Reflections of Japan

• Beautiful mountainous country
• Very densely populated on the south of the island (it was basically suburbia from Tokyo to Hiroshima) - 127.5m people need to live somewhere and it has to be on the plains
• Despite this there's a real sense of tranquility and order 
• It's extremely easy to get around - the train service is a great asset
• The people are very friendly and helpful.  People would come up to us and ask where we were from. Usually they knew England but not Scotland although a couple did know about it and asked about the referendum! 
• There are lots of customs and traditions that they are meticulous in following which may appear a bid alien and extreme to visitors. Maybe that's why the people get a unfair reputation for being cold and aloof but mainly it's more being shy and reserved
• The food is exquisite although it helps if you're a bit adventurous!  That said the brown tea and sweets are definitely an acquired taste
• The toilets are a technological work of art and do everything from automatically raise the lid to heat the seat, play music, wash and dry your private parts in addition to the basic functions we're more use to at home
• Oh and the beers very drinkable (but they usually are every where in the world for Simon!)
• Despite the streets and everywhere being litter free there was a lack of any bins meaning you usually had to carry your litter around with you
• You pay when you off the bus and there is a simple grid to understand how much depending on where you got off (and you get on where we'd normally get off and vice versa)
• Everything is practical and logical which means that even if you don't understand the signs you get an understanding of what's happening...
• They drive as we do on left so less likely to be knocked over when crossing a road!
• That is apart from street numbers which are not consecutive.  That's because the numbers are assigned when house, buildings etc are built so that the grid system of most cities will get you to the right street but then it's one hell of a job finding the place you want (hence why we didn't find the restaurants we wanted in both Kyoto and Hiroshima)

We both really liked Japan and would recommend it as a must see place. It is a long way from home but 3 weeks would be worth the flight time. We would definitely like to comeback; maybe for 3 months finances permitting (although we've got lots more adventures and places to visit over the next 11 months).