Good Bye Japan 👋

The past 6 weeks were characterised by many new and great impressions. Once again, everything went by far too quickly. In the beginning, I alternated between being amazed 🤩 and confused 🤯, but by the end I had even settled in a bit. That's probably why it's so hard to say goodbye now.

So far, I have documented my journey through Japan in many posts on FindPenguins ... this is number #22.
As always, it's hard for me to name one highlight, but if I had to pick three, probably it would be these:
- trailing the Samurai Culture🤺in Fukushima (see https://findpenguins.com/6jjjgruit3szw/footprin…)
- the perfect mix of sights ⛩️, nature 🌳 and pleasure 🎢 in the region of Kyoto, Nara and Osaka (see https://findpenguins.com/6jjjgruit3szw/footprin… and https://findpenguins.com/6jjjgruit3szw/footprin… and https://findpenguins.com/6jjjgruit3szw/footprin… and https://findpenguins.com/6jjjgruit3szw/footprin…)
- discovering a completely different southern Japan 🏝️ in the Kagoshima and Okinawa prefectures (see https://findpenguins.com/6jjjgruit3szw/footprin… and https://findpenguins.com/6jjjgruit3szw/footprin…)

Not only did I visit great places in Japan, I also have learned to appreciate many smart things 🤓 we might introduce in our western world.

1. Let’s start with an obvious example: Japanese toilets 🚽 Many times you will sit on a warm/heated toilet seat here in Japan. And I am not talking only about the ones you encounter in hotels and restaurants. In contrast to recent developments in Germany (and other countries), there are many public toilets in Japan that can be used free of charge 🆓 and that are usually very clean. Partly they even clean themselves e. g. by automatically flushing a.s.o. But it doesn’t stop there - there are many more contributers to clean and tidy toilets. Pissoirs extend all the way to the bottom so that it doesn’t matter how tall or short you are and you won’t miss it (you know what I mean) 😉 Napkins holders have plastic protectors that prevent water of your washed hands from dripping down on the other napkins …
And obviously the Japanese etiquette that everyone follows here is a big factor as well.

2. I could go on and on about smart ways of keeping these toilets in their impressively clean state 🧽 but there is more than toilets.
7eleven, Lawson and FamilyMart are convenient stores which serve as one stop shops and are open 24/7 - no matter if you need groceries, an ATM, a toilet, a Coffee ☕️ for breakfast or some ready made hot meal 🍽️ for lunch/dinner … they have it all! See https://www.travelcaffeine.com/7-eleven-japan-g… if you want to read about it from the perspective of an amazed traveler. And they are abundant: Wikipedia states that „Japan has more 7-Eleven locations than anywhere else in the world, where they often bear the name of its holding company Seven & i Holdings. Of the 71,000 stores around the globe, 21,215 stores (nearly 30% of global stores) are in Japan, with 2,824 stores in Tokyo alone.“ 😮

3. But you don’t even have to go into a shop or restaurant for coffee ☕️. There are vending machines on the streets everywhere. For a small amount of money 💴 you can get all sorts of coffee hot, cold, with and without milk, in a can or in a bottle …

4. first I saw it as a problem, but soon I understood the motivation behind the little to no trash bins 🗑️ that are placed outside. The reason is simple: if everyone takes his trash home, there is no need for public trash bins. Also it makes you realize how much trash you are producing in a day. Only one visit to 7eleven and you probably have collected a coffee cup, a napkin, the bill and potentially the packaging of one or two 2 Onigiris 🍙 or similar … 🙄 makes you think twice if you really need your breakfast for take away or you eat it right there and then. 😅 Probably, that is why I almost never encountered anyone eating on the streets.

5. Japanese people go to restaurants 🍽️ … a lot - even when they are alone. In contrast to what I have heard before, it is cheap. Free water is always served to each meal. Depending on the type of food (Ramen 🍜, Sushi 🍣, Yakiniku 🥓, …) you will end up paying between 5 and 35 EURs. So, it would argue that it’s even cheaper than Germany. But that may be due to the current exchange rates 📈
Eating in a restaurant is usually also quick in Japan. Most of the time, I was in and out of the restaurant within 30 min. 🕠 Only in the Izakayas (Japanese tapas bar) you will probably spend more time. Once I spent 2-3 hours there with Anna-Maria (a fellow traveler). That was by far the longest I stayed in a restaurant in Japan.

6. In some regional trains 🚆 I have seen that the orientation of a bunk and its seats can be changed. This is perfect because it either allows for groups to sit together in pairs of 4 or for single travellers 🧳 to always face the direction where the train is moving towards.
In general, the public transport system is second to none. I cannot think of a single delayed train that I took to my destination Only once a train was departing late at a station but it managed to be on time at my destination. So, there must be some contingency planned for occasions like this. 👍

7. only a few times it rained while I was in Japan. Although I don’t have an umbrella ☂️ with me, this was not a problem. Nearly every hotel and hostel where I was staying had many of these see-through umbrellas that are quite common. You could take them with you for the day - free of charge of course. 😌 The fact that you can see through the umbrellas amazed me. It is simple but also such an obvious improvement. Why haven’t I seen this in Germany yet?

So, yes - Japan 🇯🇵 is a great country and if you have not been there yet, you should definitely consider a visit. Currently, it seems to be a good time since the exchange rates 📈 make the money of western travelers go a long way.

Everyone I met here was sure that they would come back again. And I already have ideas for at least one more trip to Japan in the future as well. 😅

But now I'm off to Mexico 🇲🇽 and Latin America in a few hours. That certainly also has its advantages but the top 5 things from Japan 🇯🇵 that I will probably miss the most in the coming months are the amazing punctuality, relaxing peace and quiet, unbelievable cleanliness, carefree safety and the respectful interaction with one another.

Good bye Japan - I had a great time with you. 🤗Read more