We moved to Tokyo in June of 1998 and very much enjoyed living in Tokyo for two years. However, we also dreamed of our "alternate life" during our first six months. Living in Tokyo was always interesting and even challenging. Most of our challenges arose from the language barrier since neither of us spoke Japanese when we arrived. Traveling within Japan or to nearby countries proved to be expensive and/or difficult. Therefore, we did travel some, but mostly on business or combined business/pleasure trips.