I'm in Japan for 10 days, checking out Tokyo, riding some bikes, dropping in on Fuji Rock and visiting some local friends; generally experiencing stimulus overload in this hyper speed blender of east meets west, weird, bizarre and wonderful country.
The Griffin blog is here as a diary and dumping ground for all the encounters, so here's entry number one...
First-up outstanding Japanese cultural traits / hints / tips
1. When in Japan, take photos of all your new friends and say 'thank-you' (Arigato Gozaimasu) at every opportunity... this will take you far. The Japanese are the most generous and hospitable people I have ever met in my life and they love photos.
2. Follow rules and regulations and stand in lines when prompted too (however pointless they may seem), everything in Japan works and runs on time. They know exactly what they are doing.
3. All Japanese food is both beautiful and delicious. Western food is clearly inferior.
4. Shop in Tokyo (especially Harujuku) with caution. It is easy to get carried away by the high speed multi coloured mass consumption going on all around you - but much of it is really a big pile of techni-coloured crap.
6. English slogans are big in Japan. Meanings are irrelevant. Viva la freedom of speech.
5. Sex here is weird. Visit a Maid Bar for an insight. I was not allowed to take photo's inside the pink kinky children's room / fantasy bar we visited but the staff looked a bit like this... and they were paid to play Connect Four with old men.
6. Buddhist Temples rule (this one is the Zenkoji Temple, Nagano). They are full of beauty, cool characters and turtles chillaxing in the sunshine.
Japan is rad. Next post our top 5 finds so far....
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