Incredible Japan
Japan - A must see.
So India and I successfully navigated Japan for 2 weeks for what was one of the best experiences of my life. Japan is such an incredible country; the food is delicious, the culture is rich and the people are warm and welcoming.
Flights
Our flight was scheduled to depart at approx 9pm Sydney time meaning we would arrive after about 9 hours of flying at just after 5am Tuesday morning Japan time. We thought we would sleep through the whole flight and wake up in a new country! That was not the case…
We had one of the longest, most boring, sleep depreived flights we could have imagined. It was hot, dry and loud. We tried every angle and possible rotation to get comfortable but we never found the sweet spot. However, despite all this, something prfound happened before this that in that moment, let me know that I was going to have the most unique and fun time.
We flew with ANA Nippon Airways. India and I arrived before check in had started so we had to wait. Once the staff had setup the lines and were ready to start serving, they played a quick announcement at the check in line, then all staff members stood infront of their booths, and bowed to us. It was such a small gesture but it was so powerful. It was a sign of respect, and a sign of gratitude. It was a sign of the culture we were about to experience. Something i had never experienced before, and something I will never forget. It was a sign of the incredible trip we were about to have.
Upon landing, we made our way to the hotel to find we couldn’t get into our accomodation until 4pm. (Or 3pm if we paid $10 / 1000yen for a Toyoko-Inn pass) which we promptly paid. It was about 7am at this moment so we had the whole day to explore.
We were staying in Yokohama, and had also planned to see the Gundam Factory. This was closed on Tuesday. So we explored the city, the Dock and the gardens around. We walked over 15k steps on our first day counting down the time we could check in and sleep.
As soon as the clock struck 3pm we were inside our room, having a shower and taking a nap to recharge. We woke up about an hour later and headed out to explore the night life and find some food for dinner.
We had successfuly survived our first day in Japan and were ready to take on the rest of the trip.
Food
The food in japan is incredible. All the food is pristine, fresh and delicious. A few favourites for India and I were Ramen, Sushi, Sashimi, and Okonomiyaki. Part of the excitment of eating was the traditional restaurants. Lots of restaruants will also have curtains coving entrance that you will walk underneath.
History & Culture
Japan is filled with incredible stories of war, Samurai, Emporers, temples and shrines. Each shrine holds a different and unique story that adds to the value of the experience. Something Australia lacks is its history, as its a relatively new country, it doesn’t have centuries of architectual development, battles that destory landscapes and infastructure or rulers with differing tastes.
As you visit these different shrines and temples you get to see the stages of the shrines, hear about their hardships; how the wars spread fire, burned down buildings and its refurbishments during its history. Furthermore, the connection between arhcitecture and nature is mind blowing. You’ll walk through huge temples, to be met with the greenest moss, flowing rivers, koi fish and bridges. It’s a truly incredible experience.