Our trip has taken us to 25 countries so far. We thought we'd pretty much seen it all but Japan had plenty of surprises for us. You see things in Japan that are unique in the world - some make perfect sense and some are just weird. Here's what caught our eye during the week we spent in Japan.
We'll start with the legendary japanese toilet. The Japanese are famous for the engineering put into cars and electronics but just as much engineering has gone into their toilets in order to optimize your experience. After using them, it's really difficult to go back to an ordinary toilet.
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| Looks normal enough except for the "control pad" on the left |
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| You have plenty of options |
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| There are detailed instructions |
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| Public toilets for women include high tech baby seats |
Young women (between 20 and 30 years old) dress like they are teenagers. Short skirts are common even on very cold days. Many women walk pigeon-toed intentionally because it's perceived as youthful and sexy.
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| It was 1 or 2 degrees above zero on this day |
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| Pigeon toed girls like the one in the middle of the photo were a common sight |
Japanese taxis are the best in the world. They are spotless inside and out. All drivers are polite and courteous and most wear a suit, tie and white gloves. The drivers obey traffic laws and don't speed. All of these things are very rare in other countries - all grey hair we have can be traced back to a ride in a dirty taxi with a shady looking driver!
Japan has its own unique religion - Shinto. There's no single Shinto god but numerous kami (spirits or deities). There are thousands of kami including creatures from Japanese mythology, former emperors and natural places (mountains, rivers, etc.). There are kami that you pray to before you write an exam and there are kami for specific groups such as sports teams and tour guides. Japanese people are not overly religious and may practice an informal mix of Shinto, Buddhist and Christian practices. We toured a few Shinto shrines and we'll show you more photos in future blog posts.
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| A torii is the gate into a Shinto shrine |
We only had a week in Japan so we saw lots of things that puzzled us and didn't have time to get explanations. A little mystery in a travel destination is a good thing and Japan certainly has that.
Our stay in Japan included three days in Tokyo and three days in Kyoto. The cities are very different as you'll see in upcoming posts. Coming soon!
Blake and Vanessa
