365 days of summer

And just like that, curtain call on our 6-week adventure in the Land of the Rising Sun.

It’s time to write one last post about this magnificent country, to reflect on our surprises and all those preconceptions we had with our European eyes.

But before we get to that, let me tell you about Tokyo where we spent 6 days, 6 days of getting lost in the immensity of this urban octopus. A city-world, a city-monster, 13 million inhabitants within its walls alone, 42 million if you count Greater Tokyo. And yes, the numbers are dizzying for what is, in fact, more of a grouping of several cities than a coherent whole!

And the craziest part? It’s the safest city in the world. Here, no need to mentally check your safety every 3 seconds: at 9pm, you take the bus with your kids without a single worry. You come across kids Nola’s age, coming home from school on their bikes, alone, peacefully! If only it could still be the case in Belgium…

Tokyo is the city where you traverse 10 universes in a few metro stations: from neon lights that assault your retinas to zen alleys where you walk, peacefully, almost alone in the world. A constant balancing act. And let’s face it, after more than 5 weeks of wandering Japan, feasting on temples, gardens, and beautiful shrines, the Tokyo versions almost seem… banal compared to those of Kyoto, Nikko, and others.

Because Tokyo is not a postcard to frame, it’s not one place to absolutely visit. It’s an atmosphere, it’s many different atmospheres at once. It’s the experience that counts.

So, as you’ve understood, we immersed ourselves in the city and did a bit of everything: fishing for live fish, a Statue of Liberty (Tokyo version, of course), crossing the famous Shibuya crossing – a choreographed chaos -, Hello Kitty expo (yes, we did that), shopping, a course to become a firefighter (true!), a trip to the zoo for €8 for the whole family (you have to please everyone), reconciliation with sake (yummy, it’s not so bad after all), a plethora of small restaurants discovered on the corner of improbable streets, a rooftop dinner to celebrate our wedding anniversary, a sprawling fish market, and above all, a magical immersive art museum. A gem that I highly recommend.

And the cherry on the cake: the climb up the tower that dominates Tokyo (the Skytree). 630m high with a platform at 450m high. I have rarely experienced such a feeling, it’s dizzying. You can see the city stretching for tens of kilometers. You feel incredibly small. And at the top, the inevitable Pokémon expo – a local touch, just to remind us where we are. Nola & Matteo? They were in heaven.

But to experience Tokyo, you have to take steps, tons of steps: between 15,000 and 20,000 per day, Matteo leading the way with his tireless little legs. He, who used to complain about walking 300 meters before, now clocks 10 kilometers and even ends his days sprinting. He really hid his game from us, the little rascal! But it’s the only way to discover this city: on foot, skimming through the neighbourhoods, one by one.

We loved Tokyo for its urban schizophrenia, this constant balancing act between noise and silence, even if sometimes, let’s admit it, it’s a bit too much.

And now, the moment of truth…drumroll…are the clichés we believe about Japan with our European eyes justified? Spoiler alert: not always . Because yes, even after four years of working for the Japanese brand Toyota, there were still some surprises that awaited us around the corner…

True or false?

• Japan is crowded: Pretty true. It’s certain that with 325 inhabitants per square kilometer, it’s a bit crowded. A striking example: our “countryside” inn, according to the owner. In the countryside, yes, but 15 minutes from a city of 500,000 inhabitants, nonetheless. But once again, the zen attitude of the Japanese prevents any feeling of oppression.

• Japan is super organized: Japan embodies millimeter precision, even in Tokyo. Here, everything has its place: cigarette butts have designated spots, and public transportation is a lesson in punctuality. The trains arrive to the second. If you’re late, you’ll just see them pass by… without you. But that precision also has a downside: a certain rigidity. If a restaurant announces “last order” at 7 PM and you arrive at 7:04 PM… Forget it. This happened to us several times. Time is time, even for ramen
• Japan is expensive, or very expensive: Rather false… or almost. Less expensive than at home. For tourists in any case, because Tokyo is the 2nd most expensive city in the world for real estate! With a daily meal budget of €80, €125 for accommodation per night for the whole family, we didn’t have too many problems. Thanks to the weak yen which gave us a nice gift..
• Driving in Japan is complicated: Completely false! Forget what travel blogs say. We drove there for 25 days and apart from left-hand driving which requires a bit of mental gymnastics, it’s one of the easiest countries to drive in. Exemplary courtesy, safety first… The Japanese are zen, even behind the wheel.

And then there were other things we had absolutely no idea about and that surprised us a lot:

• Tattoos are very frowned upon: A legacy of the yakuza (members of the Japanese mafia were the only ones to be tattooed), tattoos remain taboo in many places, such as onsen (public baths). Things are changing slowly but it’s still a subject of suspicion. So we had to hide ours.
• The Japanese are obsessed with cleanliness: All Japanese people clean their restaurant table before leaving, not a piece of paper on the floor (and yet there are no public trash cans) and wash very regularly. Shintoism and Buddhism, with their purification rituals, play a key role in this obsession with cleanliness.

• But where are the overweight people in Japan: The Japanese diet, based on rice and fish, is so healthy that it leaves little room for obesity. They are really fit, the Japanese, hence a lower percentage of obesity in the population than in Europe or, of course, in the USA.
• Total absence of tags and destroyed public property: Graffiti seems to have forgotten this corner of the world. Public spaces are intact, a palpable respect in every corner.