For those who are waiting for me to reply to their comments on recent posts I’ll get around to it as soon as I can, which will be…I’m not sure I’m afraid. I’m currently sitting half-drunk and shockingly jet-lagged in a Tokyo hostel’s internet lounge with a to-do list as long as my arm. Until my sleep patterns recover then, expect much quietness here in the meantime. I’ll hopefully be able to hop online and share some pics or give the occasional on-location update though since keeping in contact via e-mail makes more sense than sending poscards (which, after all, often take longer to get home than the sender does)…plus the fact that Tokyo is a mindblowing and extremely photogenic place. I can’t NOT share the weird and wonderful things I’ve seen so far, and no doubt there will be a lot more to come.
Sending the Holy Empire of Britannia’s finest: I feel sorry for those poor Elevens already
I don’t have many definite plans but the itinerary so far includes a bullet train trip to Osaka, the gardens of Kyoto, the temples of Asakusa (the area where we’re staying), the inevitable trips to Akihabara for shiny things and in all probability making an idiot of myself with my limited capabilities in being bilingual. Since this is my first proper trip abroad I’ve had to get things like a passport organised which has meant that after the plane tickets, accomodation and travellers’ cheques for food/drink/spending money, my credit card is maxed, the cash I’d saved up for this is all but wiped out and I’m left with a mixture of trepidation and “Hell yeah!” excitement.
So yeah, I’ve never travelled further east than Great Yarmouth but I’ve landed in a country for which English isn’t the first language and is, in the words of a work colleague, “one of the only places in the world that’s still different.” Apart from the obvious issue of the language barrier I’m more concerned about the practical side more than anything: paying for stuff, avoiding inadvertant instances of offending the locals due to my touristy ignorance, getting lost in the centre of Tokyo (especially Shinjuku station) etc.
My first experiences suggest that food is relatively cheap and vending machines (selling everything from the usual soft drinks and snacks to cigarettes and beer) are very widespread. Furthermore, not only is English slightly more common than I expected in speech and public signeage (yet still less than I hoped…fortunately one of my travelling companions speaks the language fairly fluently) but the habits of orderly queueing and apologising are even more pronounced than back in the UK. Seriously, I’ve never visited anywhere in which the people who are SO DAMN POLITE. Leaving the cultural issues aside for a moment (hopefully revisited in a later post) the level of friendliness and and good-natured “it might have been your fault but I’ll apologise profusely anyway” courtesy is so alien to me it’s almost disconcerting. Oh yeah, I think I may have developed an addiction to DDR. OTL
The culture shock has so far left me incapable of giving an informed and objective view of the place but I’m looking forward to sharing the general vibe and peculiar little details of my visit for your reading pleasure in the coming weeks. Anyways, LATERS GUYZ WILL POAST PICS SOON.
I look forward to hearing more. Have fun!
Politeness would be a nice thing to encounter while abroad. I was walking down the street in Toulouse once and a man walking 4 or 5 dogs on leashes walked past me, and all his dogs were barking at me and running up to me. My legs got tangled and and I nearly tripped, but I never kicked a dog or anything. Content to just let it slide, I kept walking and the dude was like “you’re not even going to apologize?” I told him in my best french that he should go fuck himself, and then the shouting match started.
Europe: telling other people, cultures, and countries to go fuck themselves since 2000 BCE. I think I’ll plan my text trip in Asia as well. Hope you have an awesome time!
You sound positively shell-shocked. Have a blast for all of us not so fortunate to do so! Eagerly anticipating any and every scrap you should choose to regale us with when you have the time.
Hey, enjoy your trip to Japan, I visited there in 1988 and loved it. Don’t forget to hit up the main seafood/fish market in Tokyo (I forget the name but any local can direct you) it was one of the most amazing places I visited. Also if you get a chance, go visit some of the more important Shinto shrines such as Isle, in the Mie prefecture. Well, have a great time and don’t try any of that Enjo Kosai stuff.
Unlike jiff, I enjoyed seeing the people of Europe more than Japan far more. At least they were not afraid of tiny Asian tourist like me. Can never figure out what Japanese were thinking about me behind those fake smiles.
I’m assuming you are talking about zen gardens when you mention gardens of Kyoto. Perhaps I was too hyped but I did not feel anything particularly transcendent or spiritual. Maybe because it was the tourists. Damned tourists (other than me of course). Some people say watching those pebbles remind them of oceans, or what was it…dragons? Anyway, I think one needs to be in a particular state of mind when experiencing these gardens, one of meditation possibly.
You should also try sleeping in one of those capsules, it’s pretty fun :D. Some of them also have public shower/bath facility that you see on anime, which was familiar for me, but definitely alien to white people. Anyway, I guess I can talk more after you post more pictures up.
Great stuff, Martin. It’s weird thinking that, right now, it’s actually 10:11pm in Japan! You should try changing the timezone for this blog just to emphasize the difference! Anyway, looking forward to reading your posts (and seeing your pictures) on this…
Hope you have a great time, Martin, look forward to reading about your adventures… and maybe picking up a few tips for my second visit to the country in a couple of months time (you think it is hot and humid now, I have a world of fun there to look forward to).
The culture shock for me never really shook off in the 20 days or so I was there previously. If I have one regret it was relying on my Japanese (kinda)-speaking companion too much. It wasn’t deliberate, but outside of Tokyo the English language skills of the locals drops off considerably and before you know it you’re relying on your friends for everything. Don’t worry about embarrassing or offending people… just interact – you’re a tourist, they expect gaffs!