Top Ten of Japanese Quirks and Culture

10.) Sexy Cartoon Images

Anime is everywhere in Japan: comic books, TV, billboards, and toys. This was something that I expected, however I did not expect to see toys like the one below on the left. I saw it in a touristy gift shop in the observatory of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (the building we used to see Tokyo from above). It seems like Japan uses scantily clad cartoon women in advertising the way we in the US use actual scantily clad women in advertising. There were also naughty magazines (some cartoon, some not) on most magazine stands, though we never encountered the infamous panty vending machines.















9.) Blond Asians


This is my excuse to comment on the differences between Korea and Japan. On the very first day in Tokyo, I couldn't help but notice that there were a lot of Japanese people who had died their hair blond or red. This was particularly true in the youth-centered areas around Shibuya and Harajuku. These neighborhoods are where trendy teens and twenty somethings go to be seen. The people above were nice enough to let us take photos with them.

Both the Koreans and the Japanese are extremely well-dressed. In Korean society appearance is very important, particularly for women. They often won't go out in public without wearing what I would consider to be nice clothes. There are nice Western designer stores in Korea that I had never heard of back home. The Japanese, while still style conscious, are a little bit edgier. They take more risks with fashion and dress less conservatively. I'm sure the clothes they are wearing are designer brand and in line with the latest fashions of the day, but unlike most Korean outfits, they look ridiculous. In either Korea or Japan I'm a little bit out of place wearing a plain T-shirt in public.

The differences in style could be a metaphor for the differences in society. Korea is very Westernized in terms of its economy, but still much more conservative than the US on the whole due to the strong influence of Confucianism. Japan tends to be more liberal, whether its fashion, hair style, or sex (see #10).



8.) Green Tea


Japan is also famous for tea, so trying a cup of traditional tea was a goal of mine on the trip. As mentioned in the earlier post, the highs throughout the course of our trip were consistently between 90 and 95 degrees (I still can't think in metric), which never really put me in the mood for hot tea. Luckily, on our last day of the trip, Alexa and I stumbled across a tea house surrounded by a lake in the Detached Palace Garden that offered iced green tea. Green tea isn't Alexa's favorite (she describes it as "earthy" which is her family's version of the word "interesting" when it comes to describing the taste of something you don't like), but we were in Japan, so we headed inside for a cup. It came with a small traditional pastry and instructions on how to drink the tea. Green tea isn't my favorite either, but the iced tea hit the spot on that occasion, and allows me to say I've had traditional Japanese tea.


7.) Trains

Trains are the way to get around Japan. The public transportation system there is like nothing I've ever seen. Of course it puts the US to shame, but it also surpasses Europe in convenience, speed, and punctuality. Before leaving Korea, we bought a rail pass through a travel agent which gave us access to all of the lines and all except one of the trains in Japan for one week. It wasn't cheap (about 390,000 won or $330), but it is much more cost effective and convenient than buying individual tickets to each city. All we had to do at each rail station was flash our pass and walk by. The trains arrive when they say they are going to arrive and leave when they say they are going to leave. I'm used to Amtrak, where you can plan on being at least 15 minutes late to your destination. Bullet trains connect most of the major cities. These trains can complete the 420+ mile journey from Hiroshima to Tokyo in about four hours. Do the math. The average speed is 105 MPH, including stops.

In addition to having access to all of the bullet trains, we had access to each city's regional network of rails, but not the subways. For the most part though, the regional railways served as a subway, linking different neighborhoods and suburbs. We only had to use the subway on the back end of the trip in Tokyo when our seven day pass had expired.


6.) Hustle and Bustle















One of the most fun parts of Japan is the urban hustle and bustle that is the yin to Kyoto's yang. We experienced this most our first night in Tokyo, when we visited Shibuya at night. Granted I still have never been to New York City, but Chicago and LA have nothing like this, two story TV screens on every corner, neon lights, people heading in all directions. The video below is of the famous "Scramble Crossing" outside Shibuya Station, one of the busiest train stations in the world. More people cross the street at a given crossing than any other intersection in the world.




I would have liked to have had more time to enjoy the nightlife of the modern Tokyo, but time just didn't allow it. The first night we called it quits early because we were exhausted from getting up at 6 AM for our flight. When we got back to Tokyo, we had to get up early again the next morning for the fish market, and the nightlife around our hostel didn't compare to Shibuya or Shinjuku (where we stayed the first time in Tokyo). That said, I'm glad I at least got a small taste of the modern Japan.


5.) Tame Deer

Two of the locations we visited on our trip featured tame deer that you can feed, Nara and Miyajima. Our tour guide in Nara explained to us that according to Shinto beliefs a god appeared riding on the back of a deer in the virgin forests of Nara. After this point, deer were considered sacred and killing one became a major crime. In fact, for a period it was considered worse to kill a deer than to kill a human. Over time, the deer became tame because they didn't have anything to worry about. Apparently the deer are pretty aggressive in terms of going after what they want. Our guide told us to turn our palms out and show the deer that we didn't have anymore food once we were done feeding them. Even after doing that, I had deer trying to nibble at the paper wrapper their food came in that I had placed in my pocket. Below is a humorous sign warning tourists of the potential dangers that the deer pose.

Here is a shot of me feeding the a deer.

I tried to capture this deer nibbling at the souvenirs being displayed at this shop. By the time I got my camera out I captured him being shooed away by the owner instead.

4.) Toilets (to my grandparents out there reading, you may want to skip this one)

Open any travel guide on Japan and the first few sentences will read something like this: "Japan is a country of contrasts. The modern and the ancient, the fast-paced and the serene, the old and the new, the traditional and the high tech, etc." The toilets are a microcosm of these contrasts inherent in modern Japanese society. Traditional, or Japanese style, toilets are like the ones pictured below:

I had no problem with these when doing a number 1; it was just like a urinal that was on the floor instead of the wall. The only problem is that these toilets replace actual toilets, not urinals, and do so in both men's and women's restrooms. If you are a female or doing a number 2, you are supposed to squat over the toilet and let it fly. Shockingly, Alexa was not fond of these toilets.


Next up, the space-age toilets of the future:















These toilets come with built-in bidets, deodorizers, spray, and play a loud flushing noise. This toilet was at our hostel in Kyoto. After a couple times handling your business as usual, you start to get curious with all of the buttons sitting next to you. The most easy button to experiment with was the "flushing sound". It simply makes a loud flushing noise without actually flushing the toilet. Kind of pointless if you ask me. I was a little bit nervous to try the "spray" button, but curiosity finally overtook me, and the next thing I knew, my butt was being sprayed. For some reason this surprised me even though I had just pressed the button with a picture of a butt being sprayed with water. I immediately pressed the "stop" button. But, ever the more curious, I wanted to find out how this mysterious butt spray worked. I pressed it one more time and this time sat up slightly so I could look at what was happening below me. A thin, white water canon emerged from the back of the toilet under the rim and begin spraying once more. I don't think this will catch on in the US anytime soon.

A highly informative sign above the toilet on the train instructing male travelers how to use a toilet seat.

3.) Sumurai

Starting in about the 9th Century, a land owning, farmer-warrior class began to emerge and gradually began to challenge the emperor's hegemony. These warriors became known as the samurai, and they ruled Japan during its feudal period, which lasted from roughly the 1100s until the 1860s. The leader/dictator was known as the shogun, and the samurai were the Eastern equivalent of a lord/knight combination. The emperor was largely a figurehead during this time period. The various samurai clans went through periods of infighting and cooperation, on and off, for the entirety of their rule, with shogunate hereditary dynasties switching a few times. The samurai practiced Zen Buddhism and emphasized austerity, fidelity, and a warrior culture. They built the majority of Japanese castles, including Himeji. Outside Himeji we found a shop where you could try on armor and wield swords. Antonio besmirched my honor, so I had to defend it.

Antonio ended up buying a sword as a souvenir on the trip. He tried to convince me to buy one (they were only about $75-100 for a real sword), but I was convinced it would be too much of a hassle. Upon arriving back in Seoul at the baggage claim, the box containing his sword was wrapped in yellow tape informing customs to check it out. They asked him why he was bringing a sword into their country. Antonio was tempted to say, "Oh, you know, for stabbing," but decided against it and said it was a souvenir. They confiscated his sword until he gets a permit from the Korean police department.



2.) Shintoism and Buddhism

The two major religions of Japan are Shintoism and Buddhism, and the most interesting thing about Japanese religion is that these two are not mutually exclusive. Most Japanese practice both. In fact, Shinto spiritual figures tend to preside over weddings, whereas Buddhist spiritual leaders tend to preside over funerals (due to their belief in reincarnation). There has been little conflict between the religions, a remarkable contrast to the history of Europe and the Middle East. Throughout history the Japanese still found reasons to kill each other, as well as their enemies, they just never cloaked it in religious dogma. Most of you are probably familiar with Buddhism, a faith that originated in India and then spread to China, Korea, and eventually Japan. Buddhism emphasizes detachment from your desires through meditation. The most common Buddhist symbols of Japan were statues of Buddha and pagodas, which differ dramatically in each society in which Buddhism took root.

Shintoism is Japan's native religion, and was explained to us by our Nara tour guide as an animist belief system that worships the various aspects of nature. The most common Shinto symbol is the torii gates. She informed us that these gates originated as a resting place for crows, who are seen by the followers of Shinto as messengers from the gods.

1.) Food

No surprise here for those that know me. Food finishes number one. I'll briefly describe dish by dish some of the foods I liked most, then talk about other interesting food-related experiences.

Noodles

Japanese noodles are very tasty and consist of two types: soba and udon. Soba noodles are dark noodles made from buckwheat. Udon noodles are thicker and made from flour. One common soba noodle dish I liked features cold noodles dipped in a soy-based sauce with wasabi. You dip the noodles in the sauce, then eat them. There is an example of this dish below that is nearly gone. Next to that is a udon noodle curry.


Shabu Shabu

Shabu shabu is an onomatopoetic phrase that in English would be "swish swish". Is is a pot of boiling both that you throw veggies into. Then, holding your meat with chopsticks, you dip it in until it cooks. We found an all-you-can-eat shabu shabu place. Antonio each polished off 6 trays of meat (3 beef, 3 pork). Alexa ate four, which isn't too shabby either. After the meat is cooked there are delicious sauces to dip it in.
















Okonomiyaki (o-kon-o-mee-yak-i)

This was hands down my favorite non-Kobe beef dish of the trip. Okonomiyaki is a Japanese pancake made from batter, cabbage, pork, and delicious sauce, and sometimes noodles, sprouts, egg, and ginger. There are two types, Osaka style and Hiroshima style, both named after the city in which they originated. Osaka style is prepared by mixing all the ingredients with the batter, then frying it. Hiroshima style is prepared by cooking each ingredient separately, then layering it. We had the Osaka style (below left) in Kyoto at a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant we stumbled into. We liked it so much that we ate there the next day too. We had Hiroshima style (below right) in Hiroshima at this massive food court dedicated entirely to okonomiyaki. It was cooked in front of us by a very charismatic chef. I preferred Osaka style because I liked the cabbage more when it was covered in pancake batter.
















Another fun food experience was ordering rice bowls via vending machine. The bowls all come with veggies, rice, and meat. Not knowing what anything said, I basically put my money in and punched the button next to the picture that looked best. A few minutes later, a waiter brought it out to us. I liked Antonio and Alexa's dish better than my own, but it was still fun.

The final culinary discovery (or in this case rediscovery) of the trip was that of a long-lost childhood favorite: Koala Yummies. During our trip we saved money by often eating small breakfasts and snacks that we purchased at marts to get us through the day until dinner. At nearly every mart was that beautiful, green, hexagonal box of chocolaty koala deliciousness. Back sometime in the mid-nineties, Kola Yummies (thin cookie wafers in the shape of koala bears stuffed with fudge) took the US by storm. They were advertised on TV and all over the grocery stores. My mom refused to buy them on the obviously erroneous premise that they had absolutely no redeeming nutritional value. That only made my brothers and me covet them even more. It was always a treat whenever we could get our hands on them. Then, after only about a year or two on the market, Koala Yummies disappeared forever. The nostalgic treat of my childhood was lost....or so I thought. In Japan they were everywhere, and I probably ate six or seven packs of them on the trip. I will definitely be on the lookout for them here now, as they are made by Lotte, a Korean company.


That's all for my posts on Japan. If you are still hungry for more check out Alexa's blog or check out all of my photo albums on Facebook:

Hiroshima/Miyajima
Kobe/Himeji
Nara
Kyoto 1
Kyoto 2
Tokyo

Top Ten Things We Did

I just have a quick point of clarification before I commence with the list. This list is of the top non-temple, non-shrine things we did in Japan. Since I devoted an entire post to temples and shrines, I figured I could talk about a more diverse array of things by not including them on this list.

10.) Tokyo National Museum

Though it doesn't compare to the cities I visited in Western Europe, Tokyo has a solid museum scene, and we were able to visit a few museums on the back end of our trip. Most of Tokyo's museums are located in Ueno Park. This massive Park also features temples, shrines, and a zoo. We walked by the Tokyo Museum of Western Art, which had several Rodin sculptures displayed outside. We also passed the Museum of Science and Nature that had a life-size blue whale statue outside. The complex we visited was the Tokyo National Museum. This complex actually consists of five separate museums, and we were able to check out three of them.

The first we visited was a small museum that housed Buddhist treasures from the Horyu-Ji Temple in Nara. The treasures feature elaborate statues, masks, and other artifacts. This exhibition skimped on the English captions, so we were able to view the artifacts quickly, and move on to the next museum. The second museum we checked out was called the Heiseikan, which featured archeological artifacts from Japan from the prehistoric era to the modern era. It houses pottery, weapons, statues, and also contains a great English narrative of the history and different eras of Japan. The final museum we went to was the Honkan, the largest collection of Japanese art and artifacts in the world. It consists of two floors, organized thematically in roughly chronological order. Unfortunately, several works housed in the museum we were looking forward to seeing we not displayed, including the Great Wave off Kanagawa. I included some examples of my favorite pieces from the museum.

There were several of these faux-wall paintings with intricate Japanese landscapes on them.

The museum also contained some cool samurai armor.

9.) Tokyo Parks and Gardens

Tokyo has many parks and gardens well worth strolling through. In addition to Ueno, we went to the Hama Detached Palace Garden and the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. On the last day of our trip, Antonio wanted to check out the Museum of Western Art and Alexa and I were museumed out from the day before. Alexa and I decided to take a walk through the Detached Palace Garden. This garden (more of a park) is right in the middle of downtown Tokyo, and you can get good views of the skyline contrasting with the more natural elements of the park. There is a small lake/large pond with an island teahouse.
















The Imperial Palace is only open to the public twice a year, and we were not there on one of those days. The outer grounds, however, are open to the public on a regular basis. We were able to view the walls, the site of the former keep (now destroyed), and the famous East gardens. Japanese gardens often feature water, rocks, trees, and emphasize natural elements rather than minimizing them. At one point on our trip Antonio made the point that the gardens he saw at Versailles demonstrated man's dominance over nature, while traditional Japanese gardens demonstrated man's harmonious relationship with it. Deep stuff.















8.) Strolling through Gion in Kyoto

On our last day in Kyoto after visiting Kiyomizu-Dera Temple, we walked north to see the historic district of Gion. While most of Kyoto is fully modernized (with the exception of the temples and shrines obviously), Gion is a quaint throwback to a bygone era of Japan. I enjoyed just walking the cobblestone roads, gazing at traditional homes, and peering into the windows of artisan boutique stores. Gion is home to many of the Geisha of Kyoto, but we did not see any. Geisha, contrary to popular belief, are not prostitutes, but "women of the arts" who are highly educated and are capable of holding an intelligent conversation with their male clients. I would have liked to have had more time to explore Gion, but by that time we were getting tired and hungry. The hour and a half we did spend there though was very pleasant.

















7.) Walking Tour of Nara

The day before we went to Nara we decided we wanted to join a walking tour of the city for 2000 yen (about $23-25). There are no reservations; you basically just show up, give the guide the money, and take the tour. After visiting Fushimi Shrine in the morning (see previous post) we realized that the express train from Kyoto to Nara did not stop in Fushimi. This meant that instead of a 40 minute train ride, we were looking at an hour and a half train ride. Fushimi was close enough to Kyoto that we decided to backtrack and just get on the express in Kyoto. This made us about 45 minutes later than we had planned, and the tour group was supposed to meet at 10:15. By the time we got to Nara station it was about 10:35, so we assumed the tour would be long gone. Yet when we got there, there was a middle-aged to older woman holding the sign for the tour we had planned on joining. No one else had showed up. We told her we were interested, and, voila a private tour of the city. Nara was the first capital of Japan and it is home to Todai-ji (previous post), several other shrines and temples, a virgin forest, and tame deer (don't worry they will be featured in the next post). Our guide walked us through it all, answering all of our questions along the way. Here is the only picture I managed to get of her:

She showed us the proper way to purify yourself before entering a Shinto Shrine. You must wash each hand separately, rinse your mouth, then empty the remaining water in the ladle. I am purifying myself below before entering Yasaka Shrine. The Shrine is on the edge of the old growth forest. The shrine itself was pretty standard, but there are thousands of stone lanterns on its grounds, which are only lit on rare occasions.




















One of the perks of a guide is that she can show you some interesting things you otherwise would have walked right by. We stopped briefly in a museum and got to try out an earthquake simulator. Alexa caught my experience on film.



Another interesting fact that our guide explained to us is that many pagodas (including the one we visited in Nara) are built with each level structurally independent from the one below it. This means that the only thing that holds the pagoda together is a large pole in the middle. This makes the pagodas more "earthquake-proof."

6.) Shinto Purification Ritual

After visiting the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto, we headed to Shimogamo Shrine. This shrine is also a UNESCO site. Upon arriving, there were several food stalls and carnival-like booths leading up to the shrine. We were confused, and figured there must be a special event going on. When we arrived at the main shrine, it was very crowded and there were large tents set up next to a man-made stream running under a bridge. For 200 Yen, you could get a candle, walk through the stream, and light another candle at the end. Without knowing what we were doing at all, we paid the small fee and participated in the ritual. The water was freezing, which felt very nice because the temperatures for the entirety of our trip were in the low to mid 90s. After walking through the stream and drying our feet, I asked someone what we had just done (we were joking that we had all just converted to Shintoism). A man explained that this was an annual purification ritual.



















Here are shots of Antonio and Alexa during the ritual.

More pictures of the ritual.

5.) Nijo Castle

Nijo Castle in Kyoto was home to the Shogunate during Japan's feudal era that lasted up until 1867. The castle is surrounded by walls and a moat. The keep burned down long ago, but you can climb up to where it once stood and get a great view of the grounds. You can also visit the old living quarters. The interior is fairly simple, but some of the gates were impressive.

My favorite part of the castle, however, was the small garden outside of the living quarters. It was one of the most (if not the most) beautiful gardens we saw on our trip.



















4.) Tsujiki Fish Market and Sushi Breakfast

Those of you who know me and know my eating habits are aware that I am not the biggest seafood fan in the world. Before going to Japan, I had never tried sushi. My theory was that if I didn't like seafood when it was cooked, I wouldn't like it raw. But I decided well before the trip that I could not go to Japan and not try sushi. The Tsujiki Fish Market in Tokyo was on our itinerary at the back end of the trip. Sushi is a little bit on the pricey side there, so before dropping money on the highest quality sushi in the world, I decided to try a low-budget option to see if the splurge would be worth it. In Kyoto we ate at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant, so I could sample hand made sushi at a cheap cost. I tried a tuna roll first, and the only thing I didn't like was the seaweed wrap. I had had seaweed in Korea because it is a large part of the diet here, so I was able to isolate the flavor I didn't like. The nest time around, I went for tuna sashimi, just fish, rice, and wasabi. I added soy sauce and fresh ginger, and it was very good. The ginger, soy, and wasabi flavors dominated and the tuna was not at all fishy. I'm still not sure I like seafood, but tuna sashimi with all the fixin's is delicious.

Knowing that I was going to like my meal made me more comfortable splurging at Tsujiki, the world's largest fish market. We visited the market relatively early in the morning in order to see the hustle and bustle. The market is along the Sumida River and consists of several large warehouses. These warehouses are full of people transporting, slicing, and selling all kinds of seafood. While visiting you have to be very careful not to get run over by small vehicles speeding around the warehouse taking the fish from one stop to the next.















Left: a seafood warehouse Right: Large prawns for sale















Cutting up the Tuna.

After roaming around the market, we waited outside a small sushi restaurant for about a half hour to have a small sushi breakfast. Below on the left is my tuna sashimi. On the right is a picture of the conveyor belt restaurant we ate at in Kyoto. You just pick up the plate that looks good to you as it comes by, and they charge you at the end of the meal. I think more meals back in the US should be served in conveyor belt form.














3.) Himeji Castle

After staying one night in Kobe, we stopped in Himeji on the way to Hiroshima. The only reason to stop in Himeji is the majestic castle, the most beautiful and best preserved castle of feudal Japan. The Himeji Castle could easily have contended for the top spot on this list, but unfortunately it was under renovation. Seeing a giant crane and scaffolding alongside the historic castle detracted from its beauty significantly. We couldn't go inside the keep either, as that was under renovation. We toured the halls along the walls, but these were pretty empty. I'm happy we stopped here, but it was disappointing not to be able to visit the whole castle or marvel at the grandeur of a scaffolding-less keep. Nonetheless, the fact that the castle is still so high on the list, despite the setbacks, tells you how great it truly is.


































2.) Somber Reflection at Hiroshima

Hiroshima may be the one stop on my trip that needs little introduction. As you all know, the first atomic bomb was dropped here at the end of World War II, leading to (after another dropping at Nagasaki) the surrender of the Japanese. The bombing instantly killed 80,000 people and wiped out an area with a two-mile radius. If you include those who lost their lives due to the effects of radiation, the death toll is closer to 140,000. The only building that was spared was the A-Bomb Dome (below right), because it was almost directly below the hypocenter of the blast.

Today, the city center has been turned in Peace Park (below left), with several monuments to those killed in the blast and a flame that will burn until the last nuclear weapon is gone from the earth. South of the park is a museum which gives an account of the events leading up to the bomb's dropping and several chilling first hand accounts from survivors through video and art.




















Just past the A-Bomb Dome, you can turn down a discreet ally and visit the exact hypocenter, with nothing but a small plaque acknowledging what happened.


I am aware of the historical circumstances surrounding the dropping of the bomb, and how costly many of the alternatives would have been to both Americans and Japanese civilians. Nevertheless, I felt somewhat guilty walking the streets of Hiroshima as an American. Perhaps it says something about the nature of total war that something as horrific as the the dropping of the atom bomb was settled upon as the "least bad" option.


1.) Kobe Beef

I decided that I had to end on a positive note, so the best experience of my trip was our Kobe Beef dinner. Kobe is famous for its beef and also for the outrageous prices charged for it. We decided that we wanted to eat Kobe Beef in Kobe and were willing to bite the bullet and pay for it. After walking around Kyoto for a day, our hostel let us shower, even though we had already checked out. We changed into our nice clothes on the train to Kobe, so we wouldn't get them sweaty hauling our luggage from the hostel to the train station. The restaurant stored our luggage for us, because we didn't have time to stop at a hotel and drop it off before our reservation. We glanced at the menu, which offered a variety of courses, cuts, weights. A guidebook had recommended the sirloin, so we settled on that and opted to pay 2000 extra yen for a five course meal and aperitif. Antonio and Alexa opted for 150 grams of meat, which was the second highest amount of sirloin you could buy. I, on the other hand, came here for the meat. I was going get the most amount of beef possible, so I ordered the 200 gram serving (still only about 7 ounces) for an extra 2800 Yen.

The hors d'oeuvres, salad, and soup were good, but nothing I would pay more than $25-30 for at a nice five course meal back home. The beef was going to make or break my experience. I was excited, but also skeptical that anything could be delicious enough to warrant a $170 price tag. The beef was brought out and cooked before our eyes along with vegetables and garlic chips. It was perfectly marbled. The cows used are raised locally, grass-fed, and massaged regularly.
















When the beef was cooked the chef placed it on a plate in front of me and I slowly picked up the fork, closed my eyes, and placed a small bite in my mouth. The beef seemed to melt away. It was so tender. As a fast eater, I had to slow down my usual eating pace incredibly to savor each individual meat morsel. When it was all said and done, we agreed that it was worth the price.

Here is the follow up meal the next morning. McDonald's in Korea don't have McGriddles, so when I saw them on the menu I had to buy one.