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| Cover photo: Kiyomizu-dera temple in Kyoto |
1. Kyoto
8. Tokyo
8.2 Part two
Five random things I noticed during my first days in Japan:
1. Japan has the thinnest toilet paper in the world
2. Japan has the most expensive bananas in the world
3. Japan has the most vending machines at square meter in the world
4. Japan has the most Kit-Kat flavors in the world
5. Japan has one of the fastest and best organised traffic system in the world
On the second day of our Kyoto trip, we visited the Imperial Palace, which wasn't all that interesting. In contrast, Tofuku-ji temple offered stunning autumn scenery, that stood out far more than the vast, empty spaces of the Imperial Palace.
I visited Japan for the first time in November 2016 and it bothered me a little that I only talked about my experiences with some people and didn't try to make a cohesive story for the people that I didn't talk to about my trip.
I will go straight to the point and say that it is really worth it to visit Japan. If you have the will to travel, time and money. No matter what types of countries and cultures you're drawn to, I guarantee that Japan is truly unique and you will find things here you wouldn't find anywhere else in the world.
People often ask me why I chose Japan - what fascinates me so much about it. If you could pick just one country in the world to visit, which would it be? I'm a fan of Japanese comics (manga) and animated movies and the imagery they present simply captured me. I'm also interested in the Japanese way of life, their beliefs, their customs and how things work over there with everything having its place in life.
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| Lanterns after sunset in Kyoto |
Japan - land of contrasts
It might seem like a cliché but Japan is really a land full of contrasts and paradoxes. It is presented as a country where rich history and modern technology meet and indeed, this contrast is one of the most striking and you can see it everywhere. Few other examples include modern toilets with heated seats and a bidet versus traditional squatting toilets. Or cleanliness of the streets despite the fact that you can't find a trash bin easily.
Five random things I noticed during my first days in Japan:
1. Japan has the thinnest toilet paper in the world
2. Japan has the most expensive bananas in the world
3. Japan has the most vending machines at square meter in the world
4. Japan has the most Kit-Kat flavors in the world
5. Japan has one of the fastest and best organised traffic system in the world
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| Japanese land from the sky looked to me like a plant floating on water, later I found out that it has quite many hills and mountains |
We landed in Japan in November, and as it turned out, it was a very good choice - lots of sunny days and only a few rainy ones (it was snowing in Tokyo though, but I'll get to that :)). The ideal times to visit are spring and autumn. Summers are very hot and humid, June brings periods of rain, and in September to October, there can be dangerous typhoons. So, in most cases, you choose between cherry blossoms or colorful autumn leaves. We chose the leaves :).
Despite the fact that most people will understand if you speak English, don't expect them to talk back in English as well. For us, it only happened in places like hotels and train stations. Most Japanese people will respond only in Japanese, so it's a good idea to learn a few basic phrases - you'll find them useful.
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| Kyoto |
Our first destination was Kyoto. I was immediately stunned by the sheer size and architecture of Kyoto's main railway station. Major Japanese train stations are designed not only to serve your transportation needs, but also to offer shopping and entertainment. For example, Kagoshima Station features a Ferris wheel, while the one in Kyoto houses a hotel and a museum. The place was absolutely enormous, with a staircase lit up by a Christmas light show that seemed to go nowhere (later I discovered it continued to more shops and eventually to the roof).
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| Kyoto Station |
By the way, the Christmas tree at the station was decorated with motifs of the city of Prague. This was because Prague is one of Kyoto's sister cities, and in 2016, to celebrate 50 years of their partnership, the tree was adorned with images of Czech churches and historic houses.
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| Merry Christmas from Kyoto! |
We stayed at K's House Kyoto, quite a well-known hostel franchise. The accommodation was clean and reasonably priced. Sharing a room with six people was a bit too much for me personally, but in Japan they value every centimeter of free space :).
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| K's House Hostel in Kyoto |
When you see Japanese tourists in Slovakia taking photos of everything - from statues to power lines - you start to understand it once you're in Japan. It's because everything looks so different, you feel like you've landed on another planet. I find myself doing the same thing - taking pictures of everything I laid my eyes on. In the end, I ended up with around 3,000 photos (you can find them here and here).
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| Kyoto is full of tourists... |
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| ...and school trips |
After visiting the Kiyomizu-dera temple, we stopped at a restaurant for some ramen (Japanese noodle soup dish). It's really cool how all Japanese restaurants display plastic models of the dishes in their storefronts, so you know exactly what you are ordering. The food was nice and we were also served black tea that the waiters kept refilling. I have to admit, Japan treats tourists really well and makes them feel right at home. The service was always top-notch. More countries should recognize how important that is and what kind of impression it leaves on foreigners. While prices are higher, tipping is not common - it might be even considered rude in some cases.
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| Plastic food in restaurant storefront looks so real |
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| Few moments after I took this picture, a sign was ut up that read "No photo", because people were stopping by to take a picture and blocking the bridge :) |
In the evening, we visited Fushimi Inari, a famous site known for its approximately 1,000 vibrant torii gates. I was pretty tired, though, and didn't make it all the way up to the main shrine (although I did manage it on my second trip to Japan in 2019 ☺). The next day we headed off to Kobe.
Video of Fushimi Inari torii gates:
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