"A Great Planet to Visit" a Japan Travel Page by dlandt

There are some places in this world you are born into, like the country in which you are born. In all likelihood, you will never sever the ties with that country. Others you are born to might be a land from which your relatives emigrated (Germany and Italy for me) and which you visited, know the language, eat the food, etc. Still others you will bond with out of love (Russia for me) or emotional appeal. In some cases, you bond with a cvountry because fate has so decreed, and in my case, Japan is just such a country.

I first visited Japan in the navy, something which turned out to be a largely forgettable experience with a few good sea stories to tell around the campfire. I had no idea at that time that I would one day marry a Japanese woman and sire a daughter with her. Nor had I any idea whatsoever that I would one day find a deeper understanding of the country and its people than the nearest plate of sushi.

Fate had decreed I would come to know Japan, and like so many other thingsd in the world, that I would have differing and varied opinions about the country.

I haven't done a lot of sightseeing around Japan. Most of what I have done was done within the space of two days, a whirlwind tour that covered the highlights of five prefectures. For that reason, even though I have visited a number of cities, I didn't really collect enough information or data on any one of them to justify a VT page on its own. Almost all of my sightseeing tips are going to be found in this, my Japanese page. For better or for worse, I think that approach will best reflect my experience of these places, and would only expect a person in Japan for a short time to take an interest.

Most of my cultural tips will be found on my Tokushima page, the city from which Miyuki hails. Tokushima is a small city quite far from the mainstream of Japanese society and hasn't been as affected by the globalization trends evident in the bigger cities. As a gaijin (literally "foreigner" but in common usage "Westerner") you are an uncommon sight and attract some attention and curiosity. Being from Tokushima is about the social equivalent of being from Spokane, Bedford, Thunder Bay, or Geelong, only even less cosmopolitan.

Tokushima is the only city with which I have more than a passing familiarity, and so is the only city page which I shall make, at least at the time of this writing.

Japan is a country where things are seen in an entirely different way than a Westerner sees things. After you get to know Japan, the differences between Western countries will seem paltry and trivial. It is hard to encapsulate into words, but things are not just done differently in Japan, they are done for different reasons. Even customs with which we are familiar i.e. "Take your shoes off before entering a Japanese home" are done with a different mentality. It is possible to step wrongly with this one even though you understand it superficially.

On the bright side, the Japanese seem to understand just how different they are from us, and really do like to see someone different themselves, so what you might consider a grave cultural error might prove amusing and delightfully foreign and refreshing to them. You don't have to pretend to love sashimi just because you are in their country. The Japanese are well educated and aware that many of their tastes aren't going to appeal to you. Be yourself, be foreign, and learn as you go.