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November 2009 
Impressions of Japan, or Kaleidoscope (edit one)
Posted on Dec 9th, 2008
by 
Nicole
Nicole
In this, the first blog I've written in ages, I hardly know where to begin or how to do justice to my visit to Japan. So, I think I shall be fairly random and resign myself to leaving out a lot, perhaps even much that is important and just dive in.
Amazingly enough, I survived without my Blackberry, though sadly that meant also without my camera, since I have no other (I deemed that it was more needed at work so went without it). So in the end, It wasn't so much the email contact I missed. I hadn't realised how dependent I had become on all its other functions - it is my watch, my alarm, notebook, address book... In pondering all the helpful qualities of my Blackberry, I think on the immortal words of Homer Simpson, and mentally make a small substitution:
I left for Japan a week and a half ago, on the Saturday morning, and so arrived late Sunday afternoon, because of the combination of the long trip (nearly 24 hours) and the time difference (14 hours). Of course, the time difference meant that when I returned yesterday, the plane left Tokyo at 5:20 pm and the connecting flight touched down in Montreal at 6:30 pm - the wonders of jumping time zones.
I met up with some of my friends in Vancouver on the way, and watched many movies on the flights, including Ghost Town which surprised me - I think it was really worth watching.
The first full day we were in Tokyo was mostly lost on shopping, which, sadly, most everyone else I was with was keen on doing. (Shopping is one of my least favourite things in the world.) We got to explore the Tokyo subway system somewhat in so doing, though we did not get packed into the trains like sushi by the pushers as I have heard so much. It wasn't busy enough.
On the full day of sightseeing the next day we :
Went up The Tokyo Tower: (Had to delete the picture, see link)
But here I would like to take a side exploration on some of the things about Japan that made more of an impression on me than the sights.
The Blind:
The first one has to do with consideration for blind people. Near the views from the Tokyo tower are translations into Braille, for the blind people who are curious to know what they would be seeing from there if they could see. Isn't that something? There is braille all over the place - where tickets are sold from the subway too. And there are grooves along the sidewalks so a straight path can be walked, with a series of bumps near the corners so they know when they will be crossing a street (also many of the intersections have beeping sounds or songs).
Masks
In terms of general consideration, you will often see people wearing masks. At first I was confused and thought they were afraid of germs. But I was told that these are the people who are ill with a cold or something and don't want to spread the germs.
Astonishingly Clean:
It is amazing how clean it is everywhere. The subways that are thronged daily with people, the public washrooms, the streets - clear of litter. Very few garbage cans to be found, so you have to plan carefully to dispose of your litter.
Quiet and Polite:
People are so much quieter and less obtrusive in public places. You rarely hear a cell phone ring though everyone has them and see signs everywhere reminding people to keep cell phones on silent mode. Even peole speaking on their cell phone on the street talk quietly. The only exuberant ones I heard were children home from school - a pair of them were delightfully singing a song in Japanese to the tune of Yankee Doodle Dandy as they hung on to the back of a bicycle and played a hand-clapping song
Suits and Uniforms
I saw few men not wearing suits and all the children were in uniform as many public schools as well as private schools mandate them - the children's hats were very sweet.
Christmas everywhere
I have never seen so many Christmas lights or heard so much Christmas music. But there was little connected to religion, Christmas is almost purely secular. We were told on the tour that the Christmas displays are all taken down on the 25th and replaced by New Year's decorations on the 26th.
(to be continued...)
Amazingly enough, I survived without my Blackberry, though sadly that meant also without my camera, since I have no other (I deemed that it was more needed at work so went without it). So in the end, It wasn't so much the email contact I missed. I hadn't realised how dependent I had become on all its other functions - it is my watch, my alarm, notebook, address book... In pondering all the helpful qualities of my Blackberry, I think on the immortal words of Homer Simpson, and mentally make a small substitution:
"How can you say
anything bad about TV, Marge? It gives so much and asks so little."
I left for Japan a week and a half ago, on the Saturday morning, and so arrived late Sunday afternoon, because of the combination of the long trip (nearly 24 hours) and the time difference (14 hours). Of course, the time difference meant that when I returned yesterday, the plane left Tokyo at 5:20 pm and the connecting flight touched down in Montreal at 6:30 pm - the wonders of jumping time zones.
I met up with some of my friends in Vancouver on the way, and watched many movies on the flights, including Ghost Town which surprised me - I think it was really worth watching.
The first full day we were in Tokyo was mostly lost on shopping, which, sadly, most everyone else I was with was keen on doing. (Shopping is one of my least favourite things in the world.) We got to explore the Tokyo subway system somewhat in so doing, though we did not get packed into the trains like sushi by the pushers as I have heard so much. It wasn't busy enough.
On the full day of sightseeing the next day we :
Went up The Tokyo Tower: (Had to delete the picture, see link)
(Tokyo Tower as seen from the very base. Photo Credit)
But here I would like to take a side exploration on some of the things about Japan that made more of an impression on me than the sights.
The Blind:
The first one has to do with consideration for blind people. Near the views from the Tokyo tower are translations into Braille, for the blind people who are curious to know what they would be seeing from there if they could see. Isn't that something? There is braille all over the place - where tickets are sold from the subway too. And there are grooves along the sidewalks so a straight path can be walked, with a series of bumps near the corners so they know when they will be crossing a street (also many of the intersections have beeping sounds or songs).
Masks
In terms of general consideration, you will often see people wearing masks. At first I was confused and thought they were afraid of germs. But I was told that these are the people who are ill with a cold or something and don't want to spread the germs.
Astonishingly Clean:
It is amazing how clean it is everywhere. The subways that are thronged daily with people, the public washrooms, the streets - clear of litter. Very few garbage cans to be found, so you have to plan carefully to dispose of your litter.
Quiet and Polite:
People are so much quieter and less obtrusive in public places. You rarely hear a cell phone ring though everyone has them and see signs everywhere reminding people to keep cell phones on silent mode. Even peole speaking on their cell phone on the street talk quietly. The only exuberant ones I heard were children home from school - a pair of them were delightfully singing a song in Japanese to the tune of Yankee Doodle Dandy as they hung on to the back of a bicycle and played a hand-clapping song
Suits and Uniforms
I saw few men not wearing suits and all the children were in uniform as many public schools as well as private schools mandate them - the children's hats were very sweet.
Christmas everywhere
I have never seen so many Christmas lights or heard so much Christmas music. But there was little connected to religion, Christmas is almost purely secular. We were told on the tour that the Christmas displays are all taken down on the 25th and replaced by New Year's decorations on the 26th.
(to be continued...)
Access: Public
The bullet train must be awesome! Can’t wait to read your other adventures in Japan. Thank you for sharing Nicole.
Samme
The bullet train was indeed amazing. We took it from Tokyo to Odawara and back, so we could go to Hakone (near Mt Fuji). The trouble is when you are moving so fast, it’s harder to see the countryside you are moving through :)
The stops it made were certainly as brief as they were promised to be. They wait for no one!
So excited to read a new Nicole-blog! Your adventures in Japan sound wonderful, so far. I smiled when reading about shopping being your least-favorite activity. Mine too! But when you’re in the big cities, it seems like that’s the default activity…. Glad you’re home now!
Often the default activity, but why, I wonder? When there is so much to do and think about and explore. I’m going to add some more now to my blog, dear Kathy, about impressions rather than places I saw.
Looking forward to your impressions. It’s been almost 15 years since I was in the Far East. My impressions are still fresh. I was amazed by their technology.
Don’t you just love jet ? :)
The technology is dazzling indeed.
On a comical note, I was very impressed by the toilets. In two of the hotels where I stayed, the seats were heated and the toilets have built in functions including bidet and “shower” (whatever that means, we were all too scared to try lol).
All the hotels had a phone in the bathroom in case you were suddenly incapacitated. Actually, illness seemed to be a bit more of a preoccupation than I am used to experiencing - even at the airport as we arrived there was a sort of clinic in case you became ill on the plane, I’d never seen that before.
Getting back to the toilet though, I had heard that Japanese women were very shy about people hearing the sounds they make while sitting on the toilet, but was still surprised that the hotel toilet automatically make this sort of “waterfall” sound as soon as you sit down to cover up any unpleasant noises.
I had thought you’d have to activate the cover-up sound.
You’ve got to wonder, eh, how it could have become so terrible to be human that such sounds must be obliterated?
…..lag, giggle, it’s just their way :-)
Welcome back Nicole!
Japan has not yet made it on my list of places visited but I feel that I have been there somehow… I look forward to learning more of your experiences… toilet noises, funny! …braille for the blind, wonderful… bullet train, awesome…
keep ‘em coming!
N
Lars, that’s a funny video, did you see David’s blog from yesterday? :)
Nishtha, my trip pales next to your year-long world tour, but thanks, I still have a lot more to say. I plan to continue my blog, in the spirit of randomness, not properly from where I left off but from before - how unprepared I was for the trip :) I’ll start another blog on that tomorrow so this one doesn’t get too long.
so lovely to have you back, NICOLE!
thank you for this sketch of your trip and photo’s. I love travel journals - feel like a vicarious traveler :)
I’m delighted to be of service to help you travel vicariously! :) Dear, dear Anna… well, on to my next blog about unpreparedness :)
Thanks Nicole for sharing your adventures. It was somewhat amusing to read your experiences in japan after being there for the first time so recently myself. Of course the last five months (already?) here in korea echo many of the things you wrote about.
I think you may now better understand some of what i have shared, especially since japan, and double especially tokyo are much more english and foreigner accesable than korea.
I am alos touched by the support for blindeness i japan and korea. Love the fast train, i take it to seoul regularly. Politeness, clealiness and respect are soooo appreciated by me.
I may be wrong but i don ot think it is a percooupation with illnes but nore a respect for health. they do not feel the need like westerner to suffer through dis-ease not pain. When they have something out of balance, thay take care of it. Again, i think it is more about senistivity than procupation.
Great blog and glad you are home and safe!
Peace and love,
michael
Of all the people I most wanted to read the blogs, you were foremost in my mind. Throughout my time there and since I knew that you would understand from your much more extensive and ongoing experience in Korea.
You’re right, I do understand much better the blogs I have been reading for months now. It humbles me to think that Japan and Tokyo are more English and foreigner accessible, and yet I still found them quite challenging, while you live happily and productively in Korea. I admire the way you have settled in so beautifully.
I agree that it isn’t so much a preoccupation with illness but a respect for health, and am glad you brought that out in your comment, because I think I gave a false impression the way I stated things in my blog. Indeed, why suffer? It makes much more sense to be healthy and help others stay healthy.
I hope you get a chance to be in Japan again soon, it will be fun to read your next blog about it!
Love and light to you, Michael.
nicole wrote:
“It humbles me to think that Japan and Tokyo are more English and
foreigner accessible, and yet I still found them quite challenging,
while you live happily and productively in Korea.”
Thanks but no reason to be humbled. i am not a tourist and have greater motivation for acceptance of what does not make sense for me. I have found that by getting out of the way and putting aside what i think is how things are supposed to be done, i learn plenty about culture, western arrogance and eogcentirc vision and myself. I can be so ‘blind’ in how little i know and how much i think i know. I have also needed to let go of some of my values in the interest of respect, honor and willingness to grow. When oyu shared about the challenges of vegetarians eating, i understand even though o am not vegetarian anymore. Accepting that it is part of many asian cultures to treat the envirnment and what lives in it differently without making personal or social “rules” about what to eat and what not to eat and why has been a lesson in humility for me. Everything is used and utlized, nothign is wasted, i mean nothing! Quite a teaching in simplicity and cosnervation without there being an actual “teaching”, just a way of life.
As a side note, did you get to see some of the bleached yellow-haired folks? They made me laugh so many times.
The sidewalks and their respect fro blindness, functional safety, void of slipping when wet and beauty are such a simple way of fusing grace and function. It embarasses me that north americans do not do something similar.
I may be back in japan in the near future. For the minute, stil loving korea!
Peace and love,
michael
Yes, excellent points. Someone else, Clare, was talking today in her blog about the necessity of unlearning, and that really struck a chord with me.
Nothing is wasted - that could be a real challenge in some ways, but boy could we learn from that here, where way too much is wasted.
I was actually on the look out for bleached yellow haired folks, from what I’d read from you, but didn’t see any. I was relieved :) they are much more attractive and interesting with their natural hair colour.
I was feeling really embarrassed about our lacks here in North America by the end of the trip. What do they think when they visit our cities full of litter and graffiti and crime?
I noticed like you had mentioned about Korea, a shop with wares left outside overnight when we were in Odawara. Unimagineable here. So sad.
Nicole, such a beautiful account! I haven’t been to any part of Asia yet so this is vicarious travel for me too. I am happy that you had this exposure. It seems to have brought some perspective for you as well. Congrats!
I am moved by the respect for health and quality of life that you described here. Am inspired! You and michaelsits’ accounts will surely help to sensitise our numbers here on GAIA and beyond.
I will make a reference in the featured members blog, if you don’t mind.
Blessings, always, your friend, Sherri
Nicole, this is great! When I have some more time this week end, I will read more, but thank you for sharing this!!!
I loved that you wrote what they did for the blind. Working for a retina surgeon in an office where many fear they may lose their site, some we can help, but others we cannot. If only our countries could learn from others & show the same amount of respect. Beautiful!
Looking forward to reading more!!!! *hugs*
so i take it, Nicole, that you never had the “pleasure” of using one of their public toilets (of old, i take it) that are basically a hole in the stall floor, where you actually squat while standing, to do your business.Now THAT takes some gettin’ used to right there….
a very beautiful land, a very beautiful (and respectful) people. A wonderful experience to have (and numerous times even. all part of my job).
Sherri, I am delighted you enjoyed this. Please feel free to add it to the featured members blog, it’s my pleasure!
Rachel, I admire the work you and many others do, and like you would love to see this kind of consideration worldwide.
Richduck, you’re right, though I saw the kind of public toilet you describe in the Tokyo Dome Hotel, they also had the other kind available, so I did not dare to try it, nor, as far as I know, did any of my non-Japanese colleagues at the conference. That would take some getting used to indeed!
So, you’ve been there numerous times. You must have many fascinating tales to tell.
Nicole, you awesome lady ! I loved your awesome blog…
Thank you, Eli! It will be a busy weekend so I don’t know if I will get to parts three and four right away, but I know they will keep bugging me until I blog them out. Hug(e) hugs to you