My Japanice Journey

Travelling has always been a huge dream for me. Obliviously, I always find myself getting out of the house and going wherever my callousy feet bring me. I am always happy with it, however swollen my ankles get after the day. If my memory serves me right, being a 5-year old Filipino tourist in Japan in 1994, I was not the one who could still be labeled as "naive" at that time. I still remember a lot of things that happened, and up until now, everything seems to be freshly etched -- the tradition, unique gestures of Nihons, ambiance, and the scent of Japanese air--mixed with the teriyakis-on-stick sold in the streets of Tokyo. I stayed for an ample amount of time. I believe, it was the perfect time that the Japanese embassy approved my visa, September. According to people, Autumn is the best season to visit because you would not have to adjust so much on the weather as a Filipino tourist (who grew up in a country with only two seasons). The Autumn weather is a simple-yet-remarkable mixture of strong winds, and cold temperature, just as I wished. I had a lot of experiences, starting from the Shinkansen (bullet train) which is considered to be one of Japan’s many assets because of the quality service it gives to travelers. It was indeed bullet-fast. I remember the very moment we were standing inside the train, I was clumsily drinking my canned chocolate drink but there was not a drop of spill because the train moved flawlessly. We arrived at Nagoya Airport early mornight (around 3am), so we went straight home. After a few hours of deep slumber, I woke and asked my mother to bring me wherever there was something new. Amazingly, she brought me to McDonald’s. As a child, I just cried and threw tantrums, but my mother was unbending. She ordered food for us, and stayed there for a few hours catching up with my grandmother (who brought me up). I was bored, everything I saw was food. But it was from that experience when I primarily learned how disciplined Japanese are. In the Philippines, we have waiters and janitors who are responsible to clean everything after the customers ate. In Japan, there’s self-service. After eating, you have to be the one to clean and throw your garbage. QUITE IMPRESSIVE. No wonder the progress in this country is never-ending. Unfortuitously, this article requires 500 words only, so I would have to summarize this story by saying that the rest of the time (I was in Japan) was spent loitering in Disneyland, Pachinko houses, Lobster restaurants, zoos, and especially, at the 711 store near our condominium unit. It was definitely the biggest adventure I had.