Japan-o

Blimey, Japan is a bit nuts. All the things you kind of know but also don’t quite get, until you’ve had a few days here. 

 

Yes, there is a lot of bowing. Even the train cleaners and the conductor bow as they exit the train, as did our chef and waitress, outside the door of the restaurant tonight, as we got into our cab. Amazing manners and courtesy that keep taking us by surprise.

 

The toilets. Are insane. One minute, amazingly nice as the lid automatically rises to greet you and you sink onto a pre-heated seat, to the sound of delicate flushing noises in case you pee just that bit too loudly. And equally, they can almost bite you in the arse, if you accidentally brush one of the many wall sensors. I shot a powerful jet of water upwards unintentionally, then foolishly leapt up and not quite far enough away from it. Soaking my pants, trousers and legs, somehow both front and back. The walk of shame out of the loo, clearly soaking, even our tremendously polite guide struggled not to laugh.

 

The people. Millions ingressing into Tokyo daily. A fair few still in face masks. A few flaunting the ubiquitous dress codes and etiquette systems.

 

Adults buying bloody Hello Kitty. Cat cafes. Robot restaurants. Humans massing everywhere. Exchanging business cards even now, with great reverence.

 

Tucking into the tiniest spaces, like the brilliantly quirky one-row bars of the Golden Gai.

 

The trains. SO on time. Loved our bullet train to Kyoto, and it moves like shit off a shovel, but even in first class there was no WiFi, no free food or drink and no hot tea to be had. Good old Blighty can beat that. Though perhaps not the view of Mt Fuji en route.

 

(Loving my birthday camera already J&R, check that zoom out..)

 

The food. Exquisitely made, presented and packaged. Food art at its finest. Bento boxes that are a delight to look at and play with. Note to self, never good to crack the plastic lid, forget you have, then pour large amounts of soy sauce everywhere as a result. 

 

Only bettered by our dinner in Kyoto last night, just ten people around a chefs counter, where we were the only non Japanese. Such intricate preparations, plus the huge amusement that women are given a single shot of Suntory whisky with soda, while the men (half my size) automatically got doubles!

 

The sights. Well, in all honesty we’ve missed a few as the jet lag on arrival was a shocker. But we did our 6 hour Tokyo tour, plus a warm up yomp to the Imperial Palace en route. And today was the 9 hour Kyoto walking tour. My poor feet don’t know what’s hit them. Just wandering the streets is eye candy alone, from crumbly old shrines to the neon jungle, it’s well worth a stop off, but I don’t know if I would return here. Maybe it’s too much sushi and I just need the familiar comforts of a tuna jacket potato..

 

Any which way, we’ve pounded the pavements, paths, pagodas and parks, and tomorrow, at last, we will be continuing the epic trip onwards to New Caledonia. Our main destination. And the promise of turquoise waters, fish, islands, beaches and hopefully a sprinkling of magic. Exciting, uncertain, enticing, hopeful, still feels a world away. Will there be white sand bliss? Will the fish sparkle? Will the catamaran be as spanky smart as hoped for? Will Ross catch a tuna? We will see x