A few of the things we like about Japan

Heated toilet seats They are amazing. Strange at first, but then when you sit on one that isn’t heated, you get a nasty surprise.

Remote control for le toilet

Japanese girls Japanese women are so beautiful. Their skin is perfect and they have amazing leggies which they show off by wearing these socks that they pull up just over their knees. To show cleavage here is a no no, but to wear hot pants is more than fine.

Bowing Everyone bows when they meet you. It’s a sign of respect. The lower you go, the more respectful you are. We have seen some people get superbly low.

Clean streets The streets are incredibly clean, there is no rubbish or cigarettes butts anywhere. There are also no bins around so I don’t know where it all goes.

Poodles Japanese people have the most gorgeous toy poodles. I (Justine) have been known to harass a dog or two in my lifetime so I have almost lost my mind here with these little pooches knocking around everywhere.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Amazing cameras, everywhere Most Japanese people seem to have amazing cameras. Also, a lot of camera stores here have vintage cameras on show. It seems like everyone in this country is a good photographer. In Shinjuku, Tokyo, we went into one store which had rows and rows of film, any type of film you can imagine. It was Robs paradisimo!

Recycling When we got our Alien Registration Cards from the City Hall (which is like home affairs, the only difference is that its quiet, clean, organized and looks like a hotel inside) we were given a schedule for recycling. Basically everyone has about 4 or 5 bins in their house. They recycle paper, plastic, cans and then burn the rest like food and teabags etc. The rubbish bags are see-through so you can not cheat or they won’t take it. Also, you have to put a sticker on the bags or they also won’t take it. On the schedule, it tells you what to take out on each day. Monday is paper, Tuesday is plastic etc etc.

Safety Takayama and I imagine Japan as a whole is so safe. The house is left open, the windows are left open and everyone’s bikes are left outside. People do their shopping on their bicycles and leave the groceries in their basket of their bike and go into another shop. Coming from South Africa, it is a real novelty and sometimes will go out without locking up, just for a thrill.

Little K cars Most people drive these tiny little box cars. They are quite funny at first until you get in to one and realize that they are a dream to drive. They are all new, automatic and have power steering. They are so easy to drive around and get round the little corners with.

Fast internet We have never known what it feels like to watch a youtube video and as soon as you hit play, it has already buffered. We can watch music video’s to our little hearts content. Especially enjoying this one at the moment- The Look

J Pop This is Japanese pop music. It’s really cute and catchy and is on the radio all of the time. A lot of Japanese girls speak and sing in baby voices. Apparently the guys love it.

Vending machines These things are a god send. You can buy juice, beer, hot tea and coffee in them and they are really cheap and on every corner.

Karaoke We went out for a work function in our first week which ended up with us at Karaoke. I was pretty nervous at first but after my first song, they couldn’t pry the mic out of sweaty little hands. Basically, Karaoke is what most people do on the weekend. You hire a room and take in some snacks and drinks and sing away to your hearts content. It sounds ridiculous but is incredibly fun. They have so much music to choose from. You can sing The Smiths, The Drums, Sublime and end up on Lady Gaga depending on how much vending machine beer you have had.

Singing our hearts out

The seasons The seasons are so definite here that you can see from the trees what month you are in. The weather forecast is never wrong. As soon as it is summer, the flowers and trees change in to beautiful bright colours.

Japanese people are so proud of their country When I ask my students where their favourite part of Japan is, they say Takayama. When I ask them what their favourite country is, they say Japan. Japanese people love to holiday within Japan and really love their own culture. In the UK people have a sort of aggressive patriotism, yet all they seem to do is grumble about the weather, health care etc.. In South Africa, people are so patriotic that they some how forget about the unbelievably high crime and Aids statistics. They sit by the pool drinking a Hansa, behind an electric barbed wire fence, with the maid ironing behind them and say ‘Ahh, it’s a good life here.’

Takayama

Takayama is referred to as ‘little Kyoto’ as it possesses that same old world Japanese charm. Old town is a charming area that has rows of old style Japanese houses and Sake shops. Two rivers run through Takayama and the one goes via old town. It has a beautiful red bridge over it, which coupled with cherry blossoms, has made it one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. Takayama is a very rich town and so is kept immaculate. The streets are full of tourists, mostly Japanese but quite a few westerners. It is funny to walk past other westerners on the streets here, Rob and I avoid eye contact as if to say ‘we aren’t tourists, we live here.’

The new town of Takayama has the look and feel of an American ski town, like Vermont. It has expensive boutique shops and French cafés. The best thing about Takayama, is that just when you think you have discovered the best it has to offer, you take a different road than usual and come across an amazing temple or cool shop. Parking is tres expensive so Rob and I cycle everywhere. We have a route from our house that follows the river in to the old town. It can only be described as ‘perfection.’ Little old ladies tend to their bonsais, children play outside and the flowers and trees are the colour of summer.

View from the red bridge, tres beau

Me, on the red bridge.

By le river

The Old Town

The new town

Vegetable Sandwich

So after an extraordinary bus ride to Takayama, we were greeted by our colleague Kuniko. She bundled us off in a taxi and said good-bye. We arrived at our new home in the dark. Like I mentioned in my last post, jet lag had its way with me and turned my generally quite realistic mind in to a much darker version of itself. In my mind, Takayama was a creepy, one horse town. How wrong I was. The house was cold and decorated in a multitude of colours and patterns. The previous teachers Leo and Georga were still living in the house so we stayed in the guest room. It was freezing and every room had a kerosene heater so you had to run from room to room to escape the cold. 

The next morning we had to start training for our job. I don’t think in my life I have ever been as tired as I was in that week. Our boss Keith had driven down from another town to meet us and show us around and I don’t think I said one word to him. I had a glazed over, zombie look and could barely compute anything anyone said to me. I had to rely on Rob heavily. He was perky and excited and happy. Thank God somebody was. I was hanging on by a string, exhausted and emotionally wrought. Our boss took us to this strange little café and ordered vegetable sandwiches and hot chocolate for us. The hot chocolate was cold and the sandwich consisted of cucumber and tomato sauce. For some reason, this was the last straw for my little over tired mind and my lip started to quiver. I nibbled on a corner of my sandwich, not because I wanted to eat it but because it was the only thing I could do to stop myself crying at the table.

Looking back now, it’s ridiculous, but at the time, I don’t think I had ever felt so hysterically tired and overwhelmed. I kept thinking that I had been banging on about Japan for so bloody long and then I dragged over my poor husband to this awful place that was freezing and ugly. The first few days were rough, I was grumpy and unimpressed and tired. I must have cried myself to sleep for the first few nights. Rob was understandably confused, his usually brave and strong wifey, a little sobbing wreck. Erg. Tres embarrassing! I sent sad, heartfelt emails home with stories of bad food and culture shock and wanting to come home.

But alas! Here we are, over a month since we arrived and we couldn’t be happier. It turns out all I needed was a weeks rest and some cherry blossoms to lift me out of my strange mini depression. I don’t think I have ever lived in such a beautiful place. It’s peaceful and colourful and clean. I have become obsessed with the snow capped mountains in the same way Cape Townians are obsessed with their table. 

I think this photograph really captures my mood. It was taken as we were walking around a ski resort after the snow had melted, which, for the record is completely depressing, like when a fairground leaves town.