Arigato Japan (Bye Singapore!)
So.... Japan. Sitting now at my hotel room in Singapore, at the airport waiting for my flight back to Israel, and having some time to kill, I will take this opportunity to summarize my Japanese experience, which all in all, was excellent by the way, no matter how bitchy I might have sound in my daily posts. I definitely want to come back (Tokyo!) but there are more destinations on my Places To Visit Before I Die list.
So here are my impression of Japan in general and in no particular order:
Japan is basically a Western country where the people just happen to talk Japanese. I was waiting the entire time for a cultural shock or some other surprises. Nothing. I don't think I am too jaded, it is just that Japan is different, yes, but not that different.
While no crazy machines (or robots) the Japanese must love their vending machines. Plenty of vending machines that sell cigarettes (they are weird like that, they can even smoke on trains and in restaurants) and hot and cold drinks. Some places, there was a machine every 10 meters. I kid you not.
The people themselves are very nice, but they speak no English! That's a major drawback. Luckily, the public transportation talks and displays messages in English as well so we managed to get around, but try to find out if there's meat in your dish, and then you have a problem.
A lot of sounds. From talking escalators to plenty of announcements even on buses. There was even music playing when it was green at the road crossing signal. The Japanese clerks, too, gave us their entire spiel in Japanese even when it was clear we can't understand a word they are saying (okay... I could understand 'thank you').
Japan is cold!!! That was something I wasn't used to. Seriously, I haven't experienced winter in about three years, and no I don't plan to. When I get home I am going to start my Run-Away-From-Winter, and would like to go to Singapore when the temperatures in Israel get too cold for my liking. The funny thing is that when it wasn't cold in Japan, it rained.
In hindsight, we could have gone to Nikko just for a day and that would have left us an extra day in Tokyo, for me the only place that we feel like we should and could have spent more time. Still, no regrets about Nikko [snow!]. Tokyo will have to wait to the next time.
As for the food itself, when I managed to find something to eat, almost every time it was a good meal.
The best of all, of course, was the chance to travel with my dad. Besides the fact that I can't really navigate to save my life, his company (when I weren't bitching about food, ha!) was very pleasant. He is quite a cool person (and I am not saying this because I know there's a good chance it will get to him).
The stay in Singapore was too short. Obviously I couldn't fit everyone that I wanted to see, but still the people I did see made the 48 hours I stayed there awesome. I also had to kill some time before my flight so I went to the cinema at the mall. Maybe when I am settled at home I will write my thoughts on the movies I saw.