Japan: Part 1

Japan is a zen metropolis that combines politeness and etiquette with efficiency and style. It exceeded Sinead and my expectations as we got to experience the traditional and historical side and then the modern and techie side... and of course more great food.

Osaka

To kick off our Japan trip, we went to Osaka, a big city that is not touristy. 

We got the lay of the land through a biking experience lead by a lifetime local. It is a very bikable city and it was great to explore the different neighborhoods as the natives experience them. 

Osaka was less crowded than I expected, but all of the small streets and alleys were adorable and lively in their own way. We learned of the Osaka-Tokyo rivalry with the Tokyo people generally being strict rule followers and the Osaka people being louder and chiller. 

Despite the 95° heat and 90% humidity during our 5-hour bike ride, we had a great time, and continued to bike daily. 

Osaka is famous for being the food destination of Japan so we enjoyed the udon and soba, the tuna sashimi and the wagyu beef. We went to Japanese restaurants with no English names and savored the amazing Japanese foods. 

We had takoyaki (octopus batter balls), okonomiyaki (Japanese pancakes), and tako tomago (sweet octopus on a stick with a quail egg). We even tried chicken ovaries. And after almost every meal I stopped to get the green tea soft serve that I was obsessed with.

We explored Dotonbori, a neighborhood known for its neon signs and street food. The best part was discovering the arcade where the youth were insanely good at Dance Dance Revolution and all of the similar games. I didn't know people could possibly move and process so much. You have to watch to understand. It was fascinating and overwhelming.

Also in the arcade venue there was an entire floor devoted to photobooths. These aren't just any photobooths. They are THE thing for young people to do on a Friday night and is complete with a dressing/make-up room. They are creepy and weird and we had more fun with these than we should have.

While lost on a train, we befriended another local, Ichiko, who had lived in the US before (so spoke great English - a rarity in Osaka). She brought us to a delicious ramen restaurant and showed us around the city, including eagerly partaking in our Purikura obsession with us.

As usual, while Sinead worked, I got to play. I took an udon-making class for both hot and cold udon. To get the elasticity of the noodle just right, you use your feet to knead the dough (through plastic bags). It is something I actually feel like I will be able to replicate at home.

We sampled Japanese whisky with another new friend, DK, and I even genuinely liked the green tea liqueur.

In Osaka there is a neighborhood called Amerika-mura. It is essentially the Japan-town of San Francisco except the opposite - a mini America within Japan. There were trendy clothing stores selling shirts saying San Francisco/LA/California everywhere and American pop music playing everywhere we went. It was very entertaining and made us feel super cool.

There are vending machines on every corner of every street throughout Japan. They have everything you could dream of including beer, sake, coffee (of good quality), cigarettes, soy sauce, ramen, snacks, tea, stuffed animals, and stationary.

Only in Japan can you have alcohol and cigarettes in vending machine and not have people abuse it. You're allowed to drink in the streets everywhere and yet people are very put together and never belligerent. At night we could grab a beer and peacefully drink it beside a shrine.

Osaka was both Sinead's and my favorite place because it wasn't overrun by tourists and the people were all so genuinely welcoming and hospitable. We really felt immersed in everything and like a part of the community.

Kyoto

Next, we popped over to Kyoto, just a 45 min train ride from Osaka. Here it is much more traditional and quaint and the streets are filled with people walking around in kimonos.

Unfortunately I was struck down with the flu for 4 days. Considering this is the worst thing that has happened on our trip this far (knock on wood), I can't really complain.

It finally gave Sinead a chance to catch up on some work since Osaka was a lot more play than work. It also gave her a chance to explore deeper parts of Japanese culture on her own. Sinead is very big on reading up on all of the cultural practices and etiquette of each place that we go to and she was fascinated by Zen Buddhism and nearly everything about Japanese culture.

As Sinead explains it to me: Japanese people tend to be abstract philosophical thinkers. And at the heart of Japanese philosophy and wisdom lies a concept called ‘wabi-sabi.’ It’s sort of a harmony with nature, appreciation of hidden beauty, and acceptance of transience and imperfection. But it’s also a quiet humility, which is her favorite part.

It is amazing how you can be surrounded by thousands of Japanese and still have it be calm and quiet around. That would never happen in the US. Sinead keeps saying that Japan is the place where a language barrier has been the hardest because she has so many deep thoughts she wants to be able to be able to discuss while in a nation of conceptual thinkers.

Once I was well again, we explored shrines with thousands of Torii gates. It was pretty beautiful to see when we weren't bombarded with the masses of other tourists.

We went to more shrines and temples than I can name, to the point of shrine fatigue. They were all gorgeous but at some point we started just walking by because it was "just a normal shrine." Maybe we've turned into travel snobs.

To immerse ourselves in the culture, we spent a day wearing yukata (summer kimonos) and going around the historic part of town. We took several breaks from the "historic" part to have lunch at a Hello Kitty cafe and for Sinead to take a few work calls. Sinead felt particularly fabulous in her feminine drag.

We went to a traditional tea ceremony where we learned how to make the perfect matcha green tea and the proper etiquette for drinking it. The process is tied to Zen Buddhism ideology so Sinead was super into it even though it was "just tea."

To top off our cultural experiences in Kyoto, we stayed in a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn known for its hospitality and charm. It is customary to sleep on futons on the floor, wear yukata robes around, and drink tea on the floor tables beside the classic Japanese walls.

One of the coolest experiences in Kyoto was going to a local beer garden run by geishas. They are more modern now and don't get as extravagant with their hair and make-up but still have years of training to be great conversationalists and entertainers. It was really interesting to talk with them and learn about what it means to be a modern day geisha including the independence and power it gives them.

And as we were wandering around the markets on our last day in Kyoto, we came across a hedgehog cafe. So how could we resist? "Kawaii" means cute in Japanese and these creatures were very kawaii.

Stayed tuned for part 2 of our Japan trip.