Top 10 things to do in Japan

1. Hike.

The hills in Japan are much cleaner than SouthEast Asia. There are no ants to make things complicated. Trees are often big and dry. Clean, smooth granite monoliths are the norm. Even the moss on the rocks by the rivers look serene and beautiful.

Oh, and the hikers are the most polite in the world. I have trouble getting even a "Hi!" out of most HK hikers.

2. Dip in the ocean.

Yes, it's cold as heck. But it'll make you warm for the rest of the day.

3. Take thousands of photos.

The place is very pretty.

4. Enjoy the food

Sashimi seems to cost a little less than in HK.
Sushi is available for every price level, from the humble 100yen sushi to 2000yen for a few slices of tuna or 5000yen for top class Kobe beef.

5. Check out the toilets

I. Love. Bidets.
I could really do with one at home if I could justify the budget.

6. Pay to enter the Castles

I still find the castles cool. Now, since I haven't been to Europe, the Japanese castles are about the coolest castles I've seen so far, besides the Chinese walled cities.

7. Pay expensive admission to temples

The thing is, I have no idea what they're about. All I've ever been able to do is marvel at the sheer number of people who pay and worship those things. I wonder what's going through their minds.

8. Enjoy The Politeness

The Japanese are mysteriously polite and professional. There is no other place in the world I see this, not even at Walmart in the States (the Walmart greeters don't come close). I often wonder if they harbor some secret resentment towards other people, or bloody foreigners who can't figure out how to use their bus lines or Japanese-style toilets. The sense of de-individualization is most interesting.

9. Meet The Poor

The Japanese poor seem to just suck it up and suffer in silence. Why aren't they demanding more welfare or begging like in most other places? In all the places in I see very few beggars, at least far fewer than homeless people quietly desperate in their efforts to stay warm and out of the wind.

10. Watch The Salarymen at the metro

They all look the same to me. They are like a swarm of black and white at rush hour. Of course, we can see this in HK too, but the uniformity there is just incredible to me.


There's more, but I'll stop here.