Travels in Japan

I’ve been back for 7 weeks and I still can’t get Japan out of my mind. I keep wondering what it was that grabbed me so hard. While the architecture, history, people, temples and shrines were different and enjoyable to see, they aren’t it. I think it’s that I’m a curious person who is constantly looking for little new to me things. In Japan they were everywhere. The workings of comprehensive transit system was fascinating. One example is that every metro station plays a different jingle before they close the train doors in station. The food was so varied and the little sweets were cute, pretty and unusual and everything was cheap and fresh. I could walk through the food halls for days and never get enough. Quality of life stuff that NY struggles so much with like garbage are organized and practically invisible. I mean, they don’t even put corner cans out and Japanese carry their trash home to dispose of properly!

The fashion scene was top notch and a fun comparison to my NY work neighborhood. Between there being beautiful Asian design and a fascination with the preppy look I grew up with and the endless vintage stores selling things like US college sweatshirts, it all was just wow!

Mostly in general I haven’t thought that much about Japan. It seems from talking to people I know, many have always dreamed of going to Japan. That wasn’t me. Sure I always want to go everywhere, but I thought Japan was so expensive that I really never thought about going. Well, what a surprise to arrive and find out that because of a strong Dollar and weak Yen, Japan actually seemed cheap. That meant I could try everything!

I had three wonderful weeks to soak it all in, but it just left me wanting more. There are so many things I don’t quite understand yet. And so many food items I didn’t get to try. The 13 hour flight and 13 hour time difference probably means I won’t be going back any time soon, but I’m grateful for the time I had. And I’m also having fun seeing Japanese things in NY with my new eyes.

CLICK HERE TO SEE MY ENTIRE JAPAN PHOTO ALBUM

Cherry Blossoms

The cherry blossoms finally started blooming, 15 days late! giving me a chance to see how locals celebrate Sakura. The tradition is picnicking in the parks under the blossoms. It was also the first warm weather after a long hard winter, so the parks were packed!! It’s quite a scene.

Japan Transit is AMAZING!

There were so many interesting aspects of Japan and I’m going to try to share and process my thoughts on here.

One really great thing was the transit system. Tokyo was the biggest and most complex, but all the different systems around the country are connected and worked well together. As a tourist I could buy a rechargeable IC card to use for payment of all the trains and buses in all the cities I went to. This meant I never had to struggle figuring out the fares and could just jump on and off of whatever was around. This is even more incredible with the fact that the different lines are privately owned and run and yet can work together!

Although one of the challenges of Japan is that there isn’t as much English everywhere, the trains have electronic screens and switch between Japanese and English. Signage is clear and SOOOO helpful. I heard that there was a major investment in this before the 2020 Olympics for all the visitors who never came.

Schedules, fares, platforms, train cars, stairs, escalators & elevators, and station exits are all well marked and integrated with Apple and Google Maps, so when you get directions all the details are included. Station exit numbers are clearly marked, so people know where to get out. Genius!!

They also clearly mark the direction the train is going, show the next stops and suggestion how many minutes it will take to get to each station.

The crowds of people using the transit is INSANE, but well mannered Japanese wait patient in marked lines till everyone gets off before they shuffle in.

I don’t have anything extra interesting to say about the bullet trains except they move so fast, but don’t really feel different and the ride is really smooth. And as you would expect they are comfy and plush with lots of legroom.

Yummy Yummy Food in Japan

One of the most incredible things about Japan is FOOD! Whether it’s vending machines on every corner filled with hot and cold drinks and misc snacks. Or endless fine food stalls on the basement level of many buildings and throughout the subway stations. Or cheap, but fresh and delicious food, available at 7-11 and Family Mart convenience stores. And the restaurants… I can’t say enough about the restaurants. The variety was awesome. I mean conveyor belt sushi is high tech, yummy and fun! I even got into ramen, because ordering on a kiosk felt exciting and the efficient serving process felt other worldly.

The Japanese believe in excellence in whatever they do, and that means the cutest viral sweet sensations or the finest service. For me in particular, I like Japanese foods because they have lots of variety and flavor, but aren’t spicy. On this trip I tried to always be trying new things. The US dollar is strong compared to the Yen, so things seemed cheap and it was easy to buy lots of things and only have tastes. One gummy peach, one seasoned pretzel, one onigiri with something new and weird in it, one mini KitKat, which come in seasonal special flavors and it was strawberry time. Delicious! I’d have to go back for a couple months to have enough time to eat everything I wanted to try. Till then I will dream of more egg sandwiches and so many other things I did get to devour.

Talking about trash in Japan

My job includes a lot of thinking about sanitation pick up, so I pay close attention when I go to new places. Well, the Japanese take their trash and recycling very seriously. I was amazed to learn that they have no corner trash baskets on public streets. People are expected to bring their trash home with them and dispose of it correctly. They originally removed the cans because there were a series of bombings using the street cans, but the amazing thing is that the Japan followed the new rules and there is almost no garbage on the streets anywhere.

As you will see from these pictures, unlike most US recycling programs they expect buildings to separate many different items and the garbage room in private buildings has many separate bins for different kinds of thing. For instance there was a bin for broken glass and pottery, one for lightbulbs, and another for batteries. They also sorted out different plastics. I was sad that I never saw everything on the sidewalk for scheduled pick up, because I just can’t visualize the trucks organizing all these pickups and keeping things sorted.

Japan Has The Best Bathrooms!

 

Ok. This might seem like overkill, but I just can’t speak highly enough about Japanese toilets! They are EVERYWHERE! They are CLEAN! And they are mostly high tech. I’ve already sung praises about heated seats. They also have bidet cleaning water spray, hot blowing air to dry you off and some even play a sound track of running water for privacy or inspiration I suppose. There are little public toilets in separate buildings around Tokyo and all the subway stations have them. It’s heavenly!

Koyosan

Visiting Koyosan, the center of Shingon Buddhism, an important Buddhist sect which was introduced to Japan in 805. It’s a small, secluded temple town has developed around the sect's headquarters on a wooded mountaintop. There are over one hundred temples making Koyasan one of the best places to experience an overnight stay at a temple lodging. I was able to get a taste of a monk's lifestyle, eat vegetarian monk's cuisine, which had lots of variety of tastes to try and attend the morning prayers. Getting there included a train, to a cable car up the mountainside to a bus to bring us to the town.

My favorite part was a long peaceful morning walk in a wooded cemetery.

Bikes in Japan

Biking is a big thing in Japan. There were bikes and bike parking infrastructure everywhere. Like NY, Tokyo seems to be struggling with making enough room for bike lanes, and instead bikers ride on the crowded sidewalks. It stressed me out! It was cute though to see folks with their big shopping bags in bike baskets after doing their errands, or toting around a couple kids in various attached bike seats.

Youth Culture, Manga/Anime and Fashion.

The intensity of all the trends in Japan makes examining every subculture so exciting. I’m not sure how to describe things with words so you’ll have to look through my pictures to get your own tour.

I will say I tried to embrace manga/anime, but even amongst enthusiastic crowds buying and swapping collectibles, I still didn’t feel much. On the other hand, when I bumped into a giant autograph session with what seemed like 1000s of JPop superfans, I went right to YouTube and watched all their videos. And when I came across a boy band at the main temple and another in a main intersection in Tokyo, I watched with rapt attention. I mean who doesn’t like a cute boy band!?

Because I don’t know where else they fit in, I’ve got a few pictures here of adorable tiny kids walking home from school without any adult supervision. Yes, Japan is THAT safe and little kids walk around alone or with friends with no adults in sight. Amazing and sooooo cute!

Osaka, Japan

After 10 days in and around Tokyo, I finally hopped on a bullet train and whizzed to Osaka, Japan’s second largest city. It’s known to be more vivacious and the people are known for their sense or humor and more outgoing friendly demeanor. It was fire bombed in WWII and thus built back after with what must have been extensive help from the US, because some of its streets look very similar to parts of Chicago and Park Avenue in NY.

Seemingly unrelated to that, there is an area called Americamura that even has a giant Statue of Liberty on a building looking over it. This area is filled with vintage stores, something the Japanese love, selling things like US college sweatshirts and urban streetwear. It was a fun place and if that’s what they think America is like, I’ll accept it happily. On a side note, I found it interesting to see all the references and similarities to the US throughout Japan.

Osakans are also know for their fun buzzy night scene, In Dotonburi there was lots of street food, represented by large food shaped marquees. With all the neon lights, incredible signage, throngs of people and street performers, it felt a lot like Times Square.

Shibuya at Night

 

Kamakura

I took an overnight trip to Kamakura, a small town just outside Tokyo along the west coast that’s known for its Great Buddha, 40 foot bronze statue dating back as far as 1252. It’s a representation of Amida Buddha and is the second largest monument in Japan.

One nice part of the trip was that it gave me a chance to see some temples and gardens and the awesome Buddha without the crowds of tourists or locals in most other places I went. Religion is best absorbed in peaceful quiet places and even from this New Yorker’s point of view Japan is a very busy crowded place.

Kamakura is also a fishing village, so I went to check out the beach, fishing boats and to spot some surfers. To my surprise, when I went to see what they were catching, I found people cleaning seaweed. Upon hindsight, of course, the Japanese love seaweed as much as they love seafood!

Showing NYC Love in Tokyo

 

One funny thing I noticed in Japan was a lot of references to NYC. It wasn’t just the tons of Yankees and Mets hats, but even deeper. Like check out this clothing store, who was selling t-shirts referencing different City agencies. I don’t even think we could buy agency t-shirts here in NYC in the New York government store, and certainly not in a fancy high fashion retail store.

Japan must have known the way to my heart was through flattery of the city I love. Well done!