This recent trip to Japan made quite a few impressions, some consistent with the information available online; others quite the opposite. As the previous post was long enough just describing what we did, I decided to make what I thought about the trip into a separate post.
The most significant observation I made was that, like other parts of the world, you can find all sorts of different kinds of people in Japan. Despite the stereotypical polite, quiet, and competent people, who were everywhere, we also saw crazy people (literally screaming at each other in jibberish), laid back people (mostly in the countryside), friendly people (usually after a few cups of sake), loud people (also when drunk), rude people (on the trains in Tokyo), homeless people (begging in tourist spots), and people who didn't line up for things (this one was shocking). While being polite was usually normal, there were jarring examples when we were polite in situations everyone else was not (like on the train or when buying things). In addition, most people did not say the things that Japanese people typically say when eating, entering a building, leaving a building, etc. All this is to say that what I read on the internet about what to expect in Japan is either wrong, or Japan has westernised in the time since those articles were written, rendering them outdated. Behaving under those expectations would be awkward. Behaving normally and reasonably, with the propensity towards being polite and quiet would be the more appropriate approach.
If there was one thing my brother was impressed with, it was the competitive attitude the Japanese people, in general, had for work. Regardless of where we went, we were met with superb service, and an air of striving for perfection. However, like many things, this was not universal.
Similarly, while Japan had ultra-modern areas, we found trash lying around on the street and gum in the rail stations. While there were certain things that distinguished Japan from most other places, there were striking similarities between Tokyo and Taipei. In fact, some parts of Japan really felt identical to Taiwan. For all the buzz in the media concerning how futuristic Japan was, it seemed that the world has caught up. Either that, or Japan has been in a gradual decline from their peak in the 80's or 90's. On that note, there was an air of quiet resignation in those traditionally bustling areas on Tokyo.
In addition, Japan was said to have had one of the highest costs of living in the world. This was not strictly true, as food can be had for a very reasonable price. Our typical meals were less than $7. Of course, some special things were more expensive, such as sushi, kobe beef, or fresh squid sashimi, but in general, food was very reasonably priced, with some meals going for as little as $4. Cars are cheap to buy, but expensive to own due to taxes, parking spaces, and tolls. Housing may be the only item that demands an astronomical price; even so, we were able to find accommodations at very reasonable prices, in exchange for space; the less space we could accept living in meant the less we needed to pay.
Living was convenient in Japan. Vending machines (for drinks), and convenient stores (for food and drink), were literally everywhere, and open all the time. Perhaps in some areas, vending machines functioned as street lamps, because there would be dark alleyways that were illuminated solely with the light from vending machines.
Tourism was booming in Japan. This was clearly evident by the number of people we saw carrying luggage bags with them. It seems, though, that most of the tourists were Japanese, themselves, showing that Japan really is a diverse place, or at least successfully marketed as such. I found, personally, that travelling in Japan was convenient. First, the JR pass, available only to foreigners outside of Japan, gives unlimited access to trains that run all across Japan over a set period of time. Over the course of our travels, we estimate to have saved over $500 per person by having a JR pass. Next, the Japanese people do not steal or take people's things. We heard stories of people leaving their luggage on trains, and having the people on the trains bring it to them. That, in itself is impressive, and is something that is different in most other Asian countries, if not most other countries in general. In addition, the Japanese people have a certain pride about their work. We never had to worry about people cutting corners in our food, or taxi drivers trying to juice us for more cash. They were professional and dependable. Also because of this, we never had to worry about sleeping in unclean sheets, because they dutifully kept things spotless. Whereas in most places I've been at, you pay less but get very little, in Japan, you pay a reasonable amount for high quality. Overall, of all the countries I've been in, Japan now ranks as the number one place where I wouldn't mind revisiting.
