Please press play to set the vibes for the Japan read, it’s a good one
Robbery – Lime Cordiale
Good Gave Me Feet For Dancing – Ezra Collective, Yazmin Lacey
Lets Go Back – Jungle
TOKYO
DAY 96 – Seoul to Tokyo
Everybody, I made it to Japan. Before I had even booked my flight to Thailand I had booked a connecting flight from Seoul to Tokyo on 1st October and this was my only anchor for my whole trip. As well as South Korea, Japan has always been on the top of my destinations list, so I am a very happy young woman.
I had one last bowl of noodles in Seoul airport and they did not disappoint but arriving in Tokyo at 9.30pm was a bit tricky because I had no idea what the fuck I was doing or where the fuck I was going. I have now discovered that it is best to speak to the tourist desks and get them to help you, because after a stressful time navigating the trains I made it to my destination in the East of Tokyo.
There was a bar at the bottom of Hostel Bedgasm (crude, I know) where they gave you a free beer every night, and after chatting with the lovely staff I had got the Facebook of Kai who had his first shift at the hostel that night. He invited me out with him the next day to show me the sights as he has lived in Tokyo for 5 years and he had moved over from the Philippines. I am always very pleased to spend time with someone who lives in the area I’m visiting.
DAY 97 – Discovery of 7/11, Park, Shibuya and First Train Home (major day)
I spent the morning exploring Shinjuku where I managed to find some very reasonably priced ramen at £3.50. Even now I think was the best ramen that I had. The best part about solo travelling is getting to mooch for as long as I want to find the perfect bite.
Tokyo is a really cool city and the 7/11 is top tier. I bought a rather large array of snacks and made my way to Shinjuku Gyoen National Park.
Coming from Korea where the fruit and veg was so expensive I was so happy to see some fruit and veg, so much so that I proceeded to eat this same exact meal for 3 days straight:
- Teriyaki chicken and egg sandwich (a real highlight)
- Pickled cucumbers
- Bag of pineapple
- Carrot, radish and cucumber sticks with sesame dressing
- Bag of edamame beans, which if you eat after the carrot sticks you can use the pot for the skins
- Milk tea
This park was absolutely stunning, really one of the most beautiful places I have been to and it took my breath away a few times. I strolled around in the sun all afternoon, stopping off at various points for a lie down on the grass and some snacks, listening to my audiobook ‘Another Life’ by Karla Marie Sweet. The storyline seemed promising, a dystopian, dual-character novel about a new technological advancement where babies can be grown outside the womb in sacs. One perspective was from a woman who would have such a baby and the other a man who was a sac baby who had been sold into a government military programme. I was really hooked until about half way through when all promise dissolved and the book actually ended up being quite shit. Either way I was so happy to be able to enjoy the sun because the forecast was not looking sunny for the next few days.
I decided to walk to Shibuya, the party district where I was meeting Kai after his shift. The only downside to this is that Japanese law prohibits smoking on the street so they have designated smoking booths dotted around. It’s so annoying because I just want to smoke my vape all day long, I tried to abide by the rules but I can’t say I was successful for the whole day.
Along the way the snacking continued with an earl grey waffle and half a baguette and was able to book my bus ticket for Mount Fuji a few days in advance. The walk took about an hour but I enjoyed seeing some new areas.
I walked through Takeshita Street and thought I had arrived at Shibuya. I wish I had bought some more stuff here because there were so many cool shops, alas, I continued the stroll.
I stumbled upon the famous Shibuya crossing at a really nice time of the evening. I lined my stomach with some pork Tonkatsu and was able to see the crossing from the restaurant at the top of a mall.
Kai and I went to Voyagers, a bar where you pay £5 and get unlimited drinks all night. You can even smoke in there which is a massive bonus and we decided to miss the last train and commit to staying out till 5.30am.
We made the rather silly decision of leaving the party area to go to the gay district, but this ended up being really quiet because it was a Wednesday night. We plotted up and proceeded to sing karaoke for 4 hours straight to kill time before the first train, I was fairly sober but I think Kai really felt the impact of the apple teas we were drinking at Voyagers. Kai LOVES to take pictures, even prohibiting me from doing some shots so he could do a boomerang of us cheersing, but it was really nice to be out with a local, even though I was feeling asleep by the end of the night.
Assuming, like any normal person would, that we would be at the station ready for the first train, I was surprised when the guys suggested we get some ramen. I didn’t realise that anything would be open so early but they have some 24/7 ramen shops in Tokyo, so we sat amongst the drunk tourists finishing their night, as well as people on their way to work to enjoy some Japanese goodness (at 6am). I fell asleep on the train but Kai woke me up and my stop and I managed to get some shut eye at 7am, almost a full 24 hours after I left the hostel the previous morning.
DAY 98 – Recovery and Not Seeing Much of Tokyo
Looking back through my photos I’m actually not sure what I did on this day. I was feeling so tired, but pleased that I did the night out in Tokyo, for the culture. I grabbed some snacks from 7/11 (usual suspects) and called Solene to plan our trip to Bangkok.
I also called Cam, who I had met in Ho Chi Minh, and chatted for hours about how much he is enjoying the Philippines. I tried and failed to convince him to come to Japan, then proceeded to watch Parasite, the Oscar winning Korean film. This is all the information I have for this day.
DAY 99 – Mount Fuji?
After a restful sleep I got the bus prepared for the 2hr drive to one of the lakes near Mount Fuji. It was very very cloudy and I couldn’t even see any of the hills let alone the massive volcano.
I strolled around the lake listening to Mac De Marco and The Bee Gees, occasionally stopping to eat the aforementioned 7/11 snack list and some underwhelming Earl Grey cheesecake. I really hoped the clouds would clear up, but because I had pre booked my bus home I knew I had about 7 hours to kill.
I plotted up at a cafe and had a long overdue catch up with Fran while nursing my coffee. I started reading my new book called ‘Women and Other Parties’ which is a series of short essays, but the stories are quite abstract and it’s not always an easy read. I listened to some very nice instrumental music while watching over the lake (Agape by Nicholas Britell and Take Five But Its Song Of Storms by Imaginary Ambition).
I decided to head into Shibuya to meet some girls from my hostel room, but after having some ramen I couldn’t be bothered to traipse across the city and be even more tired tomorrow, so I decided to head back to the hostel.
I received my allergy results back and found that I am in fact not allergic to seafood, so I excitedly called my parents to let them know. They were very pleased for Lottie.
DAY 100 – Travelling to Hiroshima
I had booked a flight from Tokyo to Hiroshima because it was about a third of the price of getting the train. I had brought so much food to take to the airport and really had a gourmet meal while awaiting my embarkment of the aircraft.
I also kept just leaving my bag to go to the toilet and was just crossing my fingers they wouldn’t evacuate the place out of fear of a bomb threat, all good though, airport and bag are still in tact. As I boarded the bus to Hiroshima city centre I got chatting to a very nice Vietnamese man. He has been living in Hiroshima for 7 years and we decided to go for dinner the next day. I sang him my favourite patriotic Vietnamese song and told him how much I loved his country. He gave me a packet of Vietnamese bubblegum which I have been enjoying since.
The vibe at the hostel (Evergreen Hostel) was super weird, I didn’t really like it, so I spent the evening wandering around the Peace Park where I also got to see the A-Bomb dome, which is where the atomic bomb was dropped directly above. The good thing about the hostel was that it was right in the centre of the city so everything was within walking distance.
I stopped for a naughty little fried pork dinner and a craft beer and headed for an early night but not before watching ‘It Ends With Us’.
DAY 101 – Miyajima Shrine
I woke up bright and early to get to the tourist hotspot of Miyajima Shrine. It is located on an island about 1 hour away from the city centre (by tram), you then get a short 10 min ferry over to the island. Getting up so early was really to my detriment because I was so tired the whole time, I feel like I didn’t really enjoy it. As well as this it was so busy and felt a little bit inauthentic, so after looking at some deer, snapping some shots and wandering around, I decided to head back.
I felt slightly more rejuvenated after my nap and wandered around for a bite to eat. The best thing about mooching and walking is that you accidentally stumble across some famous sights like the Hiroshima Castle (exhibit A).
I then met up with Van, the Vietnamese man I had met on the bus, for Izakaya and bottomless drinks. I got to try some new food, not all of it quite to my taste, but we had some tasty beers and plum wine. We did order a range of food, but after accidentally eating chicken chest after thinking it was a leek I kind of lost my appetite. We both ended up a little bit more than tipsy but I had so much fun. The weather was absolutely torrential but I ended up chatting to an Israeli man at the hostel for a few hours when I got back.
DAY 102 – Gardens
The man I had met the night before (I don’t remember his name) went out to get us some breakfast bits, and it was nice to have someone cook for me. I enjoyed the yummy breakfast of tomatoes, cucumber, toast, sausages and eggs. It was still pissing it down but we walked to a lovely garden where we enjoyed the scenery, albeit in a pace which was slower than I would’ve wanted. It was really beautiful but I wish the weather was a bit better, we did see lots of koi fish though.
After making a few strange comments I was glad to part ways with said man, so I took myself out for an Okonomiyaki and decided not to speak to any more men for the next few days. Okonomoyaki is a classic dish you have to try in Hiroshima, it’s a fried pancake of noodles, but honestly I didn’t think it was that nice. I’m not sure if I had a shit one, but I am aware that I have been spoilt for choice for food in Korea and the Japanese food so far is just not up to standard. It’s not even in the same league for me. I mooched home and finished ‘It Ends With Us’. I’d seen a lot of backlash online about Blake Lively, and aside from the outfits I didn’t think it was a bad film.
KYOTO
DAY 103 – Peace Memorial Museum and Kyoto
Having to take time to socially decompress I was not able to go to the Museum the day before, so I headed out bright and early to try and miss the crowds. It was a really sobering experience to see the impact of the Atomic Bomb on the people of Hiroshima, and although not the most cheery start to the day was a very important thing to experience.
I headed to the train station where I was to embark on my 2.30hr train ride to Tokyo. I hadn’t booked anything before, from what I understand if you are outside of peak hours you can mostly book the Shinkansen (bullet train) quite last minute. I paid £50 for my train and the unreserved carriage was very quiet and peaceful, well it was until I started de-package all of the tasty snacks I had purchased for the journey hehe. It was a very straightforward journey arriving at Len Kyoto hostel, which is in the top 3 hostels I have stayed in throughout my trip.
I headed to Osaka on the train on the hunt for some Korean food which did not disappoint. While the Dutch man I was with had the potential to ruin the evening for me, I missed Korean food so much that something really bad would have had to happen for me to have a shit time. Back in Kyoto I met a lovely man named Jin who is living in Australia. He showed me the sights as he lives in between Kyoto and Osaka and told me all the best spots to drink and eat.
DAY 104 – Macho Bar
I headed to the café downstairs for some breakfast and the sun was shining, the vibes were good.
I embarked upon my days mooch and picked up some ramen on the way. There are lots of cute little shops in Kyoto and a river runs through the city. It is very busy and there are lots of tourists, I kind of imagined it to be a small town instead of a city (I later found out there’s over 1 million people living there lol) but there is definitely a buzz to the place.
I had become quite friendly with the girls in my room so we ended up wandering the beautiful streets of Kyoto.
So far Kyoto is definitely my favourite place in Japan. The only thing I don’t like is that you have to queue for a lot of things because the tourism industry has really boomed here in the past few years, and maybe the reason I have not been eating that much good food here is because I categorically refuse to wait for longer than 10 minutes to get into a restaurant.
The girls were going out for sushi, but in the interest of time I decided to grab some solo ramen because I had booked a reservation at the infamous Macho Bar.
The girls were actually very keen to come with but it is hot property these days and you need to book a while in advance. I was a bit nervous to go by myself but I’m actually really proud I did. When I stepped in there were lots of nice Japanese men with big muscles, macho men if you will and they even carry you from the door to your table. I spent the next 2 hours laughing to the point that my cheeks were hurting. Not only do they squeeze the fruit to go in your drinks and crush the peanuts in a very macho way, but some people paid for additional services (not those kind of additional services) for example being squatted and pushed against the wall. I am aware of how sexual this sounds but it was more of a hen do vibe than a brothel vibe. I paid £10 for a fucking polaroid with the macho men and I think it was a really good investment.
I then met ups with the girls at a really cool bar, engaging in a small photoshoot on the way home with Kenna from my room and ended up grabbing some snacks to eat in the common room of the hostel.
We got chatting with some really nice people and there was one English guy called Michael who was so funny and I later met up with in Osaka.
DAY 105 – Souffle Pancakes
Kenna and I woke up to get some soufflé pancakes at a place I had walked past the day before. Luckily we had got there just before it opened, because there was already a queue (and you know I refuse to wait in a queue). These pancakes have been on my list for a long time but I just felt I could never justify the price tag (only £10 – but this is expensive for a breakfast for me in Japan). I had the apple crumble ones and oh my god they were sensational, I thoroughly enjoyed.
For dinner, Lulu and I went down the road for some Chinese food which was really expensive food that was not that good. She tried shark fin soup and said it didn’t taste that good, so overall a disappointing experience. Again, I am missing Korean food.
I dropped her off at her massage appointment, where the place really smelled of cigarettes lol, we then reconvened at the hostel for a few drinkies. We got chatting with some other people who were staying there and I carried on chatting with Michael who was telling us about his night terrors.
DAY 106 – 2 Wheels in Kyoto
I enjoyed a yummy breakfast at the hostel and Lulu and I went to rent some bikes. It was pretty reasonable, about £5 for the day.
We cycled to a temple where Lulu had a spiritual experience and I basked in the sun.
I was so excited because we met up with Anne (again) and 2 Argentinian guys she had met on her cycle travels around Japan. Lulu went back as she had a train to catch so Anne and co and I did some light cycling and stopped for a delightful coffee, catching up on lost time.
I feel like I could’ve had such a different experience if I were cycling around Japan, minor regret to not drop all my travel plans and buy a bike to go with Anne. We then grabbed some lunch at 7/11 and sat outside for ages laughing, smiling, and eating.
We then made our way to the famous Fushimi Inari Shrine, an area which was flooded with people therefore quite difficult to navigate with a bike. We walked all the way to the top of the shrine which was definitely a survival of the fittest moment because only the creme to la creme of tourists get this high (this is what I told myself).
The cycle back was so gorgeous, if I could come back to Japan I would definitely do it on bike because the short time I spent cycling today was magical.
We sat in a park and had some beers and sandwiches, I then went home to shower before meeting the guys out later that evening. After some light shopping and a couple of tequila sunrise I was ready to head home. I sat in the common area for a little bit and had more of a catch up with the guys I had met the previous night.
DAY 107 – Bumped into Patrick
I was really enjoying the sun in Kyoto and I headed down to the café to try to get some blog done.
I ended up at a table with the guys from the night before so the writing was limited. I strolled around looking for some vape juice and was disappointed to find out they don’t sell nicotine in the vape juices here so I invested in a little peachy nicotine-free number.
I was supposed to meet Anne and the Argentinian guys about 2 hours away for a camping trip, but because there was a bank holiday this weekend some of the busses weren’t running. As well as this the guys are doing very ‘basic’ (their words not mine) camping, so basically a hamock and it gets qiuite cold at night. Being the women of luxury that I am I knew it was not really my style but felt like I should do it for the plot. The busses not running was out of my hands but maybe it was a sign lol. After speaking with Anne she said the camping wasn’t all that anyway, so that made me feel a bit better.
Because Kyoto is quite busy I decided to get a 10 minute bus towards the station. As I crossed the street I saw a young man approaching me in my peripherals, after a brief karate chop action to scare the man away I saw it was actually Patrick who I had met at ZZZip Guesthouse in Seoul. I was on the hunt for chicken katsu but the area by the station was just as busy as where I was staying so I had to unfortunately settle for a maccies. We grabbed a beer at his hostel and after briefly considering meeting Patrick and his friends for a drink I decided I was too sleepy and had an early night.
DAY 108 – Basking in the Morning Sun
I woke up feeling so refreshed and enjoyed another breakfast at the hostel. I then packed up my things and mentally prepared for an intense session of blog writing.
I walked an hour to a park where I picked up a £4 artisan coffee on the way. I brought my neck pillow so engaged in a small sleep in the sun, and then got cracking with said content. Please see a small selection of what I was listening to, happy vibes:
Cucurucu – Mick Mulvley
God Gave Me Feet For Dancing – Ezra Collective, Yazmin Lacey
God’s Plan – George Moir
I decided to continue the fitness journey and walk back through the streets of Kyoto where I picked up some earrings I had been eyeing up a few days before. When I got back home I unpacked my 7/11 dinner onto plates and made her look like a three star gourmet meal, very tasty too.
OSAKA
DAY 109 – Dontobori with Michael
After packing up my things I decided to change up my breakfast order from bacon, egg and toast to fried toast. This was really rather nice and I felt a bit sad I’d left it to the last day to try it.
Never the less I embarked on my 1hr journey to Osaka and I have to say I was surprised how easy it was. The train was also very cool.
I checked into The Stay Hostel and I have never been somewhere with so many rules. I was really in 2 minds not to sign this ridiculous contract of rules including paying a fine if there is any mark on your bed sheet (like I was going to wipe my shitty ass with it?), or if you want to bring a friend to the common room you can pay £5 for 3 hours, absolutely ridiculous. I tried on a pair of Onutsika Tigers in the famous shop but I think my stubby pins look rather silly with such a flat shoe. I walked around doing a little bit of window shopping whilst listening to Trevor Noahs episode on the Louis Threoux podcast, fascinating man with a fascinating book called Born A Crime.
I met up with Michael who was the funny English man I had met in Kyoto and he ate some stinky squid food outside my hostel.
We ended up walking to Dotonobri which was such a cool place, just how I imaged Japan to be. We came at a really nice time in the evening, just when the sun was setting so we plotted up and had a couple of beers while continuing to perfect our Kier Stamer impersonations and bonding over our Ashkinazi heritage. Michael was actually supposed to be leaving this day but I knew that after a few drinks I could convince him to book another night at his hostel so we could hit the bars.
We went back home for a quick nap and then had a 7/11 dinner outside the hostel. We headed to Voageurs Stand which is another location of the place in Tokyo (where I went with Kai) and you pay a flat fee for free drinks all night. We ended up paying a tenner and the bar was so good, music was popping off and we spoke to some really nice Japanese people. I was actually quite pissed after a few too many tequila orange juice and actidentally dropped my vape in my drink, deciding this was an ultimate sign from the universe to stop smoking. Of course I had one or two cigarettes afterwards but I was in a mourning period so it’s fine. You can also see my new earrings in the pictures below.
The bar shut at 1am so Michael and I stumbled to some 24/7 ramen and had some McDonalds where we continued to talk like Kier Stamer, I nearly wet myself I was laughing so much.
DAY 110 – Orange Coffee and a Long Walk
Waking up not feeling so well rested I went to meet Michael for some bresakfast. The place he had recommended had an HOUR plus wait so obviously I wasn’t going to go there. We opted for a bagel place down the road which had really amazing coffee, and while we had to wait for a bit it had more of a family run vibe which I generally prefer (and the bagel was unreal).
I decided to walk to an area I had seen on a Youtube video, I decided to walk an hour there. You can walk around at nighttime as a woman in Japan, culture shock. I walked past a nice looking French place, bit random but stopped off for some carrot rappee and a glass of red wine. Later on in the evening I also enjoyed a fried pork and ricey dinner.
DAY 111 – Rally’s Coffee and Craft Beer and Nakazakinishi
I checked out of The Stay hostel and I have to say the only thing I liked about this hostel was the ice bucket I could use to fill up my lululumeon bottle. I walked for 10 minutes to my next hostel which was more of a guesthouse. I had booked it about a month before and I am so glad I did because theres only 4 beds here and it is so cute. It is run by a couple (the guy is American and the lady is Japanese) who have a baby. Downstairs is a craft beer bar in the evening and in the day it is rented out to a chef who makes really good curry.
I arrived outside with my bags at 11am assuming that the place would be open, I was wrong. Luckily a nice woman let me in and the owner (via e-mail) said I could leave my bags there. Hanna and I got chatting and really clicked, we decided to do our laundry together which was very romantic. While we waited we grabbed some toast at a very sweet café down the road where she told me all about her herself. Hanna is doing her PHD in identity and social media, she speaks 5 languages, including Japanese, and just has such a fascinating perspective on life.
We actually ended up staying together for most of the day where we went to the famous coffee district of Nakazakinishi where she did some PhD stuff and I did some of le blogging. The cafe we went to was called Lolo which I loved because there were all these hidden nooks and crannies you could sit in but there were so many cute ones to choose from in the area.
She is really into JPop so was headed to a concert later that evening. We were nearby Osaka station so I decided to go back go the Korean restaurant I went to on the first day. I was very much prepared for some K BBQ but was so sad when they said I couldn’t have it because I am only one person. I thought I would just have some sides but I picked up some fruit and snacky snacks on the walk back home because I was a little hungrig.
I’m not one hundred percent sure I like these little desert things, they’re kind of a mochi texture with a gelatinous soy sauce coating. To cheer myself up from the lack of BBQ I also got myself a nice little katsu curry from the combini, this is what the convenience stores are called. You will not be surprised to hear I have put on a considerable amount of weight since I left for my trip.
DAY 112 – Russian Cafe, Korean BBQ, Karaoke and Vincent
As was now becoming routine Hanna and I ventured back to our favourite toast café where I had my favourite eggy toast and a honey toast. With a coffee it costs about £3, super cheap.
After a nice stroll in the sun I took Hanna to the nice café I had been to with Michael and enjoyed another orange coffee. I bought some lovely little trinkets to hang on my bag and then some other miscellaneous items I didn’t need from Daiso. I was very pleased with my purchases and walked around listening to Tenga Fe Pois Amanha Um Lindo by Os Origins Do Samba.
I had some lunch from the chef who rents the bar downstairs and it was really nice, even though I had a mild case of the shits after.
After some more strolling around and en route to Osaka Castle I stumbled across a little Russian restaurant. I inquisitively went in and had some tea with Siberian honey and had a nice chat with the people in there. We laughed for ages, the whole thing was so cute. At the end we took some photos together, I felt like a little celebrity.
I had a nice stroll around the castle, got myself a little milk tea.
Hanna and I had agreed to go back to the infamous Korean restaurant and we rounded up another recruit from our hostel, a really cool guy called Shinno. Shinno is half Japanese and half Syrian and has recently spent time in Lebanon where he was working as a teacher. Him and Hanna get on really well because they both speak Japanese and have spent time growing up here. This meal was really 10/10, bottomless drinks and food for £25, and I’m so happy I got to share such a nice meal with them.
After dinner we wanted to do some karaoke, we picked up one of Hanna’s strange friends on the way and took some photos in the booth/arcade. Apart from Hannas strange friend Vincent, I had such a nice time.
I really love doing karaoke and I added a new song to my repertoire, Can’t Get You Out Of My Head by Kylie Minogue. Hanna and Shino sang some Japanese songs like Harenchi by Chanmina I bought back the duet classic of Summer Nights with Hanna. We finished the Karaoke by going a group rendition of So Sick by Neyo.
DAY 113 – Shinno The Coolest Japanese Dude
Hannah and I were really starting to be in eachothers pockets. In true Osaka style we went back for more toast and decided to spend the day mooching around and having deep chats.
Hanna used to live in Hiroshima and I love talking to her about her time in Japan. We did a bit more laundry as I had run out of socks, don’t quite know how I managed that given that I had literally done laundry 2 days before. None the less we continued our day of exploring by going to a very cute café run by a mum and daughter, and visiting a highly sought out curry near to where we were staying.
We spent some time shopping at Daiso where they literally have every single thing you can imagine and we finished off the pack of cigarettes we’d bought the night before at a café you can smoke in. Very 80’s vibes. We strolled to Dontobori to see the famous man and had one final ramen together which really tingled my spidey senses.
I found some nice shoes in Dr Martens which I reluctantly avoided buying, sehr stylish though (if anyone wants to send me £150 I’m sure I’ll be able to find them in Australia).
After saying goodbye to Hanna who was headed to Kyoto, Shinno and I went for some Izakaya in the main part of town. We stayed up chatting till 3am and I had to get up for my flight at 6, but I thought better to be tired than wired the whole way to Kuala Lumpur.
Japan, what a fucking time. You really are just as good as everyone says. While the food didn’t really do it for me, there were many times on this trip I was really taken aback by the scenery. I only had positive experiences with the people and I met such fun people on my travels around, as well as getting to catch up with old friends (in the grand scheme of things) like Anne.
I would love to come back and explore Tokyo in more depth as I don’t think I got to see much of the city. I would also bring a bike next time and come for longer, with a bigger budget because I think there is an endless list of things to do here. High on the list for my future travels are Okinawa, the tropical island in the South, as well as coming in the spring to see the cherry blossom. One thing I’m pretty gutted about is not being able to see Mt Fuji, but I suppose it’s just another excuse to come back!
The culture here is so cool, and people are just more respectful in general e.g., keeping the toilets clean for the next person to use, no talking on public transport. I really love the language and am thinking about trying to pick some up on DuoLingo but I am a woman of many words and not much conviction. All of the Japanese people I met were so kind, calm and would go out of their way to help me, so many people just love to drink and have fun even though the country has a lot of rules. I really think I could live in Japan, but I have heard the work culture is crazy and the wages are not good. I would highly highly recommend Japan, I loved every second, especially when the sun was shining.