Haven called Japan*

*Author's note: This post will most likely sound like an over-the-top tourist advertisement, but I simply can not but rave about Japan! I assure you that Japanese government did not pay me to publish this :P

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Girls wearing yukatas (not kimonos)

The moment I landed in Fukuoka, a small city in the south parts of Japan, I felt a long missed sensation of a modern society. Everything was clean, efficient, no-nonsense, people were respectful, polite - they even smelled nice and clean. (I wonder if I've lived in China too long to notice the lack of body odor...)

I was impressed with how high-tech everything was, even the toilets with their built-in bidets! After dirty, old fashioned China it was so refreshing to visit a developed country and I must've looked silly smiling to myself at every turn admiring the smooth operation of everything around me. For instance: All transportation ran on time. Smoking was prohibited in most places. Even during rush hour there was no pushing or showing: people gave way to each other. People QUEUED (this NEVER happens in China) politely and quietly everywhere possible. There were signs on public transportation that asked you nicely to turn your mobile phone on mute and to refrain from speaking to it as it was disrespectful to your fellow passengers. Seriously?! I felt like I was in heaven!

Old straw boots hanging on a door of an
ancient village house. Gokayama,
West coast Japan

The genuine smiles I got from people truly warmed my heart and I fell in love with Japan during the first hour I was there.

Many Japanese people apologized for their level of English but honestly mostly everywhere I managed perfectly. Navigating throughout Japan was a piece of cake as most signs are in both Japanese and English. I traveled in six cities using the high speed trains which were marvelous. From Tokyo to Kyoto in 2 hours 20 minutes! The trains travel at 300km/h+ and have all the comforts you might want: luxurious big, reclining chairs with plenty of leg space, plugs for charging your electronic devices, AC, etc. If you're planning on traveling to Japan I highly recommend buying a Japan rail pass before entering the county - as the expense of traveling in Japan is very high.

That might actually be the only downfall of my trip in Japan: compared to China everything was very expensive. Though it was still a lot less expensive than Scandinavian countries, mind you. It was still easy to find cheap places to have a really nice meal in, but beer and other alcoholic drinks were so expensive that I didn't enjoy too many during my trip!

Miyajima Shrine

But the most important thing (for me) in Japan was the culture: I visited countless temples, shrines, a ninja house, samurai castles, ancient villages, the imperial palace and felt nothing short from impressed. I still couldn't get enough and will have to return to find out more about the history and the culture in Japan. It was truly fascinating.


The nature didn't disappoint me either: lush green forests, some of the most beautiful gardens in the world (and I've seen many), cozy city parks, clean rivers and oceans (safe drinking water) and quality of air. Inspired by all the beauty I must've walked a good 10km a day almost on daily basis! I even was spoiled with a beautiful sunset on a beach for my last night in Japan. Truly unforgettable.





















And I couldn't forget about the more creative part of my trip either: all thanks to my amazing Couchsurfing host I got to try plenty of Japanese arts and crafts, such as origami, calligraphy, paper making and I found out about the gold leafing technique.

Practicing calligraphy...it's hard!!

Decorating the paper I made myself

As a food lover the Japanese kitchen deserves to be mentioned, too - and to be honest I was anticipating the sushi for weeks before my actual trip! (And I indulged myself with it at least once or twice a day during my trip!) In addition I was lucky enough also to have my new Japanese friends cook for me and take me to amazing Japanese restaurants to eat yakitori, sashimi, tempura and other amazing dishes. I tried eel for the first time and found it very tasty. Plum sake also took my heart whereas the original sake I can't really rave about.

Finished! (This was the work of only two people)

For a food lover such as myself it was simply divine to experience the real Japanese cuisine and I can't speak too highly of it!

Sushi train! 

All in all  Japan for me was a haven. I needed an escape from the Chinese reality and I can't imagine a better cure than what I experienced :) I fell in love with the country and will organize a more (semi) permanent return to soon. To be honest if I could've gotten away with it, I would've just stayed in Japan and forgotten all about China!

Alas, Japan will have to wait for a few months. For now I'll savor my wonderful memories :)

One of Fukuoka city's parks