Nihongo wakarimasen!

So... I have been a delinquent blogger. By this I mean that I returned from Japan the first week of April, and I am just now writing about it. Today is June. I will try to be better, I promise.

So... Japan! I have, after much pain and anguish, selected 25 pictures out of the 400+ that I took in two weeks to share with you. I tried to find a selection of interesting photos from across the two weeks. I am not in any of them, nor are the people with whom I hung out. Deal. To help tell the story of my trip, each photo is accompanied by a question and answer. I gladly give credit for this interview-style post to one of my blogging heroes, Mari - ytupaltatambien.blogspot.com.

Without further ado, Mantini: Shaken, not stirred presents: Japan!

Ice in the Bering Sea, on the flight from SEA to NRT

So Patrick, why Japan?

I went to visit one of my best friends, who is now an English teacher in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere.

No caption necessary

Did you really spend two weeks in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere?

Not all of it. We spent a number of days in Tokyo, and also spent a lot of time in the "big city" near her tiny town.

Nishikata Hospital - "Go there if something bad happens"

What struck you most about Japan?

The contrasts. Between hyper-urban and hyper-rural, between unbelievably modern and incredibly old, between very organized and very inefficient, between very conservative and wildly outlandish. It makes for a fascinating place to just observe. The people-watching is amazing.

Old lady taking some sort of plant to the train station

How did you get around?

Train, mostly. My friend's apartment is across the tracks from her town's train station, which has trains that run directly to Tokyo. Trains are definitely a predominant mode of transporation.

Mountains, as seen from Nishikata

What was the weather like?

A little cool, but gradually getting warmer and warmer throughout my trip. It didn't rain very much, thankfully.

A temple (shrine?) in Nikko

Tell us one funny story from your trip.

The only story I can tell from my trip, because nothing else could compare, is an example of just how small the world is. We were visiting Nikko, a famous sight near Nishikata, and as we came out of the shrine area, I heard someone say "Patrick!" I turned around, and there was the one Japanese person I know. We studied abroad together in the Netherlands during high school, and we just happened to run into each other in Japan! She doesn't even live anywhere near Nikko! It was pretty surreal. We hung out a few days later in Tokyo and got to catch up, which was sorely needed after 6 years.

Close-up of a building, part of the Nikko shrine complex

Do you speak any Japanese? How was that experience?

When I got to Tokyo, my knowledge of Japanese was limited to the phrase "I am a horse." You can blame Mai, the friend I randomly bumped into, for that one. I gradually learned a few useful phrases over the course of two weeks, but on the whole it was pretty overwhelming not understanding what was going on around me. You can't even begin to decipher signs since the characters are different. My cycle for the trip was "overwhelmed by not understanding anything" to "benignly curious about what everything says and mostly just enjoying the craziness" to "disappointed that I can't get a deeper understanding of what is happening."

Just pretty

What were you impressions of Tokyo?

Tokyo is huge. There is no hyperbole sufficient to describe the mass of humanity that is Tokyo. Manageable, if you have a good guidebook or a local, but huge. Almost a third of Japanese people live in or around Tokyo. It's unreal.

Giant flying poo - it was supposed to look like a flame

What was the weirdest thing you ate?

I tend to be a pretty picky, unadventurous eater, so pretty much everything I ate was weird. But probably fried octopus. It was actually very tasty. Everything I ate was delicious, in fact. My friend made a list of all of her Japanese foods, and we spent two weeks crossing them off one by one. Amazing. All travel should be like that.

Do I really need to describe this?

We have to ask... did you sing karaoke?

Yes, I did. It's way better in Japan.

Tokyo: big, busy, and flashy.

Tell us one thing you were ashamed to think while you were there.

What kind of a question is this? Okay, seriously, it was my first day there, on the train. The thought that ran through my head was: "Wow, Japanese people are really diverse. Tall, short, thin, fat, ugly, beautiful, old, young. They don't look the same at all." Well, duh, Patrick.

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office Building

Did people stare at you? How did you feel as a non-Japanese person?

People did stare. Hardcore. Japan is something like 98% ethnically Japanese, so foreigners, especially non-Asian foreigners, are different. Little kids and old people were the worst. Still, I didn't feel unwelcome. Just obviously different.

View from the top - just a sliver of Tokyo

Is Japan as expensive as people say it is?

It can be. But it's possible to keep things cheap just like in any other country, but staying fresh and local (food-wise), and avoiding tourist traps. One nice thing is that sales tax is already included in prices, and they don't have a culture of tipping, so what you see on the menu is what you pay. It kind of evens out that way.

Big park in Shinjuku

You said earlier you took trains everywhere. Did you get to ride a bullet train?

Unfortunately not. I did get to experience ridiculously crowded and busy Japanese trains - but not crowded enough to need a station attendant to push people in so the doors can close. I was kind of bummed I missed that.

In Akihabara

You were there while the cherry blossoms were blooming. What was that like?

Gorgeous! They started blooming in earnest about halfway through my trip, and they was amazing. The Quad at UW is a sight to behold when in full bloom, but it doesn't hold a candle to some of the parks in Tokyo. And the people there are so excited about the sakura that you can't help but get swept up in their enthusiasm. Probably about half of my pictures are of cherry blossoms.

The moon looked a lot bigger in real life

Okay, confession time: how many times did you go to Starbucks?

A lot. It was the first and last place I went (give me a break, it's an airport!) and there were at least 3 or 4 other stops there during my trip.

It was cherry blossom time, so the color pink was everywhere

Why would you go there so many times?

Hey, Rick Steves says it's okay! But seriously, I feel that going to Starbucks (or any American chain) in another country is a cultural experience in itself. You shouldn't spend all of your time there, but there's nothing wrong with it. We went to Tully's too. Don't judge.

Just cool

What was your favorite moment of the trip?

Probably the Nishikata Cherry Blossom Festival. I got to see Sera dressed up in her kimono, doing a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. I got to try Japanese versions of "fair food" - it's still fried and delicious, but it's stuff like octopus or yakisoba noodles. I got to see a bunch of different folk dances and colorful costumes, and I got to see old Japanese men singing karaoke. It was a beautiful day and the cherry blossoms were dazzling. My epic sunburn was totally worth it.

At Nishikata's famous cherry blossom festival

Toire wa doko desu ka?

Watashi wa uma!

The Tokyo Dome, home of the Yomiuri Giants

We heard you got to go to a baseball game. What was that like?

So cool. Japanese baseball fans are so much better than Americans. They have all of these ritualistic chants and cheers, and they are loud. The stadium barely even tries to play music, because it's just not worth it. Although they did play Beyonce's "Single Ladies." Which is so appropriate for baseball, it's not even funny. Oh, and I'm a Hiroshima Carp fan now. They were playing the Giants, and since I couldn't root for the Yankees of Japan, I'm now all for Hiroshima. Go Carp.

Traditional Japanese cherry blossom party

Do people drink a lot in Japan?

Oh God, yes.

Awesome tree

Vending machines. Tell us more.

Vending machines are what I miss most about Japan. Whenever you need a drink, voila, there it is! They sell hot drinks too. And all sorts of other crazy things, but the drink ones are the best. Some even sell beer (if you go in for that sort of thing).

I don't know why I love this picture so much

Why do you love that picture so much?

I don't know. I kind of love old people, maybe that's why.

I took hundreds of cherry blossom pictures

Do you want to go back anytime soon? Is living there in your future?

Living there? No way. But visiting? For sure. Next time I want to venture further afield, to Hiroshima, Osaka, Kyoto. Ride a bullet train. Eat some more octopus. My friend is living there basically forever, so I'll always have a place to stay!

There were so many cherry blossoms

Thank you so much.

Thank you. It's been fun.

Cheers!
-Mantini

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Transportation Fact: Shinkansen (Japanese bullet trains) can be up to sixteen cars long. With each car measuring 82 feet in length, the longest trains are nearly 1/4 mile end to end.