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Japan – what I’ll miss and what I won’t

We’ve been in Vietnam for almost a week now, so I’ve had some time to think about what I loved and what I didn’t love about Japan.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for every bit of this trip, but there are definitely some things that I won’t miss about Japan.

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I won’t miss about Japan

1. The sever lack of fresh produce.  I don’t get it.  Japanese people are obviously doing something right – we saw few (if any) overweight people and we know that their life expectancy is quite high.  Yet finding a piece of FRESH fruit or some fresh veggies is TOUGH! They love their veggies pickled and fried.  We finally found fresh veggies one night for dinner….at a Korean BBQ restaurant.  How do these peeps get their fiber?!  I even put out a request on FB, assuming someone would have the holy grail of Japanese vegetable knowledge….radio silence.

2.  The toilets.  They make the most technologically advanced toilets in the entire world….yet I still had to use a squat toilet.  WTF! I hate squat toilets.  The fact that they even exist in that country baffles me.

3.  The severe lack of trash cans.  I’m serious.  We learned that a terrorist attack a few years ago caused the country to limit the number of trash cans.  As a result, it is almost impossible to find a trash can when you need it.  You’d think it would result in super dirty streets.  But you’d be wrong.  The Japanese have been known to hold onto trash for many city blocks, until finding a trash can.  We did the same thing.  And we always got really excited (probably too excited) when we finally found one!

At this food fair, we were so excited to find a trash station that I took a picture.

4.  The lack of customization.  Want a decaf, tall, 1 pump vanilla latte? Good luck.  No decaf.  1 pump vanilla?  They will try to convince you that you are paying for 3, so they should give you 3.  This goes for everything.  They feel that the best possible way for a meal to be served is how the chef prepared it.  So don’t ask them to change anything.

What I will miss about Japan

1. They are polite, orderly, and always on time.  I’ve never seen “stand on the left, walk on the right” executed more perfectly.

photo(11)When boarding a subway, everyone stands on either side of the door, allowing ample space for riders to exit, then they file in – single file.  OMG, there’s no way this would EVER happen on BART.  It’s every man for himself, elbows flying, people crowding.

The trains are always on time.  And if they aren’t, they tell you and they apologize.  If BART wants to go on strike, they should start offering service like this! first

2.  The food. Despite the lack of veggies, it’s still the best sushi, manju, and mochi I’ve ever had.  And the matcha.  Matcha on everything.  Even kit kats.  I’ll miss that a lot.

3.  The cleanliness.  We stayed at a hostel in Kyoto, and it was one of the cleanest spots I’ve seen.  It also smelled like the dorms.  Brought back memories of college life.

4.  Cross walks.  We made fun of them while we were there.  How people waited to use them, even if it was midnight and there weren’t ANY cars in sight.  But everyone always obeyed them.  This didn’t seem like a big deal until we landed in Vietnam.  Where crossing the street literally feels like a giant game of chicken/frogger.  Lanes and lights are merely suggestions.  I’ve seen cars going the wrong way on a (presumably) one way street and I have yet to understand how stoplights work, since I see people stop at them about 50% of time.  I’ve taken to just grabbing Nick’s hand and closing my eyes as we cross.  I can’t handle the stress.

More on Japan and Vietnam to come!  It’s been fun and we’re not even half way over!