyway, fearing it too much. We also rode the Jaws ride and the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. Spider-Man was good, but Jaws was too cheesy—though it would be a bit scary if you weren't sharing the boat with many people, especially sitting on the edge. In the evening, we queued to watch a 4D movie but then got too lazy to wait in line anymore. Xiǎo Niū browsed various souvenir shops and picked out a few items. We found the tax refund counter and got our tax refund, ending our Universal Studios trip. We didn't stay for the evening light show. The virus made everyone anxious, and by then, we were eager to return home.

For New Year's Eve dinner, we chose the hotel buffet—the most expensive meal we had in Japan. But with the virus on our minds, we were always a bit worried, especially Dà Pàng. He was constantly afraid we might be stopped from leaving and unable to return to Taizhou. I couldn't understand why he was so anxious. I said, "When it's your time, it's your time. Worrying won't help." He said I was blindly optimistic—so unlike a teacher. But anyway, as long as our family is together, there's nothing to fear!

Day 7 (January 25)

The first light of the Year of the Rat—the light of hope!

After breakfast, our airport transfer driver was already waiting at the door. Our Japan trip came to an end. Xiǎo Niū said she wants to go to college in Japan when she grows up. When asked why, she replied, "Because the toilets in Japan are great!"

Indeed, because of the great Japanese toilets, Xiǎo Niū had to go to the bathroom a few extra times.

Two people looking into the distance, waiting for the plane to arrive!

The year 2020 is destined to be an extraordinary one, but I always believe that everything will be fine. The season of blooming flowers will always come. Just like our trip—though there were ups and downs, in the end, everything was perfect. 2020, let's all cheer together!