But here are the top 5 reasons why I fell in love with Japan (beyond its tourist attractions):
1. People. I find the Japanese very courteous, gracious, patient and friendly. For me, they are the most consistently courteous and friendly (despite of the language barrier). Wherever you go, whether in a restaurant, store or tourist attraction, they would cheerfully welcome and thank you (even if you don’t end up buying anything).
They are also very honest. When I was having a hard time with coins, I would just let the cashier count for me. There was a time when I was purchasing something and I asked the cashier if it was ok to pay in coins (I brought out a handful of coins!) and she cheerfully counted my accumulated coins which totaled 6,000+ yen (mostly 100 and 10 yen coins). I didn’t even see any trace of annoyance on her face.
Here are more honest deeds:
One of our tour mates left her camera inside the toilet at Sanrio Puroland. When she realized it, we were on the bus on our way to our hotel in Tokyo already. Our tour guide called Sanrio Puroland and explained the situation. Sanrio Puroland found the camera and made arrangements to send the camera to our next hotel destination.
Another tour mate left her jewelries in a hotel room in Osaka and again, the jewelries were returned.
2. Food. If you love Japanese food - ramen, sashimi, sushi, shabu-shabu - you know what I mean. Yum, yum, yum. You can also check out my earlier blogpost - Food trip in Japan.
3. Art. Everything you see in Japan is so pleasing to the eyes – food, packaging, stationery, shrubs, the way they wrap gifts and even their staircase rails and manholes! If you haven't read the fascinating story about Japanese manholes, check out my earlier blogpost on why the Japanese have beautifully-designed manholes.
Here are some random shots of the beautiful and kawaii (cute or adorable) things I saw in Japan:
We also went to this stationery store in Ginza called Ito-ya because our Japanese guide that day (a cousin of my tour mate) had to get a refill for his fountain pen and guess what? We spent an hour sifting through 5 floors of stationery and supplies. We fell in love with Japanese prints.
4. Toilets. I used to read all about Japan’s hi-tech toilets and it was such a treat to be able to experience it first hand! Haha... Heated toilet seat, trash can with sensor, sensor-based flush, and sensor-based sound effects! In a toilet in one luxury store in Ginza, birds started chirping as soon as I sat on the toilet seat. haha...
5. Freedom of self-creativity. You can wear whatever you want to wear, however you like to wear it, and people won't give you a second look. Not that I wore something radical (maybe I should have tried! Haha...) but it was refreshing to see people not throwing secret glances when they see someone sporting an unusual style. I think their respect for individuality is very high and transcends race and color.
And for all these reasons, I know I will be back. :)
