Funny how things like that turn out.
So anyway, thus ends my journey to Japan. My overall impressions? Well, that's a very interesting question, especially when you start digging a little deeper.
So I'll break it up into some categories:
Architecture
I'm not sure where Japan went wrong with buildings. I'm certainly no expert on matters relating to construction and building design, but Japan seems to abandoned any sense of aesthetics in architecture. The older (pre-1900s) buildings were and still are, beautiful to my eyes. Everything else looks, well, cheap and shoddy to be honest. Most cities have a slapped together feel, stemming from drab looking concrete buildings dominating everything. Some people have tried to make their homes prettier by putting up brick wallpaper on the outside of their houses, but as you can expect, it simply doesn't work.
All said, not a huge fan of the general look and feel of modern Japanese buildings.
People
Now here is an area where Japan meets and exceeds expectations. Most people are by and large, the most friendly, helpful and nice people you are likely to meet anywhere on the planet. There are the odd exceptions, nearly all very angry seeming middle aged men, who are the exceptions to the rule, but they are by far in the minority.
Love the people.
Food
I get the feeling that Japanese people love Japanese food. I can understand why too. The variety can be tremendous and the quality is usually excellent. From the Japanese banquets we had at the hotels to the 650 yen (£3.25) meals from quaint little restaurants, everything is prepared with the look as well as the taste in mind. If you don't like fish or rice you will be severely limited in what you can eat, but assuming you don't mind these ingredients, you won't be disappointed.
Big fan of the food.
Transport
I've covered this, so you know my views, but I left out some crucial information. The intercity travel is world leading, no doubts there. However the infamous peak hour press on Tokyo is absolutely dire beyond belief. "Packed in like sardines" doesn't do it justice, since I'm sure sardines have more wriggle room than the average commuter. For me, standing at 6 foot tall, it was less than pleasant, but for Julie it was a bit of a nightmare.
Off-peak and intercity travel is brilliant, just don't jump on a subway at 8:30am and expect to be able to breathe.
Language
I've been studying Japanese seriously for 18 months or so now. With my level of skill I was able to get my point across at nearly all times, even if it does involve some pointing, waving and confused looks. Things get complicated since there are varying levels of polite speech in Japan and since I've been taught mostly "polite" form, it was annoying to discover that people nearly always used "casual" form. The times they didn't use "casual" form was when
they were using an extra polite form used when serving customers. Needless to say my greatest level of success came from using phrases and words from anime than the ones learnt in class. D'oh!For anyone without Japanese language skills, I'd highly recommend not getting off the main tourist route where most staff are comfortable with English. None of the hotels we stayed at outside of a major city had any command of English.
The huge barrier is the Japanese kanji, which meant that even someone like myself who has studied Japanese still couldn't read more than the most basic signs. Descriptions or maps? No chance! Maybe next year I'll know enough...
Overall
On the whole I really enjoyed the trip. Great food and great people meant we had a great time!
Oh, the figure on the right? That's Mikuru from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, a deservedly popular Japanese anime show. I picked her and Haruhi up while in Akihabara.
I really do love Japan :)
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