Final Japan Post

This will be my final post for Japan. I have to say this was the most interesting country I have ever visited.

When people talk about Japan they absolutely love it. When I ask why I hear a few themes:

• Everyone is so nice. This is true. Not only are they helpful but they are quiet and considerate.
• Everything is so different. I completely agree. See below.
• The food is great. To be honest, I struggled with Japanese food. I have always been open to trying new foods but found myself craving the basics. I have never liked sushi or 'fishy' flavours and eat a ton of vegetables. Nearly everything is flavoured with fish (e.g., salad dressing, broth), and fruits and vegetables are rare.
• The shopping is amazing. Although I purchased a ton on this trip for my girls because they love Japan, I hate shopping, so this wasn't a turn-on for me. 

Below are a few things that are so different in Japan:

• There is order to everything they do. They queue up after leaving a metro car and they have arrows on the ground showing the direction of the foot traffic.
• Every city is very clean. They do not have many garbage cans throughout the city as they expect you to take your trash home.
• Their physical appearances are very important. Everyone is dressed very nice and they have so many beauty products.
• They take going to the bathroom seriously. Bidets are everywhere including on the metro stations and trains.
• There are free public bathrooms everywhere. I tend to avoid drinking while I am out during the day as bathrooms are rare but that was not the case in Japan and I loved it!
• They have a ton of vending machines and convenience food stores. They require you to buy a plastic bag (encouraging you to bring your own) but have so much plastic from these convenience foods.
• When it rains, they all use umbrellas. Living in the Netherlands, I see many rainy days, yet umbrellas are rare. My thought is that they do not want their clothing wet.
• Everyone is so quiet. Yes, Americans are loud but there is no talking on public transportation and you rarely hear conversations while walking.
• They walk fast! I walk fast and yet I could barely keep up.
• You do not see children much. I never saw a buggy (stroller) on a metro and rarely saw one on the sidewalk. In a city of 14 million, that seems odd.

My return flights were uneventful. My strategy for managing time changes is to stay awake as much as possible so I am exhausted when I return and sleep. I kept busy by doing some work, which allowed me to credit a day of PTO.

 

I went on this 12-day trip with only my backpack. I bought so many things for my girls that I returned with an even bigger bag! And yes, I carried all this through three airports because I hate checking bags.

 

The only thing worth mentioning was I think I ate a dog sandwich on my final flight. The flight attendant was hesitant to give it to me and I had to ask to repeat “It is dog”.  It was much better than sushi.

 

Thanks for following my adventure.

 

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