Lost in Translation

Despite being considered one of the most developed countries in the world, surprisingly, Japan is one of the most confusing places to be for visitors who do not know Japanese. You see, even though Japan is wealthy and considered very "western" in Asia, it's actually much less English friendly than some of the newer developed economies like China and Thailand. The subway system is not particularly easy navigate given the multipe number of carriers and much of it is in Japanese. While being Chinese helped me to understand and bettter remember the name of places, I was still very, very lost most of the time. However, I have never met such polite and friendly people as the people of Tokyo. Everyone was so nice, even if they can't speak English. One girl actually took our train ride with us to make sure we got off at the right stop.

Tokyo reminded me much of LA, given its sprawling nature. The food, however, was amazing. After going to the fish market at 5AM and tasting the sushi/sashimi, I decided I can not have proper Japanese sushi without being in Japan. The sushi we had, a simple tuna roll, melted in my mouth as I attempted to consume it. The most wonderful edible feeling I have ever had in my life.

The Japanese style was also distinguishly different. The girls wore extremely short skirts and knee-highs while shoping with their mother! There's no way I would ever allow my mother that anything more than PG-13 related is happening in my life. Maybe it's my conservative nature. However, I feel lke 16 year old girls with their mother should at least show small amount of restraint.

The best part of staying in Japan, however, is the Ryo-kan. This traditional style hotel is definitely the way to go for anyone going to Japan for a cultural experience. First, the rooms are decorated in the traditional style, with the cots on the floors for sleeping and removed during the day with the use of the low tables. Second, traditional dinner fare is included and it's absolutely delishes. Things you'll never see in a Japanese restaurant because it's too strange. Our Ryo-kan had over 10 different small dishes/courses for us. Definitely the best hotel experience of my life. Do not miss this if you go to Japan.