Back from Japan!

After three weeks in the land of all things cute, I’ve arrived back from Japan and it is definitely in my opinion; A completely different and colourful world. Or to put it in a few words; Clean. Reserved. Honest. Oh and I mean it when I say “cute”, though it’s addictive and matches Japan well.

Everything is different to the Western World for a good reason. And Japan is HOT like Jamaica.

I mean, look at the picture above of Akihabara, Tokyo. The people don’t say much, either on the trains, they turn their phones on silent mode. They are more of a quiet group, the opposite to what I have lived in my 16 years in London. They are very honest people too, ALWAYS giving you the right change even if you are foreign.

Another thing I noticed is that their environment is VERY clean. Staff in Disneyland were using towels to damp the ground, even a businessman on the train picked up a bandage that fell on him and put it in the bin. The London Council should take note so London can have a cleaner environment too. And as amazing as Random J from Random J Pop said it was, Japan has many places to discover.

Tokyo (Honshu)

This might take some time since Tokyo is REALLY great. The best way to get around Japan is by the JR (Japan Rail) Pass and it’s perfect for you to get around Tokyo. As I arrived, I went to Shinjuku and ate Curry Udon, I bought a fan from Keio Store.

Tokyo DisneyLand Resort and DisneySea is one of the popular main attractions to go too mainly for little children really since most of the rides are for them. The thing is Japan technology there proves its more kickass compared to the Euro one that I went too years ago in Paris. Even the construction of Disneyland is better, look at the picture of Little Mermaid’s a.k.a My Kingdom that I took:

I even met her too. ^_^

It’s worth it if you get a 2-Day Pass for going to each place. I mean you get to meet your favourite Disney characters (I met Ariel, Jessie and the Incredibles). I recommend fast riders should go Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Storm Rider and Raging Spirits. You should ate churros and smoked turked legs there.

In Tokyo city, I went to the Imperial Palace Garden. Akihabara (E n lectric Town) is the place I want to live in; it’s where I bought my Koda Kumi’s Kingdom and Big Bang’s Number 1′s album and where the Tokyo Anime Center is (that’s more like Trocadero’s Tokyo Toys).

The Ueno Zoo Park is a good place to go. I even went to Harajuku where Gwen Stefani’s backup dancers came from but there is not much interesting places there for me. Yokohama has its own Chinatown which is larger than London and in Mikata, there’s Ghibil Museum where the creator of Spirited Away work is displayed. Kamakura has a Great Buddha to see.

Sapporo (Hokkaido)

Sapporo is not a bad place to go but because I only went there for rest. Places like Botantic Gardens and the Museum of Modern Arts. I would recommend the Oodori Shopping Arcade and Norbesea where the Hello!Project Offical Shop is. At the top of Norbesea is a ferris wheel and they seem to have A LOT of those in Japan. I ate Pork Ramen and Curry there and it was delicious.

Matsuyama (Shikoku)

I don’t really like this place and don’t want to really recommend it because it doesn’t have much English speakers. I went to Starbucks for the first time there which is really my only memory.

Fukuoka (Kyushu)

One word – great. Why? I found a Pokémon Center in Canal City. One of my goals complete. I couldn’t find one in Tokyo but if someone would tell me where, next time I will find it.
The Youth Protection Committee for Japan couldn’t stop me from buying Mirotic either.

Hiroshima (Honshu)

I went there to pay my respects after the Nuclear Bombing and met a man called Hideo Asano who hates Americans for what they did.

Kyoto (Honshu)

The old captial has many shrines and I even bought a blue and pink kimono at the Kyoto Handicraft Center which I recommend people to go too.

Overall, I enjoyed my experience of Japan but I don’t want to go back until I have seen what Seoul is like. But still, if you love Japan’s culture, then you should at least visit the country. Anime and Manga is a part of their lives. Food in Japan is absolutely oishí (delicious), the Japanese have great tase, I’d recommend you try Chicken Yakitori and Curry Udon along with other food I have mentioned in this post.

To describe Japan’s fashion, ‘Everyday is a special day.’ And it’s mainly women of course. Men wear suits and the boys my age I always see in school uniform. It’s women in their 20′s that look good,they are mostly wearing shorts and heels. Apart from the stylish Japanese girls, I really liked others wearing colourful kimonos and school uniforms, it made me want to attend a hhigh school but I’ve never heard of any black girls going to an all Japanese high school.

However, Japan does have its doubts. It’s not always spotless clean and some of the fashionable girls give glares at you. I suggest people who don’t know much Japanese to stay mainly in Tokyo.

The thing is, I came to Japan mainly for three reasons; Gifts & Souvenirs, J-Pop and Anime. Now, I have my gifts (kimono, sandals, fan, Disney accessories etc.) but I feel that there was a lack of the other two.

The media didn’t help. You would think a country that is highly praised of its technology would have good promotions like Korea. If you wonder why you only see your favourite artists briefly on TV for about 15 mins, it’s because they cram programs into 8 – 12 channels and it was worse for me when my iPod died.

But overall, I rate Japan as 8/10.

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