Japan

I always wonder why I hear a lot of good things about Japan.  It seems like Japan is one of the dream travel destinations of many people, and for those who have traveled here, it is one of their favorite countries they have visited.

I've connected through Japan airport a couple of times, and it was my first time to see the real country when I joined my son on his family trip.

Japan's culture, which is distinctive and unique, makes their country attractive to visitors worldwide.  

Tokyo, in particular, is a very fast-paced city like New York and London.  A city of skyscrapers, shopping malls, hotels, red-light establishments, and millions of people walking on a busy sidewalk.

Disneyland was the main agenda of my son's family visit. My grandkids had a great time as well as their grandma.  It was a fun-filled day with walking and rides. We started in the morning and ended late at night, exhausted yet full of memories.

Tokyo Disney was the first Disney park built outside the US, and for the record is the third most visited park in the world. 

You don't go to Tokyo if you don't experience crossing one of the world's busiest intersections - the Shibuya pedestrian crossing.  It has 10 lanes of traffic and 5 crossroads converge with lights.  A surge of people passes one another in chaos minding their own business.  

The locals call this crossing a "scramble." It is particularly dramatic and chaotic on a Friday or Saturday night, where locals and tourists cross these intersections in the middle of the busy neon lights. We walked by it and crossed back and forth. It was so much fun—a delightful experience doing it with my grandkids. 

It was my first time learning the story about the dog Hachiko.  He used to wait daily for his master in front of the Shibuya train station to walk home together.  One day, his master died and never made it back to Hachiko.  And for 7 years, every night Hachiko came back to the Shibuya station and waited for his master.  The people then built this monument in honor of Hachiko and his sad story and to show the value of the relationship between a dog and his master. 

Hello Kitty is a popular character in Japan.  Her full name is Kitty White. She's a fictional cartoon with a red bow and no mouth.  According to her story, she is a third-grade student who lives outside London.  She became a product line, including clothing and toy.  When I was a kid, I owned some Sanrio and Hello Kitty products.  It was a big trend at that time. 

Fashion in Japan is mostly extreme and "avant-garde." It means experimental or with distinct modernism. The clothes I wore those days apparently blended with their current fashion. I was impressed. 

Transportation in Japan is very efficient, especially in the big cities like Tokyo.  The train is commonly used, and you can entrust with punctuality, cleanliness, and discipline.  The only thing about it is that if you are like me without navigational skills, riding these trains can be confusing, and you can be lost in the distance.  I was almost lost. Even if you ask the locals, communication is a significant barrier.  You have to learn to survive in this unique but beautiful culture.

Japanese food is one of the most popular cuisines globally and among the favorite of many people I know.  They have a traditional Japanese cooking method, what they call a "rules of five." It emphasizes variety and balance.  They achieve it through the use of five colors (black, white, red, yellow, and green,) five cooking techniques (raw, grill, steam, boil, and fry,) and five flavors (sweet, spicy, salty, sour, and bitter.) That's an interesting tradition, and if someone follows it, that will make a fantastic Japanese cuisine. 

I am not a cook, or maybe in a better sense, I don't cook.  Hence, I appreciate any meal that I eat as I don't have skills in cooking.  I love rice and whatever that goes with it. We enjoyed this sumptuous authentic meal that night in a small restaurant where they cook it in front of you. 

There's so much to see and experience in Japan.   This country, with continuous technological advancement, a rich culture, friendly people, and a beautiful landscape, is really worth a visit.  

My long plane ride to Japan on a short trip was a memorable one. Being with my grandkids was part of this awesome experience.