As you might have noticed in my recent posts or on my Instagram, I keep saying how much I loved my trip to Japan. If you have been wondering just what makes the land of the rising sun so special, you can find the answer in this article!

Welcome to the Future

When I left the beautiful Vietnam behind, changing direction from Southeast Asia was making me feel a little uneasy. I’m going to a completely different country now, I don’t know what to expect! Will I survive without speaking Japanese? (Surprise – I am not a fearless traveller, I have irrational fears sometimes!)

One thing I wasn’t wrong about, however. Japan IS a completely different world. The moment I stepped off the plane at Narita Airport, I could immediately grasp the modernness in the air. Japan has such advanced technologies that put all of Europe, America and Australia to shame. If you want to see life in a highly modern country where more things are automatic than manual, go to Japan.

Super Organised Paradise

And things are not just modern, they are super organised. The immigration queue at the airport was by far the most effective I have ever experienced! First, several officers were taking your fingerprints and photos, another would quickly check your arrival card and point you to a space with pens to complete your information if needed and then you just had to hand over your passport and arrival card. Not to mention, every single officer was smiling kindly. Five minutes in Japan and you already have a summary of the country.

I don’t know how they achieved this, but the Japanese have brought system and order to everything they do. It is quite fascinating actually. If you are a little OCD or super organised like me, you will be in heaven. Chaos just does not exist in Japan. Everything works. Recyclables are recycled, trains are always on time. Watch and learn, world!

Kind People, Delicious Food

Despite being slightly reserved and conservative, Japanese are some of the loveliest people you can meet. They are extremely kind and willing to help – even if you don’t need to be helped. Like that time I was standing in front of a train station plan looking for the lockers area and a passing lady immediately stopped and offered to help. Frankly, I was fine but she stayed with me until I have found an empty locker and stored my backpack inside. That’s Japan for you.

It also fascinated me how everyone simply followed the rules in Japan. No one litters on the streets. No one drives like crazy and you will not hear any honking (I actually became suspicious that cars in Japan don’t come with a horn). I didn’t see anyone smoking on the streets outside of smoking areas (big thumbs up from me!). People form orderly queues when waiting for a train. I could go on…

And the food – I just can’t help it but I find Japanese food so delicious! Rice, fish, noodles, bento boxes, street food… and matcha! Of course, there are some fried stuff, but it’s mostly healthy. One thing I noticed during my time in Japan was that no one is fat. I swear I only spotted one obese person in two weeks.

Making Your Life Easy

The Japanese are experts when it comes to inventing little things that make your life so much easier! I could probably write a whole blog post on the wonderful Japanese toilets alone. They have many buttons for seat heating, playing music or flushing sounds for privacy or even cleaning your private parts! 😀 In one of my hostels, the toilet cover would automatically go up when you opened the door, and another guesthouse had a toilet with a built-in tap for washing hands that would start running after flushing the toilet. And the best part – you can find public toilets on every corner in Japan and they are always free and clean.

But it’s not just the toilets. I constantly came across little life hacks that made me go “Oh, that’s just clever!” For example, when you are on the go, you can simply pop into a supermarket or a convenience store and buy a HOT bottled tea (still an environmentally better option than plastic cups) because you will find heated shelves next to the fridges. Or if it’s raining, you might find a space in many restaurants where you can lock your umbrella (not that anyone would steal anything in Japan).

And in the Universal Studios Japan I saw “babysitting swap” areas. This means that one parent can go have fun on the rides while the other stays with the baby – and later they can swap places without queuing again. And public toilets occasionally have a special seat on the side so you can safely put down your baby for a minute.

These are just a few examples but you get my point. Japan is just smart and inventive!

So these are all the reasons I loved Japan, besides, you know, it just being incredibly beautiful and unique! If you are curious how I spent my two weeks there, read about my Japan itinerary here. And save this post with all the things you should know before going to Japan!

Have you been to Japan? Did you fall hard just like I did??

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