Japan, a country in far east Asia, was always on my travel list for many years. I always felt Germany was the most organized and structured country wrt public transportation but Japan has surpassed all my expectations and they are on a different planet. I made this trip as a lone backpacker similar to what I did when I was a student in Europe. I traveled in different combinations to various countries in the world with my wife, as a family, with friends but this trip alone after almost 14 years was a true bliss and I did a lot of soul searchin during this trip.
What amazed me was their discipline, cleanliness, orderliness and politeness (bowing down everytime) in spite of their big population density. Tokyo being the most populated city in the world and I have neve seen such a clean city in my life anywhere in the world. I thoroughly enjoyed the food there being a meat eater (Rice, Noodles, Dumplings, Goza, Shrimps, Soups etc ) and they drink a lot similar to Europeans.
Had a chance to travel to Nikko, which is around 200 kms from Tokyo. Nikko was long a center of Shinto and Buddhist mountain worship, and as a result, many important temples and shrines are located there. Two shrines and one temple, Nikko Tosho-Gu, Rinno-ji, and Futarasan Jinja, comprise a world-renowned UNESCO World Heritage Site. I was shell shocked with the cleanliness of Nikko station which looked like a toy station to me. The hair pin bends to the top of Nikko was breathtaking and there is a huge waterfall and lake on the top. It's a small cozy picturesque town away from the buzzling Tokyo.
Kamakura has Historic spots, seasonal flowers and foliage, and gourmet food in the ancient capital, easily accessible from Tokyo. Less than an hour south of Tokyo is Kamakura, once the political capital of Japan, famous for its temples and literary heritage, as well as its beaches and hiking trails. Had a good dip in the pacific but I must say the waves in Chennai beach are way higher than in the pacific.
Also made good Japanese friends on this trip when I was in one of the restaurants. I made a road trip to Mount Fuji with my Japanese friends, one of the sacred mountains for Japanese people. It is the tallest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano located on an island in Asia and is known for its graceful conical form. We had a great lunch in a traditional Japanese restaurant with the BBQ fire and lovely food and drinks.
I decoded the success story of Japan. Two main things: No religion and No muti parties. I think they cracked the essence of life after the second world war concentrating on science, technology, development, infrastructure, sports, culture, arts and not focusing on religion, destruction and internal politics. Great country and a must see country on the planet earth.
Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S
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