Japan

Why go?   One word:  food.  The Japanese are obsessed with food.  In fact, Tokyo has over 160,000 restaurants (and 227 starred Michelin restaurants).  To put that in perspective, it means that Tokyo has more ramen shops than there are restaurants in New York City.  In addition, we are both fascinated with Japanese culture, architecture, and temples, so Japan was a no-brainer to start off our four-month tour of Asia.  

Learn the language.  For starters, the Japanese language is highly contextual, and you should not say anything without knowing the social context of each situation (e.g. who is the elder in the room, how formal the relationship).  Japan also has one of the most complex writing systems in the world, where the script system has nothing to do with the spoken language (like "writing French in hieroglyphics).  My favorite word in Japanese is "ikigai," which means "your calling" or "reason for being."  

Get there.  After our experience leaving the EU, our flight to Tokyo took about thirteen hours, and we slept for about four of them.  Once we arrived, we took a Shinkansen (bullet-train) to Kyoto, which took an additional four hours.  After a quick nap, we grabbed some food, and went to sleep around 8pm and slept until 9am, which was useful for catching up on sleep, and getting us on Japan time.  

Read before you go.   While in Japan, I listened to another installment of the 'Great Courses' series called "Understanding Japan:  A Cultural History," by Mark Ravina.  This audiobook has everything I needed - introductions into the language and culture, brief historical context, explanations of Shinto traditions, and more.  If you are going to Japan, you will embarrass yourself - it is just inevitable.  But, this book will help you understand a little more about what to do and how to behave yourself in the company of locals.  I would also recommend People Who Eat Darkness, which was a really interesting look inside the Japanese justice system through the case of a serial killer.  

Weather advice.  Traveling to Japan in June (summer) means heat and humidity, which can be tough, especially if you are walking everywhere.   It can also mean rain.  We noticed the heat, and were slowed by the rain slightly, but it did not affect any of our plans.  We actually ended up finding some great hotel deals, since it was the offseason.  Again, travel is all about tradeoffs - if you want to go in the best season (early Spring or Fall), expect to find significantly higher prices.    

Expenses.  Japan ended up being about 7% of our budget, while occupying about 7% of our time on this trip.  The most expensive part of travel in Japan are hotels - especially in Tokyo and Hakone.  Our big splurge was two nights in a traditional ryokan in Hakone, with a private onsen (this was totally worth it, by the way).

Three “Must Do’s.

• Must eat(s).  Ramen is a staple in Japan, and everyone has a favorite shop - mine was Ippudo Nishikikoji.  It really is something that you have to experience on your own - I still dream about the ramen there.  For a unique ramen experience, some shops have you order from a vending machine, and then sit down in a tiny cubicle.  As you wait, you sit quietly, facing the kitchen, which is obscured by a curtain.  Once your noodles are ready, they open the curtain and hand you a bowl of ramen.  You then slurp the noodles as loud as you can (which takes some getting used to) - in concert with the other ramen enthusiasts.  #onlyinjapan
• Most impactful experience(s).  There are experiences, and then there are delightful experiences.  While at dinner in Nara, we made reservations at another place called "Nino's" for the next night, which said they could accommodate my wife's food allergies (gluten, dairy, and shellfish) as long as we gave them the heads up that we were coming.  Upon arrival the next night, we were greeted warmly, and given the drink menu.  The host (Nino's wife) already knew my wife’s allergies, and did the translation for the chef. As we sat at the counter, we could see the packet of gluten free pasta on the counter.  It turned out that Nino, the owner and chef, had gone out and bought a pack of gluten free pasta for my wife.  We ordered, made small talk, and while we were waiting for our food, Nino's wife asked us if we could sign her guest book.  I did so and gave it to her.  As we finished our delicious food, she took our plates, and then handed us a card.  The card said that they do free dessert on people’s birthdays, but since it would be hard for us to get back on our actual birthdays, they would give it to us now.  Nino then realized that my wife could not have any, since their standard dessert was ice cream, so he went to work with a blender, grinding together ice, herbs and a mysterious yellow liquid.  He ended up making her a huge snow cone with homemade limoncello (made with lemons from his farm).  While we were thanking him profusely, and smiling, his wife (the hostess) walked up and gave us two large white squares with our names hand-painted in kanji symbols - and explained the significance of the characters.  Afterwards, Nino comes out from behind the bar and takes a selfie with us, his wife, and the restaurants coworkers.  Here’s the best part - he keeps all of the pictures.  Nino has 100s banded with a rubber band of all of his guests, since the very first one.  We were completely blown away by this experience - every moment of which was thought out, considered, and executed.  As an experience designer, I could not have done betterWe left the restaurant, walked home, and realized our faces hurt from smiling so much. 
• Must see(s).  There are so many things to see in Japan - Nara Park with its roaming deer population, and Tokyo with its huge skyscrapers and historic sites.  That said, I felt the temples and zen gardens in Kyoto are absolutely must sees.  My favorite zen garden was Ryoan-Ji, which is a dry landscape garden containing fifteen stones - which inspire a lot of interpretations.  My favorite temple was Fushimi Inari, which features thousands of famous torii gates.  

Teachable moment.  Our teachable moment in Japan was a positive one, as was most of our experience in Japan.  We walked to our favorite sushi restaurant in Kyoto, only to find a sign on the door that it was closed for a private party.  We took some time to sit on the bench outside to research our next choice when the sushi chef poked his head out and said something in Japanese.  He then walked outside and asked us to come inside.  He explained that the food may take awhile due to the large party in the dining room, but that we would have the bar all to ourselves.  It was really an amazing moment for us - here was someone who was happy to take us in, and make sure we had a good experience, despite being insanely busy.  We found little moments like this all throughout our travels in Japan - and were consistently blown away by the hospitality and kindness of the people we met.  

The Wrap.  This was a longer post than I anticipated, mostly because I wanted to convey the Nino's story in the right context.  But, I have to emphasize that this was not a one-off experience - each place we visited in Japan was special, and had special moments.  From taking an origami class in Kyoto, to trying out the chants and cheers in the Tokyo Giants fan section, to having some moments of contemplation in our private onsen in Hakone, Japan offered us unique and beautiful experiences.  Of all of the countries I have visited so far, Japan has left the biggest impression on me.  

Good times at Nino's Pizza.