February 13th - post Japan review:

 

This review is postponed until I finish eating my crunch bars and peanut butter.

 

And wash my peanut butter hands.

 

 

….

 

 

Kay done.

 

What can I even say though? I feel like anyones description of Japan is going to start out with “its amazing” followed by some description of the magnificence of their toilets, and I do not intend on straying from that form.  Japan is entirely amazing, and their toilets are the proverbial solid gold shit.  I don’t understand why the U.S.  hasn’t jumped on the toilet seat warming thing.  The bidets and everything are cool (what, they are) but the best thing is the warmth that greets you, that completes your toileting experience.

A few other things I don’t understand:

-Why is all the food in Japan GOOD, like I could go to any random place and get good eats, but by experience in the US if you get random food/eat at random places you very well may end up wasting your bucks on mediocre edible substances.

-Why doesn’t the US sell more random food? I found such diverse treats, and picked anything and it was good.  Little breads with cheese in them, or bacon and asparagus on top, or sticky buns that look like pandas with sweets inside, or with meat inside, and all these odd little things.  But if you go into a US shop everything will be relatively predictable and people will most likely ask what is in the said pastry/treat/etc.

- Why is everyone so hot and why does it have to cost so much because I want to go there all the tiiiiiime?

-WHY couldn’t I find a Japanese mirror for sale ANYWHERE. Like a cool wall one. Anywhere. Why?

-WHY IS KARAOKE CONSIDERED DORKY OR WHATNOT HERE, THAT WAS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS ABOUT JAPAN, PEOPLE COULD TOTALLY BANK ON THOSE KARAOKE BARS

 

Japan is beautiful.  Tokyo is the adolescent younger sister who admires her big sis and loves to rock out, and Kyoto is the legit Indie beautiful collegiate older sister.  Tokyo is perfect for fast times, fun times, people like Joey.  Kyoto is perfect for spiritual things, cultural things, people like Tayler and Jessgah.

 

I have a lot of stories and ideas and no idea how to put them here.  Whenever I have thoughts that pour out like rain I have no computer or pen..or will to document either.

Similar thing here though, I love Japan and I want to remember this experience for ever and everything that I did but I don’t feel like writing it all, and then telling it a bunch of times, and then writing the same things in a bunch of postcards.

 

So I’ll just ramble with whatever comes to mind when I reflect upon Japan.

 

 

I love how helpful everyone is.  A lday ran to another shop to find out if they had mirrors for me, whenever I shop and have more than one bag, store employees give bigger bags to put them in, a guard who took my picture gave me free candy, etc.  And the free samples everywhere.  It seems to be tied in to the value of gift giving.  I never really felt awkward about taking the samples.  At one shop I was at the same guy must have offered me about 8 different camples, and his wife offered me tea, and not because they wanted me to buy it.  Yknow? Like when you go to get ice cream and you sample a few flavors and then you begin to feel guilty about it, like they’re annoyed at you or expect you to buy? I didn’t get that feeling at all and I had billions of samples.

 

Everything is so safe.  I did make a couple would-be-fatal mistakes, such as not noticing my camera slipped out of my pocket, or dropping my shipboard Id, and people would let me know right away.  And I love the bowing and the general feeling of good will.

I love how warmly the food sits in my stomach and the feeling of warm tea, and the feelings that subsequently follow and stay with me the rest of the night.

 

I love Japan.