No one needs convincing to go to Japan but I woke up one morning with a call from Chi with a flight deal to Tokyo from Toronto. I hesitated but quickly came on board and booked flights that aligned with other friends’ trip. 

As I was planning with Chi, I quickly understood why many friends desired to return… There is simply too much to see and experience in this somewhat “small” country. We had two weeks and struggled to fit everything in our itinerary. We were simply prioritizing what we want to see first and what to save for our second time in Japan. I can already tell you I want to go back and visit Osaka, Mount Fuji, Kobe, Okinawa and Hokkaido in the near future. Chi still dreams of being in Japan after returning to Toronto for two weeks.

Japan was everything I expected and more. Cities were clean, transportation was efficient and everything from food to crafts were artistic.  The Japanese people are well-mannered, helpful and quirky but surprisingly not fluent in English. It was fascinating to see streets, homes, schools and people mirror anime cartoons that I watched. 

Food was phenomenal and plentiful. There were your corner convenience stores with onigiri and kaarage, street vendors making fresh takoyaki or yakisoba, ticket-system ramen shops and the freshest sushi shops that sometimes arrives on a belt. I was never hungry and I ate every chance I got. 

I also noticed the Japanese love cantaloupe and cantaloupe-flavored everything from candy, ice cream to a cantaloupe custard bun! And cantaloupe is my favourite melon. They also love creaminess in their drinks and ice cream… I was in heaven because I too love creamy drinks. Oh and majority of food shops offered samples. It was like a Japanese costco everywhere!

I did experience culture shock but differently from Vietnam or Morocco, or even other developed-asian countries like Korea or Singapore. It was like seeing a country that is way more advance than yours with on-time trains and buses, high-tech toilet seats and hot and cold drink vending machines on every street corner. 

Boy, do I miss the warm toilet seats…