And I think to myself what a wonderful world

So I’ve been home for a few days now and thinking about my time in Japan. Lots to think about… and some of it quite conflicted. What an amazing destination! Unique and pretty crazy. On many levels. Japan has it all, blossoms, sacred temples, mysterious mountains, sushi, anime, fantastic combination of science, technology and art, extraordinary street fashion, and people, lots of people everywhere. And did I say blossoms? You can be pretty much shocked and amazed all the time. I have been to about 50 countries, but so far I think Japan is the most surprising and unique of them all. Certainly nowhere else will you see a girl dressed in kimono being served by a robotic sales assistant. Here, even taking the subway becomes a hectic intense adventure… as does navigating the famous pedestrian scrambles.

But perhaps because it is over the top, unique… even alien, I found it the most physically and mentally exhausting trip I have done. And yes, a lot of that is my own fault… not knowing my limits (or overestimating them)… walking 125kms because of the FOMO I suffer from when traveling. But partly my exhaustion is because it is just so hectic! At least Tokyo is. Tokyo in some ways blends the traditional and modern culture of Japan, but it’s technology and skyscrapers overshadow it’s quiet side. And in the end, I know I am not really a big city girl. I find it exhausting… and at times overwhelming. When I travel, I do like the smaller, authentic places and the road a little less well travelled.

And I had been feeling some anxiety about this trip even before I left home… it’s been a while since I travelled overseas… and I was traveling solo. Not that that is a new thing… and I know that much of my future travel will be alone. Don’t get me wrong- that’s not necessarily a bad thing but there is certainly anxiety that goes with it… having to make ALL the decisions… and so often rely on the kindness of strangers.

So would I go back? A million times yes. Perhaps planned a little differently… or at least knowing what to expect. Perhaps with a companion… someone to process the experience with? And I want to see the autumn leaves next time as I believe that Japan puts on a spectacular show… something I have never seen before.

But it’s a little unpredictable as nature doesn’t always abide by a strict schedule… as I well found out this trip with the Sakura. Was I disappointed with what I saw? Yes and no. The blossoms were so beautiful but I still didn’t get the full Sakura experience from my dreams… that I would have had I been a couple of weeks earlier.

I never experienced one of the canals covered by a tunnel of hundreds of sakura trees becoming a sea of delicate pink blossoms… almost completely covered in petals, creating the illusion of an ethereal pink river…

… with the walkways around them also tinted pink. This had been one of my dreams…

… as was traveling on the Romantic Railway.

I missed the main night time illuminations that light up with a pink glow reflecting back at you as you row or stroll along.

And I didn’t get to see one of the huge single weeping cherry trees that can be hundreds of years old… some even over 1000… natural monuments… their heavy old aged branches supported by wooden poles… quite similar to us who need support from others at old age.

But none of that takes away from the beauty of what I was privileged to see. I particularly loved the ‘cherry blossom snow storms’… when the pink petals are blown off by the soft winds, it is gorgeous sight to see them rain all over you and everything around you.

A few other plans never eventuated as there are only so many viable hours in each day… and I certainly did take as much advantage of my time as was humanly possible. I had planned to go somewhere high (I usually do when I travel)… to see Tokyo from above… ideally at sunset. I particularly wanted to go to Shibuya Sky, which I passed many times… 360° open-air observation deck located on the roof of the Shibuya Scramble Square skyscraper. Shibuya Sky, however, is more than just an observatory: it spans three floors and has an indoor section which incorporates dazzling digital art displays to encourage you to see the city in a different way. It features hammocks for cloud watching And on the 46th floor, there is a café and bar, where you can sit back with a drink as you enjoy the aerial views of Tokyo at any time of day regardless of the weather. Never quite got there… definitely on the list for next time.

There was some observations I made… funny, different, unusual 🤷🏼‍♀️

🌸The Japanese are obsessed with ‘cute’ or ‘kawaii’ culture… the culture of celebrating all things adorable as well as embracing fictional characters as the embodiment of positivity. Kawaii can refer to items, humans and non-humans that are youthful, cute, childlike and is based on the sweet physical features of young children and animals… think Pikachu. But it’s not just for kids. It is everywhere in Japan… in store decor, in fashion, in colorful restaurants and cafes…including 3D latte art…

… in sweets and pastries (there is a whole chain of Miffy bakeries around Japan)

… theme parks and in every type of merchandise you can imagine.

There is even a Hello Kitty bullet train complete with a merchandise store.

🌸I love a country where you never need to worry about finding a toilet when you need it. And always clean! Even cute. And they are rarely a basic toilet like we would find at home. They can be quite complicated- at my hotel in Kyoto they had no less than 18 buttons… and that didn’t include the flush. The seats are usually heated. One I used started a recording of a bubbling brook the minute you closed the door. Many play music. Very cool.

🌸There is actually a KitKat world. Japan offers a variety of unique Kit Kate favours, including a series based on foods and flavours found in cities and regions across Japan. It has been said that more than 300 highly unique flavours of Kit Kat have been found in different parts of Japan- pistachio, melon, vanilla, orange, brown sugar syrup, matcha, soy sauce, sakura mochi, banana caramel, cheesecake, peach, mango, apple, pudding, berry, purple sweet potato, salt lemon, coffee, cinnamon, mint, marbled, wasabi, sake, Rum Raisin, Swiss truffle, salted white choc, Chesnut autumn, high cacao, red bean… the list goes on.

🌸Japanese are very patient. Perhaps that comes from living with such a large population. So… they don’t jay-walk even if there’s no cars at all. And they don’t get upset even if you have to wait a very long time in a queue. I think I’m reasonably patient but four hours standing on a queue to get through immigration is not ok- no matter where you are.

🌸There are no garbage bins on the street. Anywhere! You have to carry your own and dispose of it later.

🌸They eat strawberries and cream sandwiches 🤷🏼‍♀️

🌸The people still nearly all wear face-masks.

🌸Their bakery/cafes don’t open early like ours which was really frustrating when I wanted early breakfast.

🌸They don’t give you change into your hand or take it from your hand. It goes on a little plastic tray.

🌸They have a word for the sound of the wind rustling through the bamboo- so poetic!

🌸There are vending machines everywhere and for everything- even beer and sake.

🌸You have to take your shoes off when entering many places (walking on tatami mats or inside people’s houses in your shoes is considered extremely dirty as people sit on the floor).

🌸Speaking of shoes… shoes like this are everywhere and they actually wear them (I guess because they are not tall). Not sure how they walk in them.

🌸You will be glared at if you try to touch taxi doors (they are automatic and taxi drivers don’t like them being touched).

🌸You usually have to pay with cash… which seemed really strange in a modern technology based country who’s trains run to the minute.

🌸It is considered impolite to blow your nose in public, eat while walking down the street, block the escalator or stand your chopsticks up in your rice-bowl.

But strange or not strange… there was always a sense of awe and excitement wherever I went. In a culture so different from my own, which is something I love about travel, there’s something new to see, discover and experience at every turn and Japan was certainly a destination I would recommend.