In no particular order, some observations and notes about my experiences in Japan:

Rules / structure / order

There is a proper way to do anything logistically, and even if I didn’t always know what it was, I appreciated that it existed. The people conform to organizational protocols because it makes their lives easier.

I saw this from the moment I stepped off the plane and went to exchange my Japan Rail Pass voucher for the pass itself. There was a specific order to the proceedings — first the form, then the line — as well as a guide at the entry making sure everyone followed it.

The punctuality of Japanese trains is taken so seriously that apologies are issued when a train departs at the wrong time, whether 5 minutes late or 25 seconds early.

At odds with this is the individualistic American mentality. We don’t want to conform, and we don’t want to be told what to do. We want it our way.

That whole “grande, extra shot, half caf, soy latte, no foam” kind of coffee order doesn’t exist in Japan.

So, so many people

I regularly experienced that thing where you and an oncoming fellow pedestrian sidestep in the same direction until you almost run into each other.

If you need to cross through opposing lines of pedestrians, you cannot wait for a break in the flow or you will never pass. You must cut someone off.

There are literally lines to wait in lines.

I prefer my photos to be people-free, and I was often at cross purposes with another photo-taker.

Crime

There isn’t any. I mean.. there is very little. Theft and assault are just not concerns of either the locals or even visitors. As with both New Zealand and Bali, I did not need my usual street-smart vigilance to feel comfortable walking around alone, even at night. It was such a gift.

Escalators

This was interesting.

In Tokyo, escalator riders stand on the left and walk on the right. In Osaka, they stand on the right and walk on the left.

This may have something to do with rivalry between the Kansai (Osaka) and Kanto (Tokyo) regions of Japan, but no one knows for sure, at least according to my Google research, why this is.

Language

My last Airbnb host in New Zealand told me a story of her visit to Japan in which a restaurant refused to serve her and her friends because the staff didn’t speak English. I learned from Cindy, my former co-worker I met up with in Tokyo, that this is not xenophobia but rather pride. If they cannot meet a standard of excellence in their hospitality, the Japanese would prefer not to host you.

In my personal experience, the Japanese do not understand what you say in their language if you mispronounce a word. This is not inflexibility or judgment on their part; they literally do not hear the word you are saying. Fascinating!

I was surprised to find the most English speakers in Kyoto rather than in Tokyo.

Religion

I never quite got a handle on the mix of Shinto and Buddhism I encountered everywhere. These faiths seem to co-exist with their own symbolism and practices but also inform one another as well. I might have that completely wrong. Hiro in Nara was probably my best chance at understanding this, and we didn’t talk about it.

I was also confused by all the praying to Buddha I witnessed. My conception of the Buddha is not as a deity requiring worship. Again, what do I know.

Smoking

Wow. It’s still allowed everywhere.

Toilets

As mentioned in my Nara post, some are still of the squat variety. Heated seats are divine. The option to play musical notes to mask the sounds of taking care of one’s business is delightful. Spray options for clean-up were hard to get used to but also just make so much sense.

Bathrooms

So many have no soap or paper towels! I observed many women carrying around a cloth for drying their hands after rinsing at the sink. I think that’s great. And I’m OK with a hand rinse after peeing. After a poo, I want to wash with soap and my American ass found it odd that this was not an option in many public bathrooms.

Soft serve

The Japanese are a bit obsessed.

I awoke at 6:30 on the last morning of my 5-week trip. I iPhone’d myself awake and got up just after 7:00 to get dressed and pack all the way up. I took a couple photos of the tiniest listing, and I was out the door at 7:45.

It was realllly raining. I was thankful for the cover of the Nishiki Market a block away. As I walked past, I observed all the vendors setting up shop for the day, feeling wistful already about leaving Japan.

I rode the subway from Shijo to Kyoto Station. I exited the subway to enter the shinkansen boarding area, only to exit again so I could visit the ticket office (sigh). Reserved cars on the 08:58 train were sold out. I could either ride in a non-reserved car or book a seat on the 09:58.

Not knowing what to do about that, I switched gears and asked to refund the balance/deposit on my ICOCA transit pass. Alas, that’s a different office, upstairs. With all my bags, I used the elevator and found the office where I easily turned in my ICOCA card for the full ¥500 deposit, despite having read that they would keep a fee.

Back downstairs, I considered my options. I had not yet ridden a shinkansen train in a non-reserved car, and I didn’t know if there was a possibility the 08:58 would fill up. The 09:58 train would still get me to NRT over two hours before my flight left, but I would vastly prefer an extra hour in the Delta lounge over killing time at Kyoto Station. On the other hand, I didn’t want to risk not getting on *either* the 08:58 or 09:58. I reserved a seat on the 09:58, as well as a seat on the 12:50 Narita Express from Shinagawa in Tokyo.

Then… I researched the penalty for not showing up for a reserved seat. I really wanted to get on the earlier train. As it turns out, there is no monetary penalty, only the karma of having held a seat someone else could be reserving.

I purchased several items for breakfast: an egg sandwich, a croissant, a fruit and vegetable drink, and onigiri. When the 08:58 train arrived, I boarded a non-reserved car and found a seat with ease.

My first order of business, then, was to ask an agent to cancel my 09:58 reservation. When one passed through, I flagged her down and made the request with a combination of Google Translate and showing her my ticket. She asked for my non-reserved seat number, and I had no idea why. Was I in trouble? She said, “One moment, please,” and then left for a long time.

I ate my breakfast, which included the experience of *finally* pulling the plastic away from the onigiri without tearing the nori. Win.

Eventually, a different agent came back with a handheld machine into which he entered my reservation and successfully canceled it. So the first agent needed my seat number for the second to find me and carry out my cancellation request. Whew.

Arriving at Shinagawa Station at 11:33, I exchanged my 12:50 seat reservation on the Narita Express for 11:50. Karma satisfied!

The NEX arrived at NRT at 12:58pm, exactly as scheduled — not a surprise but amusing nonetheless. My Delta One reservation afforded me priority everything, starting with a separate check-in line. I was so early and the airport so not busy, it didn’t make any difference, but it still felt good. Picking up the phone conversation from yesterday, I asked about the seat change and was told they could take care of switching me back at the gate – yay!

Security and customs were a breeze, so I had nearly 3 full hours before departure. I had almost ¥1,000 yen remaining (~$9 USD) and shopped for a maneki-neko (fortune cat) souvenir, finding a perfectly cute and small one for ¥480.

I spent the next hour and a half in the Delta lounge, noshing on curry noodles; rice with wasabi, soy sauce, and shibazuke — bright purple pickled eggplant and cucumber, a specialty of Kyoto; crab egg soup; and some American-style veggies and dip. I had a small glass of white wine and some sake, which to my surprise I greatly enjoyed (it wasn’t just at the tasting.. seems it carried over).

I still had almost ¥500 yen to spend and I wanted to ensure my seat change, so I left the lounge to go to my gate just a bit early. Or so I thought. People were all lined up, and pre-boarding was happening. There was no wait at the counter, though. The agent first told me 5D was already occupied, and when I pushed a bit, saying the check-in attendant left a note in the system, this agent apologized and retrieved my new boarding pass, already printed. Whoo-hoo!

If ever there was a time I need not be anxious about boarding, this was it. I had “premium” priority, so a much smaller line, and my own overhead bin awaiting my stuff. I wandered back into the gift shop to see what else I might want and could carry. If I’d found nothing, it would have been fine to eat the cost of the remaining yen, but I came across a pouch of matcha powder for ¥500. Easy to carry and an appropriate souvenir, given yesterday’s demonstration.

I actually had ¥508 yen on me, but I wanted to keep one coin as a souvenir; I’d done the same in New Zealand and Bali. So I tucked away a ¥50, gave the cashier ¥458, and charged the remaining ¥42 yen to my credit card (all of $0.39 USD).

I made it back to the priority line in time to wait just a couple minutes to board. My timing couldn’t have been better.

My name preceded me with the flight attendants, whether due to the seat change or my vegetarian meal request. They repeated my surname a couple times and said something about a princess. As I often do, I noted that I share a name with Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany, and then I realized they were thinking of Meghan Markle, so I guess that’s a thing I’m going to be hearing for the rest of my life now. Out of curiosity, I checked her Wiki and it seems that an ancestor of hers changed the family name from Merckel to Markle.

I got happily settled in seat 5D, the main difference from 6D being that the seat is next to the window, with space between the seat and the aisle, as opposed to being right on the aisle with space between the seat and the window. Big difference.

I ordered a mimosa, because of course I did. We took off on time at 16:20, and I set about taking care of my comfort needs one by one. I reached up and turned off my neighbor’s cold air because he was already sleeping. I went to the loo and removed my contact lens. The video system needed a reboot, which was fine as I didn’t want to manage a movie and dinner. It was a good thing I was hungry, despite my lounge treats, because we were soon served a four-course meal: 1) wine and nuts, 2) an appetizer tray as large as an economy meal, 3) entree (I had rockfish), and 4) mousse for dessert.

After dinner, 2h45min had passed, leaving about 4h45min to lay down before breakfast would be served. The house lights went off just before I shifted my chair to a bed. This moment I’d been anticipating for so long and been so curious about did not disappoint. I can definitively say that laying down on an airplane is *awesome*.

I slept a solid hour and a half, followed by a not so solid hour. Unfortunately, that was all for sleep. At that point, it was still only 21:30 body clock time.

Since we left Japan in late afternoon and would arrive in Portland in the morning, I’d been curious as to whether we would fly through daylight all the way, or have a night…? I was proud of earning an “A” in general astronomy at UC Berkeley, but this part of the class had confused the hell out of me. I decided to risk letting in light by taking a peek out the window, and I was so glad I did. I unveiled a magical night scene, a mostly full moon directly above a blanket of striated clouds. So peaceful.

For the remaining time, I alternately listened to music and used earplugs and an eyemask for rest, if not sleep. Breakfast was another huge meal, which I ate sitting up but with my seat still fully reclined. After eating, I laid back down and edited photos on my phone. I was not ready for my lay-down flight experience to end!

But alas, end it did. Upon landing in PDX, I cried a bit as gratitude and wonder at all the things I’d seen and done over the last 5 weeks overcame me.