Japan Trip Reflection – cultural differences and the beauty of Japanese life

I can’t believe the trip of a lifetime has come and gone already. I have struggled with how to write this blog post. Where do you even begin with such a life-changing, awe-inspiring trip? I don’t want to just tell you what we did – my husband will be uploading YouTube videos and you can check out my Instagram for photos of everything. The trip was more than what we did. Anyone and everyone could do cool things, right? It would be easy to just be a tourist and that’s it.

But this trip meant more to me than that.

I mentioned in my last post that Japan was my dream destination. It has been a long time coming. 18 year old me has been brought to life having gone and spoken the language she learned back then. I hope I made her proud.

So what is this post about? I want to tell you about why it was so special. I want to highlight the details, the intricate things that made Japan so unique and special to me.

Respect

You can’t mention Japanese culture without mentioning respect, for in a nutshell, that is what they are: respectful people. The cultural custom of bowing just felt right to me. To thank someone and bow slightly, it was natural and appropriate. The Japanese don’t tend to smile at strangers in the street, like we sometimes do, but bowing to a stranger in thanks or to say excuse me “sumimasen” is normal. I loved it!

I want to bring this idea of respect and honouring one another back home with me. We needn’t know one another’s names or lifestyles to simply respect one another by default.

The Japanese respect one another’s peace and space, too. It is frowned upon to speak, eat or drink on public transport. The trains and underground were near silent! Can you imagine?! You’re also not supposed to eat and walk in Japan. In fact, there aren’t many or any bins around! You’re expected to eat while sitting down and hold onto your rubbish. There’s often recycling bins by vending machines (which are everywhere!) and in convenience stores (konbini), but other than that, it was a hard job to find a place for your trash. You should respect the area you’re in by not littering or eating messily around other people, simple.

We did a traditional tea ceremony while out there, making our own matcha tea and following the customs. We were taught to bow low to our host and how to drink the tea. There is a step by step process that you follow for this ceremony, each with its own purpose and meaning. It’s beautiful. It makes you appreciate the people you’re with and the things you’re consuming instead of just rushing and not having a full experience.

Shame I hate the taste of matcha! So bitter!!

Systems

As I said, one thing I loved is the process of the tea ceremony. This is a system. A flow. From displaying the artwork of your tea bowl to which hand you hold it in, they think of every detail. One thing Japan does right is its systems. Everyone and everything has a purpose and a place to make things run smoothly. Street cleaners ensuring everywhere in the already pristine place is spotless. Traffic controllers; men standing with lit sticks to manoeuvre you around any roadworks or cars pulling out (here, they just let you get hit!). Trains running often and always on time! Crosswalks that go diagonally as well! Like how is this not a thing everywhere? It makes so much sense! The famous Shibuya Crossing was a scramble but it was still a well-made scramble crossing that somehow works!

There are vending machines everywhere, as I said, alongside konbini which makes the cities very accessible and easy to navigate. You never went thirsty. Our first hotel had vending machines with real food as well, like ramen and Onigiri and waffles, which was exciting and unique. They also do a little jingle when you buy things! A lot of things jingle, too, like the crossings and when you pay in stores.

The signs are fascinating too. A sign on a pillar stating “No Party”, the times when it’s allowed to smoke in the street, and pretty toilet signs.

There were quite a few buildings had set smoking rooms and areas, which I found interesting. Clearly there’s a big smoking culture there, but they do it in a respectful way that just makes so much sense! They think of what people need and provide it, like a baby seat inside women’s cubicles so that women can do their business while their child is safely seated there with them!

Perfect systems.

Food

Anyone who is well-travelled or is just a foodie knows that Japan is a place to go for food. There’s so much to try. I am not a foodie and often get nervous about food experiences or trying new foods but on this trip, I went for it!

Foods I tried or loved in Japan especially:

• Yakiudon
• Yakisoba
• Okonomoyaki
• Betayaki
• Dorayaki
• Taiyaki
• Onigiri
• Matcha tea
• Karaage
• Tonkatsu
• Dim sum
• Beef bao bun
• Beef croquette
• Minced fish with rape blossoms
• Gomoku rice
• Teriyaki burger from McDonald’s
• Matcha ice cream
• French toast (it was amazing in our last hotel!)
• Egg salad
• Mille crepe cake (omg omg this was a dream in my mouth)
• Wasabi (no no no, spicy scary, nooo!)
• Wagyu beef (melted in my mouth…melted!)
• Sake
• Plum wine (sooooo nice!)

The service was always, as you can imagine, immaculate. Everyone was so respectful and kind. You can tell that they really care about the attention to detail for their food and their service. I ordered using broken Japanese and pointing when needed to. We used chopsticks but I am still an absolute amateur who had to relearn every time! Yet it went well every time.

Architecture and aesthetic

Lastly, I want to comment on how everything looked. This is a huge part of any trip, I think: how things look compared to home. I mean travel is very much a sensory experience, especially if you’re mindful about it, which we are forced to do when confronted with new things. I tried to soak it all up. To experience and witness every detail.

Japan, or rather the tiny bit of it that I saw, is gorgeous.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Tokyo especially had its fair share of grey skyscrapers and even derelict buildings. It is not a paradise. What I mean is, for a city trip, essentially, we witnessed fresh sights of beauty. A multitude of contradictions and elements coming together to make something unique. Grand shrines and temples everywhere you turn, adorned in reds and white and wood, stone statues and ceremonial offerings. Then as I said, the skyscrapers towering into the clouds (we stayed on the 33rd floor of one hotel, the views were spectacular). Then the typically Japanese traditional houses and izakayas and machiyas and ryokans. The wooden trimmings, paper lanterns, shoji screens and tatami flooring. The greenery, too! The mountainous landscape of hills and trees; the bay and the rivers; bridges and boats.

Everywhere you looked there was something to capture your attention. Something to spark awe, imagination, fascination, questioning or yes, even a little humour at the complete contrast to what we’re used to. We saw the 8:30pm fireworks as we drove in go-karts through Tokyo and saw lighted drones make dolphins in the night sky! How incredible is that?

Reflection

In summary, this was a trip of a lifetime. I hesitate to say this because I don’t want it to be the only time I go to Japan. Or the best trip of my life to which every other trip will fall short now! But it was incredible. It was everything I wanted it to be and more. I got to use my Japanese knowledge (language and culture) and inspire myself. I was among a people who I greatly respect.

By no means are the Japanese perfect. I know they too have their flaws and a history. For example, they have signs warning about upskiritng at the train stations and women-only carriages, which I can only assume is due to women feeling unsafe. However, I do adore their way of life. I wish the country was closer so I could visit every year, that’s how much I loved it.

There’s so much more I could say, but I don’t want this post to be too long. I’m sure I’ll share more as time goes on, and check out my Instagram for all the photos.

I will be back, Japan. This is not goodbye, it’s just for now.

Sayonara,

S. xx