Japan Bits and Pieces
I have not been able to blog for some time. Although Japan was fantastic, it was a difficult place to find wifi which made blogging more challenging. Our time there was also so full that I barely had time and energy to digest all the newness of the experiences. It felt like every day there were new things to see, do, smell, taste and experience. The culture seems multi - layered to me maybe because of its long history and distinct culture that was isolated for so long.
The beauty of Japan was often very simple and thoughtful. It was not over done or over detailed. The colors were white, dark brown or black and a touch of red or orange for a moment, maybe green in the background. Nature seemed to be incorporated whenever possible. People have very little space but were often very thoughtful in how they used it. Things seemed placed just so, with consideration of thought.
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| Branch of berries hanging on a door |
So in a blog a while back I said you can tell a lot about a country from the dogs there and how they are treated. Well in Japan all the dogs looked pampered, healthy and happy. These dogs looked so good they could be in dog shows. They often had little sweaters or shirts on. I saw a man carrying his in a baby chest pack type carrier. All the dogs were a breed, none looked like mixes or mutts. And I don't know how they did this, none of them barked! I couldn't believe it. I asked one of our hosts why the dogs never bark and she said some women she knows treat their dogs better than their husbands, so why would they bark!. To top it all off you see no dog poop any where, ever.
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| Very happy and friendly Japanese dog we met hiking from Magome to Tsumago on the old Edo post trail. All roads had to lead to the capital in Samurai times. this was a route for commerce and communication in the past. |
Which brings me to trash in general. You don't see that either even in Tokyo. When you do see trash it is almost shocking. So you would think there are trash cans every where. Nope it is hard to find a trash can. There is very well organized recycling that you find in parks, train stations or bus stops. Our apartment in Tokyo had a recycling area for everything. It is so clean you want to make sure you through your trash away too. But what to do if there are no cans? One other tourist we met said he had looked all over for a trash can and when he could not find one he asked a police officer where to find one. The officer asked for the trash and out it in his pocket.
And this is what the Japanese people are like, helpful beyond belief. At first in places like Tokyo or Kyoto especially you might think that no one smiles at you a you are walking down the street. People do not make eye contact. But as soon as you have any interaction with someone they are ready to laugh and smile. So in the one sense they are very reserved but it quickly can vanish. We had several different connections there who were hosts for us. We had to be careful with them because if we said we liked something they would buy it for us or give it to us. We joked with Shige, our favorite host, that he would give us his car if we asked for it. I think this is part of the whole gift giving tradition and welcoming of guests. We had multiple times where strangers helped us figure out where we were going without us asking for help. And they usually didn't speak English but still managed to communicate with us.
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| Our SERVAS host Tomoko in her back yard with Anika and I. |
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| Dave in Tomoko's father's wedding outfit. When Dave said how much he loved the pants and he wanted to know where to get them Tomoko and her sister produced another similar outfit and gave it to him. |
When we first got to Japan and found that few people speak English it was hard. After Bali where everyone is smiling at you and asking you where you are from, how long will you stay, where are you staying and do you want to buy some etc, Japan was a big change. But we found that actually many people understand some English, they just don't speak it at all. The only time the language barrier was a real issue was a few times in restaurants that only had Japanese menus with no picture. Then we just pointed and hoped for the best.
And the food was almost always amazing. I know we ranted and raved about the food in Thailand but Japan was even better. What made it better was the variety. There were so many different kinds of food. We had several “set” meals at places we stayed that were elaborate with 15 or so different little dishes on each person's serving tray. There was always fish, pickled vegetables of some kind, soup, rice and at least one or two more side dishes. On top of the delicious flavors the presentation was beautiful in a simple thoughtful way.
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| Dinner our first night in Magome at a guest house. |
People in Japan follow the rules. They take their trash and throw it away. The don't use their cell phones on the train. In fact although people text everywhere you rarely hear someone talk on their cell phone. They excuse themselves and move away to take the call. So you do not have to share others conversations in the store, train, line in the bank or post office or walking down the street. And when you are talking to someone they don't answer their phone. They smoke in designated smoking areas (usually street corners) and put their cigarette butts in special receptacles when they are done.
The train system and public transportation in general was excellent. On time, clean and efficient. Our Japanese friends complained about it being too complicated and expensive. It can be pricey, but it goes every where so you can really live and travel without a car. We loved our JR pass which let us get one and off trains for 21 days. On the Jr lines everything had English signs and the people working at the stations were helpful and knew enough English to set us in the right direction. Thank god Dave didn't really lose them! We only took a taxi once. It was expensive. The drivers all wear suits and ties, some times they even have white gloves. The taxis themselves are big fancy cars. The drivers keep them shiny and clean. Inside they have white, lace seat covers. The one ten minute ride we took, to get form the train station to a hostel, cost 15$.
Last but, not least, toilets. There were both Eastern, squat style and Western sit style toilets in public places, some times with signs how to use them, like don't squat on a sit toilet. there were also toilets with so many buttons it was hard to know what to push. Some of them will clean you up in a variety of ways before they flush themselves and send you on your way. My favorite where the ones with warm seats. Why don't we have those?
Japan was my favorite country yet. I feel like in 25 days we just scratched the surface of a place with a complex culture and fascinating history. I can't wait to go back.
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| Dave and I in front of the Golden Temple in Kyoto. |
