It's been just over two months since we boarded a jet plane and headed across the pacific to see one of our bucket list countries...Japan! Japan has always been at the top of my travel wish list for obvious reasons- incredible food, natural beauty, intriguing history, and fascinating culture. Hot Stuff was especially pumped for this trip and did nine months of intense research on everywhere we were supposed to visit. This proved to be incredibly helpful as we squeezed in as much as possible into the 10 days that we were there.
For those of you that used to read my travel posts (see New York, Eastern Europe, Thailand and Italy), you're probably expecting a breakdown of our trip with lots of photos. This time however, I decided to mix it up in a unique way by creating a tour on Google Earth. Essentially, you can see everywhere we visited along with my usual entertaining commentary and favorite photos. To view, click here. (Pro tip: Follow the slides by clicking the "next" arrows on the bottom. To see multiple photos, click the arrows on the picture.) (Second pro tip: This is lengthy and best enjoyed with a side of wasabi.)
So as you can see from our tour, we ate well, walked A LOT, and saw some amazing things. But what about our overall impression of Japan? The first things you'll notice when you visit are that it is incredibly quiet, safe, and clean- three things that you wouldn't necessarily expect from a country that is home to the 8th largest city in the world. We learned that Japan does not have public trash cans because of previous incidents with bombs being hidden in them. So people carry around their trash and dispose of it when they get home. This would simply not happen in America. To me this is just one example of how respectful the Japanese culture is.
Another thing that really impressed me was the incredible efficiency of everything in Japan. From filling space and using it well, to traveling through mazes of train lines, everyone in Japan had a place to be and a way to get there and we were just along for the ride. I found it fascinating to watch hundreds of people funnel in and out of the train stations like a silent school of fish, perfectly organized, while we were left standing at the ticket gate wondering for the ump-teenth time if we had found the correct train and paid the correct fare. You see, in every city there are multiple subway lines, owned by different companies. Sometimes to get to one location, you'll have to transfer between lines, travel between levels, and purchase multiple tickets. I was doing fine until one day I was standing in the middle of a sea of commuters saying, "Exit! Exit!" Luckily, a nice man helped us find said exit. And while we're on the topic of transportation, everyone's favorite question: "How was the bullet train?" Simply put, it's awesome. It's speedy fast, always on time, and you get to see Mount Fuji out the window.An honorable mention should also go to the kooky things you come to expect when it comes to Japan. My favorite were the toilets. I've never realized just how primitive our facilities are until I sat down in a gas station bathroom and had a heated seat with multiple "spraying" options, plus sound effects to muffle any unmentionable noises. There were so many buttons that directions were greatly appreciated. Same goes for the vending machines. While we never found a hamburger or bowl of ramen, we were frequent customers for a hot green tea.
On our last day in Hiroshima, we were truly sad to be leaving. I felt like we could've stayed for a month and still not have had time to see all of the versatile cities, landscapes, and sampled the local fare. I left Japan with nothing but positive reviews and an intention of returning in the future. As I've said time and time again, to be able to travel and see the world is the greatest gift. I feel so lucky to be able to sample even a taste of such an incredible place like Japan. Sayōnara for now!
