Japan: Days 4-6

Wow, I’m tired. I’m beginning to realize this is the most active “vacation” I’ve ever had. I’ve been meaning to record my thoughts for the last day or two but have been too exhausted to do so. For whatever reason, a week walking around Dublin is nothing compared to a week walking Tokyo and Kyoto. Maybe it’s the dramatic shift in time zone or maybe it’s the constant work to communicate, but it’s definitely different. Let’s see what I can manage to remember from the last three days or so.

• The Shinkansen is probably the closest you’ll get to flying on the ground. It’s downright fast and you know it when you look out the windows. It’s actually an amazing piece of machinery when you consider how safe it is to be traveling that fast while in contact with the ground.
• Kyoto is a much, much different place than Tokyo. Life seems to be slower but not so slow that you forget you’re in the hustle of Japan. The city itself is a strange dichotomy of old and new, with most of the major attractions being historical temples and shrines. Traveling the historical sections, like Gion, you can’t help but feel a bit of what Japan was like a few hundred years ago. While a huge tourist destination, it’s not hard to find yourself the only gaijin in a sea of faces if you stumble off the beaten path.
• Heated toilet seats are probably one of the better inventions in the last however many years. I think having an electronic bidet is probably a close second but there’s a lot to be said for not freezing your butt off. We’re only a few miles from Nintendo’s headquarters so I’m somewhat surprised they haven’t integrated a video game system into the toilets.
• The Japanese who have money, look like they have money. Staying in a nice hotel means if you’re dressed for warmth or efficient traveling, you’re going to be out of place. Ever go to a nice restaurant and feel like everyone is looking at you because you’re wearing jeans? Yeah, it’s like that just walking around the lobby. I actually got kicked out of the bar because I didn’t order a drink, the cheapest of which was an $8 coffee (and not because of the exchange rate). I enjoy the finer things in life but I’m definitely reinforcing any negative stereotypes the Japanese may have about Americans.
• If you’re a messy eater or like to dry your hands after you wash them, bring your own supply. Napkins in restaurants and paper towels in bathrooms are all but nonexistent. Like baths in England, I haven’t quite figured out how the natives manage.
• The Japanese know their Chinese food. We had har gow and Hong Kong noodle soup that was as good as any I’ve had before. I’m partial to the Chinese soups but the udon we had was pretty darn good too.
• It’s hard not to have somewhat of a spiritual experience standing at the entrance of Kiyomizu-dera in a near whiteout. Yeah, I said whiteout.