"Konichiwa dudes!" a Japan Travel Page by mad4travel

This is my third trip to Japan. I've been to Tokyo twice before on business and wanted to see more of the country.

This trip took me to the old capital Kyoto, Hiroshima, Miyajima Island, Takayama and the Japanese Alps and of course, crazy old Tokyo.

What I like most about Japan is it has such a strong sense of identity. It embraces the new but does'nt lose the old.

It can be a baffling place, both in the sense that there is not much english around and its easy to get lost or that there are so many social niceties and customs you can fall foul of without even knowing it.

Fortunately for us westerners the japanese are very friendly and helpful and very forgiving when you do something they consider rude (blowing your nose in public is a case inpoint which is regarded to be as bad as we would regard loud farting in public! Apparantly sniffing is much better(!)

Where should I start!

The manners.
The cleanliness, no litter and graffitti
The safeness of the country
The weirdness of the place yet with such strange familiarity
The fact that visiting Tokyo is like being on the film set of Blade Runner
The beautiful attention to detail in their food, goods and packaging.
The beautiful temples and shrines and japanese gardens.

I have to admit it but try as I may I can't really get on with Japanese food. I don't like fish or shellfish and that is a major limiting factor.

I've tried to go vegetarian but find their vegetables a bit slimy. I've found refuge in Yakitori but there is only so much chicken on skewers and rice you can eat on one trip.

So I have to admit to being a foodie philistine and diving into the nearest McDonalds (shame on me!)