I leave soon to go to the airport. From here I’ll go to Shanghai and visit the city of Yixing.
What I love about Japan is its mass transit system. Part of it is chaotic only because it is so big. It has to move a large population. Anywhere you go in the city is also very walkable. Obviously not large roadways but there are ways around those. So many people walk and bike. Healthier cultures have that in common.
No matter what food you get here is great. The Japanese take pride no matter what job they have. It is ingrained. That being said, they do have problems with work/life balance. There is a drive to succeed which is also true of every Asian country. I see the stress and long hours students put in.
Regardless they are very polite and helpful. Even if they do not speak English they try to help. They also are very beautiful and age well. I enjoyed going to the Onsen. Every person is a little different in body shape but we age similarly across nationalities.
Things are very efficient. Everything is recycled with different days for different items. All other trash is burnable. There are large “gas grills” by apartments where trash is burnt. There are few trash cans on the streets. Despite this, there is very little litter on the streets. This is a very clean city and everything is maintained well.
Space and resources are optimized. In Sarah’s apartment, the parts of a bathroom are separated. The toilet is in a different room and I thought this was ingenious: you wash your hands at the top of the toilet while it is refilling the tank. Before you think that is disgusting, it is the same water that goes to any tap.
Plus the controls on the left side are for the bidet. Don’t knock it. It has been shown to be a healthier way to get clean.
The shower is outside the tub. Yes, you shower on the floor. It stays cleaner. The tub is awesome and you can fold down a top for a platform. The sink, mirror, etc. Are outside this room.
Laundry is next to it.
I could write more, it is fabulous. Expensive though.
There are places I did not visit, like the Imperial Palace, a Samurai museum, boat tour around Tokyo, Art museums (though if you go to the National Museum you will see various art forms there), and I am sure there is more.
For only being here 5 days, I did see a lot. I am glad the cherry blossoms were delayed a bit due to cold weather. It is breath taking as there are so many around the city.
At the airport I am glad I had time to mill around and look at some shops before and after the security. They even had places to shop by a lounge with a playground.
I am still amused with the sound of running water that plays when you sit down in the bathroom. It works at moving people through faster.
I will need to come back and visit more areas in Japan.