Japan Trip Report - Robots welcome, but leave your credit cards at home
Japan. I struggled with whether or not to write a trip report. There is a lot of information already out there on Japan...I wasn't sure what I could add. But there was something about Japan that kept tugging at me. When I walked through immigration back into the US, I still wanted to be in Japan. I've traveled to over 40 countries and have enjoyed them all, but always have I been happy to be back in America.
This didn't make sense.
My wife and I visited during Golden Week, a supposedly nightmare time to go. Add to that the fact that I hate crowds and hate large cities (we were in Tokyo, Yokohama, Kyoto, and Osaka).
What was happening here?
I only spent 10 days in Japan. Perhaps I saw only the good things. Perhaps if I stayed an 11th day, the true nature of the Japanese would reveal itself and instead of being the most magical country I've ever visited, it would be the worst.
Maybe.
So, I decided to write a trip report and attempt to explain what I think makes Japan different - in a very good way - from any other country I've visited.
Unless you have been to Japan, it is hard to explain how the Japanese act. They are very nice and very polite - so polite that it made me embarrassed at times. But I've been to many countries where people are extremely nice and polite. Japan was very clean - but again, many other countries are too. The trains ran on time - but again...you get the point.
Picture the internet without any spam, viruses, phishing attempts, etc. Picture the internet where there was no need for passwords because no one would try to break into your accounts. Picture the internet without pop ups and other ads.
Think of how nice that would be.
Now think of a country, where everyone acted correctly and did the right things because...well, because they were the right things to do. This is the best I can do to explain Japan. It was just so relaxing there because everyone did the right thing.
I'm not naive. I know there is crime in Japan (at a minimum there is the Yakuza). I know the Chinese have (rightly so) some bad things to say about the Japanese (Nanking). And I know American veterans of WWII have bad things to say also. I know about the Chikan and the "Wani Otoko".
I'm not pretending Japan is perfect.
I am saying that it is as close to perfect as I've seen a country be. If it wasn't for the earthquakes and the encephalitis from the mosquitos I would try to move there.
It is a series of small things where the whole is greater than the sum of the individual pieces that gives one a certain feeling in Japan. People form lines for things and wait patiently. There is no cutting, pushing, etc. This goes for cars too (we heard a total of two horns the entire time we were there). Beer and alcohol was freely available everywhere (even vending machines), but we only saw a handful of drunks the entire trip. Graffiti was only seen on one place and that was under a bridge. Women left their purses and no one bothered them. People didn't jaywalk.
OK, that last one was a little annoying. But honestly, after a while, it felt right to do.
Then there was the beauty. Somehow, the Japanese took ordinary items and placed them in a very natural way to make them, and their surroundings, beautiful. Sometimes it was something as simple as a bench, or turning a corner from a street packed with people to find a huge open area. All of that open space was "wasted" just...because.
I realize now in reading this over that I'm not a good enough writer to put the magic of Japan into words. I'll end this with some of my favorite memories...
- DisneySea. If you are a Disney fan, go here. Most. Amazing. Park. Ever.
- Catching a wedding in Meiji Shrine.
- Experiencing, all in one day, Oktoberfest (in May!!!); a store whose sole purpose was to hold and pet the smallest, most adorable puppies ever seen (seriously, they looked like toys, not even real); a haunted house; a ninja "fun" house; a monster store (dragons, things with huge claws, etc.); the Statue of Liberty; several floors of amazing cars (classic and futuristic); ate a cronut; walked a boardwalk; saw Xmas lights (in May!!!); watched people ride a futuristic Honda "mobility" device; saw a low rider parade; saw a bunch of girls dressed up as anime characters; went back to Oktoberfest and watched a German band singing in Japanese; and a bunch of other stuff that I can no longer remember.
- Kyoto Botanical Gardens. Push through the beginning stuff and get deep into the forest. Amazing.
- Osaka. The Aquarium (one of the best I have ever seen - petting sharks and stingrays), the Reed Cafe (a tiny bar on the 6th floor of an impossible to find building where we had to come back later because in the afternoon it doubles as a nail salon), the cotton candy that is literally larger than your head, the soft serve ice cream that is stacked literally larger than your head, and last but not least, the candy stores.
- Arashiyama (outside of Kyoto). The Monkey Park (after the hellish climb to the top of the mountain) and walking in the river and having a couple of schoolgirls take a picture with me. We also ate our first ramen here.
- Gear.
In Kyoto. Perhaps the most creative show I've ever seen. An excerpt from my review:
I could write about card tricks, juggling, slapstick, or even being in the middle of a mini hurricane...none of that would begin to explain what this show is. It is best to simply say, go see it, try not to read too much about what it entails, and prepare to be amazed. - Yokohoma. No way to describe this city. It is the second largest city in Japan, but you would never know it from its beauty. Yamashita park, Osanbashi Pier, Minato Mirai, the best pancakes I have ever eaten, Hawaii World, and, of course, Cosmo World where there is a rollercoaster that goes underwater.
- Counting cash. The country is serious about paper money. Not so crazy about credit cards. Money is spread out and counted several times in front of you. A receipt is given for EVERYTHING.