Japan. Things people do

We have been visiting some of the oldest and most revered temples in southern Japan and we are starting to understand a very small bit about the Japanese. A people who have an intensely deep feeling for their history and ways of allowing 125 million people to live in very, very densely populated areas.

All of Japan is about 1/3 the area of British Columbia and about 70% of that is uninhabitable mountains. The lowland coastal areas are packed solid! They adore punctuality, order and politeness, qualities that are required when living in such close quarters.

Crowds are simply part of life in Japan. Streets, metro stations, train stations . . . Everywhere. We visited the Temple of the Golden Buddha on a day we were told “wasn’t very crowded”. We thought the place was packed! Many of the locals wore kimonos and went to great lengths to be photographed under the best cherry blossom tree.

Somehow, even in crowds, the Japanese find a way to purse serenity.

Our journey continues, still heading south and onwards. We are leaving the main island of Honshu and sail to the city of Kochi on Shikoku islandRead more