Japan: Final Thoughts
Japan is an interesting place and it's not one that people generally put at the top of their vacation destinations. It's also a country that seems to have a fair number of misconceptions about it. Other than talking to people who had been, I couldn't find an all encompassing assessment of visiting there from an American point of view. My trip having ended, I should probably offer some thoughts on the whole experience. Were I to pick one word to describe Japan, that word would be dichotomy. Here's why...
The People
It's an understatement to say the people of Japan are polite. Generally speaking, they're very welcoming and there are times when their graciousness is downright uncomfortable. It wasn't all that uncommon to get help from a complete stranger, without asking for it, and on more than one occasion we were thanked for traveling all that way to see their country. They don't expect you to know Japanese and most who don't know any English have adapted ways to catering to non-Japanese tourists (like using a calculator to give you totals). They are appreciative of any effort you make to assimilate but don't necessarily go so far as to be patronizing.
It's also a bit of an understatement to say the Japanese have a tendency to be xenophobic. I overheard the term gaijin a handful of times and knew enough to understand it wasn't always in a flattering manner. I also had the lovely experience of being on a crowded subway, with people standing, and the only empty seat in the whole car was next to me. If you aren't blissfully unaware of of your surroundings, you'll also get sick of being stared at. If you're different (read: overweight white guy traveling with the fairest of blonds), you're going to be aware of the fact that you're different.
The Culture
It is without question that Japan has one of the most amazing cultures, past and present, of the countries I've visited. Like any country more than a few hundred years old, the wealth of history and historical sites abound. Many things there are far older than the US itself and you're steeped it in pretty much everywhere you go. The long standing native religion, Shinto, is more a lifestyle than it is a religion and it's beliefs permeate throughout every day life. Buddhism is also widely practiced and when you combine it, Shinto and a love of their history you can't help but feel you're seeing something larger than yourself by being in Japan.
Despite a much stronger connection to their past than America, I also believe Japan does a better job of avoiding the downfalls of a modern, technological society. People hold elevators, they don't talk on cell phones on trains, they wait patiently for their turn to cross the street, they take care in their appearance and they don't mind sharing public spaces with their fellow citizens. In a country that is so technology-laden, so ahead of the curve, it's impressive they refrain from disconnecting from the world or one another so well. If I lived there, I probably wouldn't leave the comfort of my heated toilet seat.
The Food
There is no question the Japanese love their version of fast food. If you can't read Japanese and don't have anyone to make recommendations, you're going to end up with a lot of tempura and udon. The cheap and easy food in Japan, while delicious, gets old after two weeks. It's not much different than eating at Friendly's and Appleby's for two weeks, only the dishes are different and a bit less varied. Chances are it will come in one bowl, it will make you thirsty, and the portion size won't be what you're used to. (None of those are necessarily bad, in my opinion.)
Conversely, the Japanese food you experience when someone is ordering or cooking for you is a world away. For the most part, Japanese food is light, relies heavily on animals from the sea and meals consist of a multitude of very small dishes served together. It's not uncommon to have sashimi and miso soup at most meals, including breakfast, but they were two of a dozen (or more) dishes. You get only a few bites of each thing, the flavors of each tending to greatly contrast one another, but each complex in it's own way. The yakitori was simply fantastic and, aside from enjoying the traditional Japanese meals (kaiseki) for their variety, was easily my favorite food.
The Transportation
When you first get to Japan, chances are all the train options are going to be overwhelming. Imagine being able to travel the entire eastern seaboard by train, bus and cable car with multiple companies operating not only in different geographical regions, but also with overlapping routes. Okay, so it's not really all that different than the multiple city subway systems being connected by Amtrak... but the sheer number of stops and ways to getting to those stops are probably four times higher. Combine that will the names of everything being in Japanese, even if they're written in romaji, and you have the makes of a very confusing system.
The reality of it is the Japanese mass transit system is brilliant. Once you learn the quirks of the design and how to read the various maps, you quickly realize it's far superior to anything in the US. In two weeks of major travel, a train was late only once and that was probably because of the snow. The trains stop in the same spot so reliably, they've painted lines on the floor to tell you where to queue. What's even more helpful is they tell you how many minutes you are from the various stops (accurately) and which car you should get on to be the closest to the exit you want. That would be like telling you where to stand on the Vienna platform so that when you get off at Metro Center, you're right at the escalator for the transfer to the Red Line. Coupled with deals like the Japan Rail Pass, you really can't go wrong.
The Experience
There is no doubt in my mind Japan helped me grow as a person. As I mentioned previously, Japan forces you to step outside your comfort zone if you want to do pretty much anything of value. There were times where I'd considered skipping meals because I didn't want to deal with the stress of being unsure what I was doing or the struggle of asking for help in Japanese. If I wanted to make the most of our visit, I had to face those challenges and risking making a fool of myself instead of hiding from them. In addition, the wealth of differing experiences to be had in Japan woos you to make the most of your time there.
At the same time, visiting Japan is not like visiting the third world. Japan is very much a first world country and not nearly as much a shock to the system as visiting India. All the modern conveniences of life are there so your travel becomes more about what's different in the "bigger picture" (i.e. culture) rather than the little things (i.e. concentrating on not drinking the water). Compared to America, it's all very different, yet so very similar.
The Verdict
One might be led to believe I love Japan more than I do my own country. While I consider it superior in many ways, I distinctly remember wishing for home towards the end of our time there. I came close to living there after college but I'm not sure I'd commit to that any more. It's different enough that I eventually grew tired of not fitting in, whether that's real or perceived.
In many ways, Japan is awesome. The people believe in something, they're polite, the "system" really seems to work, technology is applied in sensible ways, the food is amazing and the history is relatively unmatched. I loved bring there and doing so was as close to a fulfillment of a life-long dream I'll probably have. With unequivocal ease, I can whole-heartedly recommended Japan as a tourist destination... I'm just glad to be home.
Bonus: The Stats
For those stats geeks, like me, here is how our trip broke out on transportation usage. The walking doesn't include going to and from the airport, but that probably didn't amount to that much. 75 miles and 3 dozen trains? I don't know about you but that seems like a lot of traveling.
The People
It's an understatement to say the people of Japan are polite. Generally speaking, they're very welcoming and there are times when their graciousness is downright uncomfortable. It wasn't all that uncommon to get help from a complete stranger, without asking for it, and on more than one occasion we were thanked for traveling all that way to see their country. They don't expect you to know Japanese and most who don't know any English have adapted ways to catering to non-Japanese tourists (like using a calculator to give you totals). They are appreciative of any effort you make to assimilate but don't necessarily go so far as to be patronizing.
It's also a bit of an understatement to say the Japanese have a tendency to be xenophobic. I overheard the term gaijin a handful of times and knew enough to understand it wasn't always in a flattering manner. I also had the lovely experience of being on a crowded subway, with people standing, and the only empty seat in the whole car was next to me. If you aren't blissfully unaware of of your surroundings, you'll also get sick of being stared at. If you're different (read: overweight white guy traveling with the fairest of blonds), you're going to be aware of the fact that you're different.
The Culture
It is without question that Japan has one of the most amazing cultures, past and present, of the countries I've visited. Like any country more than a few hundred years old, the wealth of history and historical sites abound. Many things there are far older than the US itself and you're steeped it in pretty much everywhere you go. The long standing native religion, Shinto, is more a lifestyle than it is a religion and it's beliefs permeate throughout every day life. Buddhism is also widely practiced and when you combine it, Shinto and a love of their history you can't help but feel you're seeing something larger than yourself by being in Japan.
Despite a much stronger connection to their past than America, I also believe Japan does a better job of avoiding the downfalls of a modern, technological society. People hold elevators, they don't talk on cell phones on trains, they wait patiently for their turn to cross the street, they take care in their appearance and they don't mind sharing public spaces with their fellow citizens. In a country that is so technology-laden, so ahead of the curve, it's impressive they refrain from disconnecting from the world or one another so well. If I lived there, I probably wouldn't leave the comfort of my heated toilet seat.
The Food
There is no question the Japanese love their version of fast food. If you can't read Japanese and don't have anyone to make recommendations, you're going to end up with a lot of tempura and udon. The cheap and easy food in Japan, while delicious, gets old after two weeks. It's not much different than eating at Friendly's and Appleby's for two weeks, only the dishes are different and a bit less varied. Chances are it will come in one bowl, it will make you thirsty, and the portion size won't be what you're used to. (None of those are necessarily bad, in my opinion.)
Conversely, the Japanese food you experience when someone is ordering or cooking for you is a world away. For the most part, Japanese food is light, relies heavily on animals from the sea and meals consist of a multitude of very small dishes served together. It's not uncommon to have sashimi and miso soup at most meals, including breakfast, but they were two of a dozen (or more) dishes. You get only a few bites of each thing, the flavors of each tending to greatly contrast one another, but each complex in it's own way. The yakitori was simply fantastic and, aside from enjoying the traditional Japanese meals (kaiseki) for their variety, was easily my favorite food.
The Transportation
When you first get to Japan, chances are all the train options are going to be overwhelming. Imagine being able to travel the entire eastern seaboard by train, bus and cable car with multiple companies operating not only in different geographical regions, but also with overlapping routes. Okay, so it's not really all that different than the multiple city subway systems being connected by Amtrak... but the sheer number of stops and ways to getting to those stops are probably four times higher. Combine that will the names of everything being in Japanese, even if they're written in romaji, and you have the makes of a very confusing system.
The reality of it is the Japanese mass transit system is brilliant. Once you learn the quirks of the design and how to read the various maps, you quickly realize it's far superior to anything in the US. In two weeks of major travel, a train was late only once and that was probably because of the snow. The trains stop in the same spot so reliably, they've painted lines on the floor to tell you where to queue. What's even more helpful is they tell you how many minutes you are from the various stops (accurately) and which car you should get on to be the closest to the exit you want. That would be like telling you where to stand on the Vienna platform so that when you get off at Metro Center, you're right at the escalator for the transfer to the Red Line. Coupled with deals like the Japan Rail Pass, you really can't go wrong.
The Experience
There is no doubt in my mind Japan helped me grow as a person. As I mentioned previously, Japan forces you to step outside your comfort zone if you want to do pretty much anything of value. There were times where I'd considered skipping meals because I didn't want to deal with the stress of being unsure what I was doing or the struggle of asking for help in Japanese. If I wanted to make the most of our visit, I had to face those challenges and risking making a fool of myself instead of hiding from them. In addition, the wealth of differing experiences to be had in Japan woos you to make the most of your time there.
At the same time, visiting Japan is not like visiting the third world. Japan is very much a first world country and not nearly as much a shock to the system as visiting India. All the modern conveniences of life are there so your travel becomes more about what's different in the "bigger picture" (i.e. culture) rather than the little things (i.e. concentrating on not drinking the water). Compared to America, it's all very different, yet so very similar.
The Verdict
One might be led to believe I love Japan more than I do my own country. While I consider it superior in many ways, I distinctly remember wishing for home towards the end of our time there. I came close to living there after college but I'm not sure I'd commit to that any more. It's different enough that I eventually grew tired of not fitting in, whether that's real or perceived.
In many ways, Japan is awesome. The people believe in something, they're polite, the "system" really seems to work, technology is applied in sensible ways, the food is amazing and the history is relatively unmatched. I loved bring there and doing so was as close to a fulfillment of a life-long dream I'll probably have. With unequivocal ease, I can whole-heartedly recommended Japan as a tourist destination... I'm just glad to be home.
Bonus: The Stats
For those stats geeks, like me, here is how our trip broke out on transportation usage. The walking doesn't include going to and from the airport, but that probably didn't amount to that much. 75 miles and 3 dozen trains? I don't know about you but that seems like a lot of traveling.
5 Comments:
It has been a few years since I trawled through Yokohama and Tokyo but I still remember it quite vividly. My visit didn't extend to niceties as it was 'purely business' but this did give me lots of insight into daily life and the general psyche of Japanese people. I found the politeness to be overwhelming and that this made people very hard to read. It would be interesting to speak Japanese and actually see the personalities come through.
There are a number of things that I could discuss about Japan, I don’t have time (and it’s your blog ;)) for them...but the trains in particular deserve a mention. Living in a Country that built an underground system that was years ahead of its time in 1863 it shouldn't really have given too many surprises, 145 years should be enough to learn most of what's involved with wheels, tunnels and people. Trouble is the technology and working practices have peaked in the UK and still remain rooted in late 1865. Nothing works, the trains are late and the stations smell of assorted fluids. In contrast I used the trains every day to get to work in Japan and quickly deciphered the layout in Tokyo despite it looking like wiring diagram for an early 80's VCR. I asked my Japanese colleague on a platform once 'What happens if the train is late?', a puzzled look appeared on his face and he asked 'Why would it be late?'
Why indeed?
We had a guide in Kyoto and the buses there load from the back but you pay when you're getting off, at the front. I asked our guide if people ever just got off the back so they didn't have to pay. Even though he spoke better english than a lot of people in the US, he honestly didn't understand the question. I explained to him that in the US you have to pay when you get on for a number of reasons and if we have the same system people would just go out the back door. He was confused by that.
I realized, after doing the log style of my trip to the Baltics, the method is far less conducive to completeness than bulleted highlights. People, and ultimately yourself, end up caring more about the evaluation of the experiences rather than verbatim regurgitation of it.
I was waiting 'til we paired down our 1200 to something manageable before I posted. I actually really wanted to make the slideshow/movie because I know people don't really flip through hundreds of pics.
My "photographer perspective" can be seen here in the meantime:
http://www.dirtymartiniphoto.com/gallery/4463257_F9T9V
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