Back within our city walls

As I am sitting in our kitchen on Sunday night, it is hard to comprehend that earlier today we were walking around Harajuku in Tokyo, enjoying a sunny Sunday morning. In some ways it's hard to comprehend what we have accomplished over the last 14 days. We went into this trip not really knowing what to expect. The guide books and internet sites we had referenced prior to the trip had shown great promise, but we all know that doesn't always turn into reality.

Although I don't consider myself "a frog in the well", I do think that I have avoided some travel experiences for fear of the unknown. I had always had a very indifferent attitude about travel to Asian destinations, but the Japan experience has opened my mind. What we experienced in Japan was far from my uneducated assumptions of the past.

Take for example a city like Tokyo. Prior to visiting I assumed that it would be a large, dirty, noisy city where everyone fights for themselves and never looks up while they walk along the crowded streets. My assumption was completely wrong. Tokyo is impeccably clean, it isn't littered with horns honking and people yelling. The locals walk the streets with a smile on their faces and laughing with their friends. And you never get harassed by anyone, in fact if you look like you are in need of assistance, someone always steps up and asks if they can help you.

The subway experience demonstrated the unparalleled respect that the Japanese have for others. They wait patiently in single files lines for the trains to arrive. When the train arrives no one rushes to get on, they politely wait while the departing passengers come off. No one pushes to the front of the line to get on the train. If the train is full the wait for the next one.

As rich as Japan's history is, and I hope we demonstrated some of that in "The Frog in the Well", the thing that really stands out is how resilient the Japanese are. We had mentioned in the blog how many of the temples and castles we had visited were not the originals. In fact many of the sites had been rebuilt several times over the years. Whether they were dealing with destructive earthquakes, fires or war, the Japanese have always rebounded and rebuilt their infrastructure.

We absolutely loved the trip and highly recommend it as a destination for singles, couples or families. Having said that, the following are our individual top three memories of Japan

(although it's almost impossible to narrow down to three...)

Bronwyn

1. Petting the dear at Nara

2. The Gold Pavilion

3. The Fish Market

Fintan

1. Tokyo Tower

2. The Zen Garden at Ryoan-ji temple

3. FC Tokyo v Kashima Antlers game

Stacey

1. Great Buddha Hall at Nara - with the amazing bronze Buddha

2. Guided tour of Nara

3. Tempura lunch with Yasu and Kotani - we ate things we would never have tried on our own

Ian

1. Great Buddha Hall at Nara - with the amazing bronze Buddha

2. The Fish Market - including those great little 5 person restaurants

3. Tempura lunch with Yasu and Kotani - we ate things we would never have tried on our own

The original intent of "The Frog in the Well" was to document our trip so that we could share the pictures and stories with family and friends as they happened. Now that it is over, we hope that the pictures and stories of our journey helps others to dream about exploring the amazing world that exists outside of their own city walls.