Summary and Highlights of Japan

The first leg of the trip is over. Although sad, it will not be forgotten. Japan was an exhilerating country to experience and was definitely one to remember. It will always be known as the country with the freshest sushi and the most expensive cantelope ($40 USD).

After being in Japan for eight days there are some observations that need to be noted only because they are worth mentioning. So here it goes the Top 10 Observations and highlights

1. Japanese Girls: Japanese girls are extremely pretty. (About 75% of the girls would be considered model quality. If you go to the main department stores every sales associate is atleast a 7.5 or 8/10) What is considered pretty here is skinny, dyed hair, high heels, and ultimately fake eyelashes and foundation. Although you may think this is typical on a girl, let me tell you every Japanese girl wears fake eye lashes, has high heels, has dyed hair (only two colours: brown and gold) and dresses reasonably well. Its scary at times only because all the girls look alike. Make-up wise and fashion wise as well. Another thing to note: When you go into the department stores the Japanese sales associates (girls) will always greet you with a "mashi mashi" which means welcome or hello. When these girls say those two words, their voice is usaully a high pitched voice. It gets overwhelming at times but its very cute. If your in Japan make a note of this and see if you notice the trend.

2. White shirts: I dont know what it is but when you go to work it is understandable to dress business casual or a form of business attire when going to a workplace setting. However, in Japan between 7:00am and 9:00am and 4:00pm and 7:00pm the subway and streets will be flooded with men wearing white dress shirts. Literally only white will be seen on the backs of many Japanese men. It doesnt sound like a big observation but it is very surprising to literally see the entire streets flooded with men wearing only white shirts. Theres a reason why there is a colour pallete so that people can change it up and have a variety. People should look different but this isnt the case here in Japan, I guess white shirts is a requirement and a must. I found this observation to be funny and quite entertaining.

3. Nose Picking: Nose picking in public is a very common practice. It is frowned upon in the west and would be considered dirty. However, in Japan nose picking on subways and on the streets seems to be a very normal thing and no one ever thinks twice of it. Either they will take a glance and look away or just stare. The person normally doing the nose picking will just do their thing and act as though its a normal practice. Personally I dont care, but I just found this very surprising that people find it normal to do these type of things in public.

4. Etiquette: I love the etiquette in Japan. People here are so polite and follow an ancient tradition of bowing to their elders and seniors. There are two things I learned in Japan. When a sales associate leaves the department store to use the washroom or get lunch they will bow before leaving the store and when coming back they will bow prior to stepping foot on the department floor. Also, the customer is considered god so most associates will treat the customer as the number one priority. When entering the store they will greet you with a "mashi mashi" and bow to welcome you in and when you make a purchase they will confirm that the product you selected was indeed the correct item. For example; if you bought an xl shirt the associate will point to the size and make sure xl is the one you really wanted. Another example is when your purchase a food item they will open the box to show you the product inside the container to make sure that the food item is fresh and is indeed what you ordered. Afterwards they will pack the item 2 to 3 times with wrapping paper put it in a bag and bow before greeting you out of the store. This is something that I loved in Japan.

5. Food: Fresh ingredients is key in Japanese food. That is why the food here is always so delicious and awesome tasting. Although some places get quite expensive it is worth the dollar depending on what you are eating. For example; Sushi, gyoza, tempura, shabu shabu, and ton katsu. For some vegetarians beware because Japanese food consists of a lot of meat, normally pork and beef and usually has very limited vegetables. Bacon can be found in a lot of Japanese food.

6. Fashion: I mentioned this already, but Japan is the mecca of fashion. I have not been to Europe (london and italy considered high fashion countries - will be my next trip) but this country is definitely ahead of the fashion curve by 5 years lol. The styles here are very exquisite and flattering in so many ways. Who would of ever thought that a fishing hat on so many girls would be considered such a popular trend and yet look so beautifully worn. Also, harajuku styles.

7. Size: Barely anyone in Japan is fat or obese (sumo wrestlers only because they have to). Everyone is either short  are very skinny (petite). It may be a genetic thing but regardless to find a large or even muscular person in Japan is very rare. Gyms are also hard to come by. Maybe gyms are not a popular thing there, hence the small size. Being big (fat or muscular) is deemed as not  being attractive and skinny is what is attractive.

8. Glitter stars: These are men or boys who dress very metro a certain style to attract people to enter a strip bars, prostitution houses or club houses. Let me try to describe what they look like. Each glitter star will wear black boots, a black vest, black pants with a chain from the back pocket to the belt loop, a white shirt and have long dyed blond or gold hair (these people are sometimes called pimps but I dont think they are). These individuals are very well groomed and their main purpose is to invite people to those establishments I mentioned above. They will normally court girls because in Japan its normal for girls to be entertained by males either sexually or visually. Vise versa, Japanese girls can be seen wearing the typical fantasy outfits such as nurse, baseball player, maid or bunny to court males to enter those establishments but for men. Role playing is very common when it comes to sexual arousal. All this can be seen in the red light district. If you are interested in seeing the area go around 8:00pm and it is north of Shinjuku station.

9. No chairs: I dont know what it is but finding chairs to sit on is impossible. It is literally impossible to find chairs in a mall or department store. You can walk for 4 hours and never find a bench to rest your feet and by the end of the day your legs will hurt mainly because you never got to sit down. The only time you can sit while shopping is when you enter a diner to purchase food to eat. I believe the Japanese philosophy is to always keep going and never slow down. Shopping in Japan is very tiring. There is no such thing as a food court only a "food basement"

10. Garbage cans: Japan is a very clean country and they will do anything to keep it that way. Either by paying additional workers to clean the city or have some kind of technology that will dispose of the garbage from the streets. But one thing I noticed is that finding garbage cans is a difficult task. In Toronto you can honestly find a garbage can on almost every corner or side street. However, in Japan you can walk 5 miles and  never find a garbage can to throw out your bottles or simply your used tissues. Its so strange. At times it gets fustrating because you would be walking in the mall with a bottle for 1 hour without finding a can to dispose of it. Take notice of this if you ever plan on hitting up Japan for your vacation.

Highlights must do top 10 from our experience

1. Tsukuji Fish Market (sushi)
2. Senjo-ji Temple and Asakusa Souvenir shops
3. Shibuya and Shinjuku (shopping and sight seeing attractions)
4. Mount Fuji aka Fujisan
5. Akahibara (Electronic district and anime central)
6. Ueno Park (Museums, sight seeing attractions, zoo, and park)
7. Imperial Palace (sight seeing attraction)
8. Harajuku and Roppongi Hills (shopping)
9. Tokyo Disney (although we couldnt go because of price we will make it up in HK)
10. Tokyo Metropolitan Government building (observation deck - arial view of the city and tour of the building)

P.S Make sure you have lots of cash because Japan is a cash economy. Approximately $80 to $120 per person a day is considered good. This will cover your eating expenses, small purchases such as snacks, drinks, and bus fair. Also that amount should cover your entry fees if you wanted to a see a show or enter an exhibit such as a museum. Most big department stores do accept credit cards but small boutiques or restaurants will not.

END OF JAPAN START OF KOREA THANKS FOR READING