The Long Overdue Update

Currently Listening To :: Lovin' It :: Little Brother (feat. Joe Scudda)

I can hardly believe it's been over a month since I got home from Japan. While I promised myself I wouldn't feel bad about not being on holiday anymore, when you get used to something, it's quite hard to let it go. What more if it had been a year? With a new company policy in place to keep it's employees "fresh and rested" (i.e. reducing possible future leave pay-outs), I'm going to find out exactly what five weeks is next year - hopefully resulting in more, as opposed to less writing. But on with the show my pretties!

Ben's Myths vs. The Truth

Japan has always been somewhere I've wanted to visit. Ever since I saw Blade Runner, Black Rain, and most recently, Lost In Translation, Japan has always been a top of the list destination for so many reasons. The land of Anime, Sushi and Harajuku girls seemed so familiar yet exotic, the land where the future was here, today.

Let's just say that like most myths (especially those constructed in your own mind), there are some grains of truth, yet ultimately the result is never quite what you'd hope for. Anime is just as popular as it is here then in Australia, and if anything, lacks the cult following it does overseas. Sushi restaurants are harder to find then they are here, while Harajuku girls really weren't up to the Gwen Steffani L.A.M.B. kind.

While the reality of Japan was that it's not quite like what I had in mind, there are things that I had no idea I would find, and that's the beauty in travel and the source of that wonderfully overused line, "you'll never know if you never go". Whether it be to the ends of the earth or to the DVD store to find the ends of Middle Earth, one thing I've got to learn is to be a bit more open minded as to where I go, and try to find the best in every situation.

Boyscout Mentality

One thing I did for this trip that I hadn't done previously was a lot of research and planning. While activities on the fly can be fun, you've still got to have some clue about what you're getting yourself into. While sitting in Borders reading travel guides and scouring the net/networks about where to find the best interweb information, holiday research is just like contraception - while it may seem like a hassle at the time, it usually ends up paying for itself.

Evisu Tailored jeans, Roppongi Hills, B.A.P.E. Exclusive shoes, the Studio Ghibli Museum, Graniph T-shirts, the austere pleasures of staying in a traditional ryokan - the list of shops and sights that we probably would have missed but for a little digging can stretch as long as will probably take me to update my blog. Then again, maybe not that long.

Extreme Packaging

Reading a story on the Tokyo triathlon, it really epitomised the Japanese mentality I encountered, with contestants literally needing fluid drips as soon as they collapsed over the finish line. Nothing is done in half measures in Japan - it's either all or nothing.

From individually packaged pellets of chewing gum, to meticulously laid out bento lunch boxes, everything is "just so" in Japan. The polite way that store staff treat you, the lack of loud mobile phones ringing in a society where people seem to come pre-attached with one, it was all so perfect, until I got to Hong Kong that is.

Now nothing against Hong Kong, but it's just such a stark contrast. People think big Asian city, skyscrapers, cute anime characters and great food, they must be all the same right? Wrong, wrong, wrong - the devil IS in the detail, one loud mobile phone call at a time.

Finally - The Things I've Learned

No trip of any kind would be complete without a short list of "things I've learned" - otherwise, really, what's the point?

As much as you may think you hate it, walking is only an overrated experience if you let it be - places where walking doesn't yield a deeper layer of existence usually aren't worth returning to.

No matter where on earth you are, Disneyland is still Disneyland.

Besides bookstores and CD shops, I'm a sucker for city lights, world heritage listed rock gardens and oddly enough, churros.

Hot springs are something that everyone should try at least once in your life, but sauna's just aren't my thing.

Ahh, the all nighter...with trains shutting down at 12 and opening again at 5am, finding yourself in the back alleys of Osaka's Shinsaibasi district early on a Sunday morning, dancing in the Play Pen and drinking in bars where every cocktail is $6 is a perfect slice of Japanese nightlife.

Don't be scared of the language issue, pictures and models of food are your friend. This can be the difference between a good and a great trip.

There's nothing more peaceful then being the only boat on the river, being the only person on your side of the mountain, or that moment when you close your eyes, only to open them again and realise that yes, you are really on holiday.