JAPAN | Friday, 26 Oct 2007 | Views [390]
In the U.K., if there are no cars coming, people will cross the street, even if the pedestrian light is red. However, in Japan, only real rebels cross the street when the light is red. Waiting for the light to change takes some time. If you see a set ... Read more >
Tags: Culture
JAPAN | Friday, 26 Oct 2007 | Views [3429]
In Japan, although times are changing, generally most people work for the same company for the whole of their career. People who change companies are frowned upon. The term for most workers in Japan is "Salary Men". The unofficial uniform for ... Read more >
Tags: Culture
JAPAN | Friday, 26 Oct 2007 | Views [386]
In public in Japan, particularly on trains and in restaurants, it seems it is considered bad manners to wipe or blow your nose, if you must you have to head off to the toilet to do it. In Japan, as in most of the Asian countries I have visited, it seems ... Read more >
Tags: Culture
JAPAN | Friday, 26 Oct 2007 | Views [709]
Fashion in Japan is completely different to "the west". In general very short skirts and long socks seem to be in, it seems to be completely acceptable for a 40 year old women to go to work wearing these. I saw a shop assistant in a fairly ... Read more >
Tags: fashion, japan, people
JAPAN | Friday, 26 Oct 2007 | Views [344]
It would be wrong to say the Japanese are anal about toilets, but there is definately more to it than in your typical western W.C. In Japan, the toilets are of two main types: Japanese and Western. The Japanese are just holes in the ground where you ... Read more >
Tags: Culture
JAPAN | Friday, 26 Oct 2007 | Views [571]
Bowing in Japan seems very important and after a few days, you will find yourself doing mini-bows yourself. If someone is walking down the street and they come across a friend or aquaintence, they will bow to each other. Waiters and waitresses bow ... Read more >
Tags: People
JAPAN | Friday, 26 Oct 2007 | Views [392]
One thing I have found difficult in Japan is the lack of coversation. English is not really as common as a second language as it is in a lot of countries; as Japan has quite a big internal economy many businesses don't seem to need to use English as ... Read more >
Tags: People
UNITED KINGDOM | Thursday, 25 Oct 2007 | Views [324]
Eveywhere you go in Japan, you are never more than ten minutes from a Pachinko place. I am sure you could find a Pachinko place quicker than a public toilet. While I am on the subject, the best place to go for a public toilet is the subway stations. ... Read more >
Tags: Culture
JAPAN | Monday, 22 Oct 2007 | Views [345]
Despite showing international credit card logos, most ATMs in Japan do not seem to be linked up to the UK/US networks; this is also the case in many shops. I succesfully used my Visa at the bullet train ticket office in Japan, but not in Kyoto. The ... Read more >
Tags: Budgets & money
JAPAN | Saturday, 20 Oct 2007 | Views [702]
I wanted to go to Mount Koya-san, so I decided to head from Kyoto to Osaka to give me the best chance to see Koyasan in a day. I booked in to a capsule hotel, I figured it would be an experience in itself. I got a bit lost in Osaka, I went into a camera ... Read more >
Tags: Travel Tips
JAPAN | Thursday, 18 Oct 2007 | Views [465]
I found the Japanese tourist office in Kyoto very helpfull, they print some great guides which give you suggestions of walks, self guided tours, etc. I would actually say in the case of Kyoto their guides are better than the Lonely Planet. http://www.... Read more >
Tags: Sightseeing
JAPAN | Tuesday, 16 Oct 2007 | Views [646]
I moved from K's house and checked into a different hostel. The tour club has a more traditional Japanese feel to it, the staff were very helpful and there was a strict curfew at 11pm, which despite sounding a bit boring is actually great, most people ... Read more >
Tags: Travel Tips
JAPAN | Monday, 15 Oct 2007 | Views [476]
I stayed two nights a K's house in Kyoto. Kyoto K's house is not as good as the Tokyo one, the rooms weren't as clean and the majority of people staying were 'university age', so there tended to be a lot of noise very late at night and lots of Americans ... Read more >
Tags: Travel Tips
JAPAN | Monday, 15 Oct 2007 | Views [346]
The bullet train, is actually called the Shinkansen. I took the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto. The train was very comfortable, clean and the ticket attendant and food trolley person bowed on entering and leaving each carriage. In Japan, the trains ... Read more >
Tags: planes trains & automobiles
JAPAN | Saturday, 13 Oct 2007 | Views [356]
Everywhere you go in Japan there are vending machines selling soft drinks and snacks. Nobody vandalises them and you can guarentee you are always within about 5 minutes of a drink. See here: http://www.photomann.com/japan/machines/
Tags: Culture
JAPAN | Saturday, 13 Oct 2007 | Views [292]
I met up with a work colleague who is over in Japan for some martial arts training (when he could be bothered ;-)) . One of his fellow students is English, but speaks fluent Japanese, he took us out for a meal to a very Japanese restaurant rather than ... Read more >
Tags: Food & eating
JAPAN | Friday, 12 Oct 2007 | Views [340]
I found it very difficult to find any English language bookshops in Japan. There are a handfull around where you can get Lonely Planet guide books, but you really have to ask around, I found the best way was to Google for them. If you are not in Japan ... Read more >
Tags: Travel Tips
JAPAN | Friday, 12 Oct 2007 | Views [449]
The first three nights in Tokyo, I stayed in K's house, a hostel in the Kuramae area of the city. The hostel was pretty clean and the staff were extremely helpfull and friendly. The hostel is a relatively easy journey on the subway and about 10 minutes ... Read more >
Tags: Travel Tips
HONG KONG | Friday, 12 Oct 2007 | Views [396]
This morning, after breakfast at the Java Coffee Bar (highly recommended) I took the first stage of my flight over to Tokyo, stopping off in Hong Kong, where I am now. I am sleeping the night in the travellers lounge, you can get a bed if you book ahead, ... Read more >
Tags: planes trains & automobiles
VIETNAM | Friday, 12 Oct 2007 | Views [354]
As I leave Vietnam, I have been doing a lot of thinking about my time here. It is not suprising that I have been unable to get to the "real Vietnam" when I have hugged the East coast and followed the tourist trail, but with just two weeks and ... Read more >
Tags: People
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