Well suffice to say, this post is a little overdue.
Before I finish writing about the other destinations of my 6 month trip in Asia, I have to take a minute to recap my time in Japan. I’ve made a New Years Resolution to catch up on my blog; I have so much to write up… sigh. But first, this.
Three and a half months. More than 50 destinations up and down the country, from the northern capital of Sapporo to the southernmost tropical island of Hateruma, 1600 miles away. Cities, mountains, islands, volcanoes, villages, hot springs, ferry rides, bullet trains, samurai manors, gardens, temples, parks, beaches, galleries, museums, restaurants, bars, castles, forests… I went, I saw, I experienced. I learned and I revelled. This trip had been years in the making and was an absolute dream come true. Even now, over a year after returning, I can scarcely believe I did it. I had the time of my life.
It’s difficult to sum up why it was so rewarding. But I’ll give it a go.
As anyone who has been to Japan will tell you, the country is a delight to travel round. It has a unique culture and identity thanks to its centuries of isolation. Because I had the luxury of time, I was able to visit lots of lesser known tourist spots, all of which were set up so conveniently cus that’s just how things are done there. Plus, when I showed up to a place and I was the only Westerner around, I felt like I’d won a prize. I was experiencing something that the vast majority of people never would. It was these moments that I felt like I was beginning to understand the essence of Japan a little better than before.
I was really able to immerse myself in the culture by being there for so long. I got to see how people lived in all sorts of places, from stylish urbanites who’s main concern was how their hair looked to deeply traditional elders living in remote fishing communities hundreds of miles from the mainland. It’s difficult to put into words what unites them; the Japanese cultural identity is multifaceted to say the least, but getting to inhabit these different spaces – from centuries old gardens and castles to rooftop shopping plazas and theme parks in Tokyo… it begins to make some sort of sense. There’s definitely a pride Japanese people share, and an approach to life I really admire. Not saying that Japanese society is perfect, but it’s deeply intriguing and I loved the chance I got to try and understand it.
I was able to make use of my rudimentary Japanese quite often. Navigating restaurants, train stations and hotels was a lot easier being able to understand some basic words and phrases. Having short chats with elders I passed on the hiking trails. Chatting with some very kawaii girls in a beautiful café. Probably my proudest moment was when I went on a date with a Kyoto local who didn’t speak any English – and we conversed for over an hour in Japanese. Yes, to him I may have sounded like a toddler, but I was just glowing the whole time from self satisfaction that I was able to understand… anything! I was only able to interact with these people because I had put the time and effort in to learn a foreign language. It was a sense of accomplishment I’ve never experienced before and it was so so rewarding.
I made new friends, several of whom I have stayed in touch with. We went on road trips and visited local spots seldom visited by foreigners. I made some great memories with great people. I was shown a lot of kindness by the Japanese I met, who generally are so enthusiastic to share their culture with others and were often delighted to meet a British person. It’s like I said to someone the other day; travel begets travelling. You go abroad, you meet cool people, they keep inviting you back. So despite ticking off a long list of places I wanted to see in Japan, the list of reasons to go back is probably even longer now than before.
Something I don’t think people who know me fully appreciate is that for me, my trip in Japan was more than just a carefree jaunt, backpacking about and taking photos of nice places. I feel a serious affinity with the people, places and culture there, and in East Asia more generally. I feel energised and excited just being there. I feel at home there. There’s so much about life in the UK these days that’s difficult and uninspiring. It feels like progress is painfully slow, the odds are against us succeeding and there’s no way to break out of the mundanity without being some kind of millionaire. Saying that, I am content with my lot for now, and I’m starting a new job which I’m excited for. But my wistfulness to return to Asia is so strong, I definitely see myself returning in the near future. And not just for a two week holiday – I would love to try living out there. So, we’ll have to see what the future holds. Japan, I will be back.
Thanks for reading. In my next post, I’ll be writing about my next destination; South Korea.
Checkpoint Charlie 