I visited Japan for two weeks with some friends. It was awesome! The food was delicious, the sights were exotic and beautiful, and the culture was fascinating and different.
We started in Tokyo, and explored many different districts, each with its own unique vibe. We went to Shibuya (the entertainment district), Shinjuku (home to the busiest train station in the world), Asakusa (old Tokyo), Akihabara (the electronics and otaku district), Odaiba (futuristic architecture on a man-made island), and also visited the Hama Rikyu gardens, the Tokyo Tower, and it’s modern replacement the Tokyo Skytree.
After Tokyo, we climbed Mt. Fuji on a whim (the view at the top was so amazing – see pictures below). We also visited Hiroshima (the museum was excellent, but understandably a bit morose), and Kyoto where we visited several temples and shrines, as well as the International Manga Museum. Before we left Kyoto, we paddled a rowboat down the river which was surprisingly hard (we bumped into other river traffic more than once!), but lots of fun.
Lastly, we visited Rabbit Island, which is a small island near Hiroshima, that is overrun by tens of thousands of tame rabbits. It was quite a sight!
Some things that make Japan unique
I wanted to share some of the obvious things that make Japan “different”:
Everyone plans stuff in advance. The Japanese customs agents were surprised and incredulous that we showed up in Japan at 10 PM without a hotel booked in advance for our first night. Travelers and locals who we met along the way were also surprised that we were “winging it”. The extra flexibility was awesome, and we only had trouble finding a hotel on one particular night in Kyoto because it was a holiday.
Old people are treated with much respect. When we were in Kyoto, it happened to be a holiday: “Respect for the Aged Day”.
Everyone takes their shoes off inside their homes.
Most hotels require you to leave your room key at the front desk when you go out (so you don’t lose it?)
Most hotels have a curfew (usually 11 or midnight)
People are REALLY quiet on trains.
People usually don’t walk and eat at the same time. It’s considered rude.
It’s illegal to smoke cigarettes outside on the sidewalk (to prevent cigarette butts from being everywhere on the street)
People shower BEFORE taking a bath. People bathe together in groups.
Most salarymen wear the same “uniform” (white collar shirt, black slacks)
Most students wear the same uniform (white polo shirt, black slacks/skirt)
Everyone was well-dressed. No one we saw in public looked like a bum – which is definitely not the case in the US.
I didn’t see a single homeless person in any of the cities we traveled to.
Everything tends to opens late (~11am) and close early (~5pm)
Many fast food restaurants have machines where you buy a ticket which you can exchange for food. So you basically pay a machine.
English is everywhere (lots on signs, subways, menus, and most people who work in hotels and restaurants know enough words that you can communicate with them).
Trains / buses are always on time (except for one private bus at Mt. Fuji which was 10 min late)
Anytime an elevator or door closes with an elevator attendant or conductor behind it, they do a small bow until the door is fully closed.
A few hotels we stayed at did not allow guests with tattoos because traditionally only yakuza (Japanese mafia) have inked their bodies. Kids are starting to get tattoos as fashion statements in recent years, but most bathhouses and hotels still ban it.
A pretty large number of people used umbrellas to protect their skin from the sun (probably like 10-20% of people who were outside, mostly women)