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Irishman, running in the wrong direction!' I soon found the metro and keeping a low profile (as they say) made way to the Polish consulate to get the important Polish visa. Lots more to write about (if ever I find the time) of my personal experiences in East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Romania.
Anyway…everything here in Japan is perfect but it occurred to me that there is very little appreciation of anything natural; everything has to be fiddled with in some way or other to make it more 'acceptable' to humans which of course then means that any natural/wild essence is gone. Try telling that to the Japanese and they just do not understand: NATURAL IS NOT GOOD. However, the scenery is just incredible and if you appreciate mountains and forests there are more than enough of them. I expected big concrete cities but the mountains seem to have won the battle against the houses and suburbs in spite of the 130 million (?) population. The natural beauty is astounding. A trip to the Island of Miyajima in the Inland Sea is worth a few days to take it all in, it's regarded as one of the three main attractions in Japan. The shrines, temples and pagodas are just wonderful and the 'floating' Torii Gate is something you will never forget.
The children make up for what the adults lack in imagination and they are just beautiful! I've learned most of my words from them as their accents are easier to understand. Travelling with a guitar brings a lot of attention and the children are spellbound whenever I play. One little boy of about 5 came and sat next to me on a train and just said nothing while he snuggled in close pushing crisps and sweets at me and never smiling at all. His mother came and apologised and asked him "What are you doing?" and he told her "I'm trying to make friends with this American." Another kid kept running over and shouting into my face "I'm Sorry, I'm Sorry, I'm Sorry!" He must have repeated it a thousand times to the embarrassment of his parents who could not stop him and eventually just grabbed him and carried him upside-down to the next car still screaming his two words of English.
My host is almost paranoid that I might break the law - even failing what I call the 'shoe ceremony' is punishable by death or at least by the coldness that only the Japanese know how to show when you have evoked displeasure. This can be done just by you being YOU - in Japan it is not socially wise to be different or 'cute' in any way. Some houses have more than five different sets of slip-ons for it's different rooms and on one occasion I rushed in (excitedly) with my (god forbid) OUTDOOR shoes on and the shrieks of protest and disgust were so deafening you'd have thought I'd strode in with a dead horse over my shoulder!
One day I saw a really cool movie poster blowing along the street in the wind and when I was spotted trying to fold it up to keep I was castigated for my lack of respect and made to stick it back on the wall, not in case someone reported me but because it was "not the thing to do". But then there is the contradiction that EVERYONE breaks the law on the freeway, the speed limit is 80klms but traffic travels at 120 or more. I was surprised too at their lack of concern for the children who jumped about all over the car while we hurtled through incredibly narrow tunnels and mountain roads just inches from the oncoming vehicles. "Don't you think it's dangerous not to put the seatbelts on the kids in the back?" and the answer "Yes, but it is not compulsory to wear seatbelts in the back seat." I guess that explains their thinking; doing what you're TOLD is much more important than doing what is LOGICAL.
It seems almost every young person had his/her hair dyed brown this summer and I'm sure most of them would agree that it does not look good but it is important to follow the fashion. Many young people spend their earnings on plastic surgery or eye colour change in order to look 'Western' because that's trendy today.
So far I've not heard one word spoken in anger in Japan and it seems there is no crime; it's normal to leave your car fully packed on the street, confident that it will be safe and secure. My hosts were astonished when I admitted that I occasionally cross the street at home to pinch a lemon from a neighbour's tree. They just did not understand that it was better if I just took it without asking, (it would only be left to rot anyway), instead of knocking on the door, which the neighbour might then regard as an invasion of his/her privacy.
I love the food but they could not understand my dislike of seafood and were always wanting to discuss that subject though they were disgusted when I told them of our once-a-week meal of a pig's head in Ireland when times were hard. The supermarkets are good and I was surprised to find that food is reasonably priced even though just about everything is imported. There is lots of cooked food available in the supermarkets and always a microwave nearby to heat it up it if necessary. You can really get the bargains if you go there for your 'take-away' food just before the 9 pm closing. There are drink-vending machines everywhere selling everything from tea and coffee, (iced or hot), to beer. The beer is very good. Slow and leisurely eating with chopsticks is good too for conversation round the table and the children (and adults) are very intrigued with the 'never ending story' that has everyone add their own bit as the tale goes round the table. What with everyone adding his or her own agenda/culture/imagination, these stories can be very interesting and a real insight into people's different thinking.
The trip to the west coast, (Sea Of Japan), was just fantastic - the first day travelling on local trains and
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