Japan
Fascinating, crazy and lovable
In September 2019, it went for me to a fascinating, crazy and lovable country: Japan.
By plane it went first from Bremen to Amsterdam and then from there directly to Tokyo. In Tokyo I spent a week, including a day trip to Fuji-san. Then I spent 5 days exploring Kyoto with a side trip to Hiroshima. This was followed by two days in the Japanese Alps in Takayama. Before the return flight one more night in Tokyo and then the vacation was already over – as always much too short.
The country and the people really fascinated and often surprised me. Especially the many small cultural, technical and social differences that you can discover make this country so exciting. And almost everything makes funny sounds: vending machines, doors, toilets – even subway stations have their own recognizable melody. It also offers great landscapes, even if I’ve only seen a fraction of them. In the Japanese Alps, you can encounter bears and monkeys.
Work ethic, common good, togetherness – all these take on a different meaning here. Even if individuality is seen as rather disturbing in some places, in other places it explodes again. Japan is a country of contrasts, and these contrasts can become quite extreme and bizarre.
The contact to the Japanese remained for me unfortunately rather on a superficial level and some things seemed disturbing to me, but nevertheless I felt very comfortable during the two weeks.
Over the entire travel time I had perfect weather, with sunshine and blue skies – almost too good; at over 35°C I used the (air-conditioned) public transport more often than usual. That alone can be an experience: whether Tokyo’s subway at rush hour or Kyoto’s bus schedule (which requires a degree to understand). One is amazed above all at the discipline, how people line up in queues on pre-drawn lines, and how there is no talking or telephoning on the subway.
Of course, all trains are on time. And not only that; every car stops exactly where it is marked on the platform. A trip in the Shinkansen could not be missed, of course – I was also lucky enough to catch the Hello-Kitty-Shinkansen on a day trip to Hiroshima.
Only on one single day a few trains and subways were cancelled or delayed in the morning hours: When the heaviest typhoon since more than 20 years hit Tokyo the night before. But that doesn’t stop a real Japanese from wanting to go to work either.
The food also offers many discoveries. I have probably never eaten and tried so many things on a vacation before – without always knowing exactly what it was before. The Bentō boxes, ramen in all variations and lots of sweet little things have definitely remained in my memory as absolutely recommendable.
さようなら, Japan :)
Tokio
Fuji-san
Kyoto
Hiroshima
Takayama
