On The Go… Final Thoughts…

As we prepared to return home from Japan, a mind such as mine is always filled with many expected and some unexpected thoughts.

There’s the usual and expected:

• Good to be going home.
• Sad that it’s over.
• Remembering all the wonderful experiences.
• All the great things we saw.
• The food!!

But on other end of the spectrum, there are the wanderings of the ADHD mind, which greatly contributes to the process.

To be clear:

I see having a neurodivergent brain as a benefit. I can think of a wider array of various topics on any subject than I think the average neurotypical brain could even comprehend.

And not to downplay those ‘without’, I’ve just come to appreciate what I was born with and learned to use to my benefit.

I think the first and most prominent thought, one that Amelia and I spoke of several times was:

Because of the state of American politics, and how our ‘president’ sees fit to treat other countries, how would we as Americans be welcomed into the country. We were concerned that we would have to hide our origin, maybe purchase a pin or tea shirt with “I’m from Canada” or something.

However, out of the 14 days we were in country, there was only one comment; and it was more of an observation rather than a problem.

It was in the cab from our last hotel to the airport on the way home. The cabbie spoke only minimal English, and we, only the basics with Amelia and nothing from me except the word: “yes” and whatever my translation app could process for me.

The driver told us that he was Japanese, and asked us where we were from. We said:

“American, from the US”

His only comment was:

“Ahh! President Trump.

”To which we mumbled:

“…unfortunately…”

That was it!

It was actually nice to get away from the dialog and the constant friction of the American political, social media, and news scene. Friction sort of follows our ‘fearless leader’ around it seems.

But, like an friend told me once after Trump’s second term began…

‘Just focus on the everyday, avoid the news, and the four years will pass before you know it.

’My apologies to those from the ‘right leaning’ part of the country…

But I still like to keep up with the news to a point, just so I know what is going on.

What was most revealing was: Once out of the country and amongst the average ‘non-American’ human beings from the rest of the world, it was interesting how little people actually knew or cared about Trump, or the US, or what us Americans felt about anything.

Obviously, we were welcomed as any foreign tourist would be: Glad to have us in their country and willing to leave our money behind as we explore.

But on the other hand, I Instead found myself in a country that seemed comfortable in itself; they just seemed happily focused on their own lives.

The streets were not filled with people starving or doing without because of the tariffs imposed by Trump. On the contrary, by comparison, I was surprised at how affordable the average day of traveling and dining really was.

Another interesting observation…

There is no tipping anybody; it’s considered rude.

They seem just happy to do their jobs and eager to please. I admit, there were times I wish I could have tipped some of the people I met. And, going home, it makes it hard to swallow that every little service and product has an automated ‘how much do you want to tip?’ question built into purchasing it.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not denying a well-earned tip for those that achieve a job well done. I am frustrated however at a working class that assumes that, just because they are there doing their job, they deserve a little something extra. And even more frustrated by companies’ business practices providing only a minimum wage that forces the average service employee to rely on tips just to survive.

The other thing that must be mentioned again is the rail system in Japan. To be fair, the country of Japan is much smaller than the US. As such, the Japanese rail system can seem a lot better simply because any destination traveled to will inevitably be much closer and quicker than traveling from, say New York to Los Angeles for example.

Whereas the US has one passenger rail system, Japan has dozens of competing companies, from the bullet rail lines and other slower national lines, all the way down to various local lines.

Additionally, in the US, most national passenger rail routes must compete with various freight lines for right of way. Although there are laws that state that passenger lines take precedence over freight, it rarely works out that way. This leads to huge delays at times causing many hours to be added to travel times of any great distance.

Japan on the other hand has their vast bullet rail system, all of which travel on dedicated track designed for the speed of the trains. On other slower lines, the routes do share with freight, but freight trains are less common in Japan than in the US. It is very uncommon for Japanese passenger trains to be late at all, with a delay of only a couple minutes announced with apologies. In the most highly populated locations in Japan, like Tokyo for example, it is common during their ‘rush hour’ to see attendants politely pushing passengers into crowded trains just so the doors can close. Regardless of this, the trains were all clean and well maintained. The staff (if there were staff as some trains are employee free) were always very polite and helpful.

I would also strongly recommend a couple simple technical suggestions:

• Make sure you have a standard cell phone with data service, a good battery life, and an extra brick charger just to be safe.

• Work with your cellular provider to get an ‘international data upgrade’ to cover the time you’ll be there. Even with this add on, service is still not guaranteed but will be faster and more common if added to your tourist arsenal.

Trust me: Unless you speak fluent Japanese, you will use this device constantly, for many things such as:

• Translations during conversations.

• Converting restaurant menus to English.

• Understanding the instructions on the toilets and air conditioners (There are NO toilets without a control panel for everything from flushing, to ‘cleaning you’ when you’re finished).

• Helping you to know you’re on the right train going to the right stations, or other trains you need to connect to.

Yes, there are apps for all of this and more.

And, it goes without saying that the people, overall, were polite and usually very patient with us stumbling foreign tourists. Rarely did I ever see someone upset or frustrated. Even passers in the street, seeing us standing there staring at our phone maps trying to figure out where we were going were willing to stop, take out their own translation apps and help guide us on our way.

I think only once, while in a shop selling new and used Kimonos, did I sense the shop clerk seeming a little ‘stand-offish’ towards us while we were in her store. But, in her defense, we did not have a clue about the customs in such a store about shoes being on or off. And, I did trip over the house slippers provided for customers while trying to look at some items in that area of the store where outside shoes were not allowed.

I also think, on the slightly negative side, that I can honestly say I would go back to Japan, but I might avoid Tokyo.

Again, don’t get me wrong: I liked the city just fine and I would not have missed it. But the part of town we were in, Shinjuku City, home of the one and only Godzilla Hotel, was a little ‘much’ for me.

It reminded me of the first time I went to Las Vegas: It was something I’m glad I experienced, but I doubt I will ever go back.

It was fun and full of just about everything the average (and not so average) traveler might want to see, do, and experience.

One example of an ‘extreme establishment’ is what’s called a “Host Club”.

These are in some cases legitimate businesses providing a service for travelers or other individuals looking for ‘non-sexual’ companionship. This can be for everything from travelers who would like someone to show them around town, to a person who will just talk to you or ‘cuddle’ with you for comfort for a short period of time.

But too often this can be a business that lures unsuspecting women from other prefectures in Japan or from other countries. They are lured into these places with the promise of human connection, attention, companionship and inexpensive food and drink. This then leads to the victim unknowingly spending much more than they expected to spend ‘on credit’ and are then forced into prostitution to pay it off.

They can be innocent looking establishments, but they are best avoided.

Ultimately however, I wouldn’t change anything.

My host, Amelia planned the perfect experience including everything from far away temples and shrines to the most robust and busy shopping districts and entertainment centers in the country.

If you like Asian food, your ‘chop stick’ skills are passable, and you’re comfortable mostly communicating through a phone-based translation application, this is the place for you.