In so many ways, my recent trip to Japan was truly a gift, an unimaginable trip for which I am forever grateful to have experienced, on my own terms. For decades, (yes, since my colic stage) Japan has been my number one dream come true destinations. Since the beginning of time, their sensibility to human interactions, their culture, history, intelligence to smart new inventions, their dedication to age old textile techniques, glorious wonders of their kimonos, natural ability to use colour and lines to composite a perfectly simple space that flows are just the few things that fascinate my thirst for this country.

Throughout life, as I pranced, shouting to the world my desire to go to Japan, everyone, literally, everyone from friend to foe rubbed into my face all the misconceptions of Japan which clouded my delayed gratification.

“Everything in Japan is expensive” (Number of times I heard this, would have probably paid my way to Japan!)

“Especially because you are a Chinese woman, men will not respect you there”

“You do not know the language. No one speaks English there.”

“Don’t go now, their food contain trances of radiation levels.” (Nuclear Plant radiation leak in Japan, 2011)

But perhaps this is the very reason why this trip will forever hold a special place in my heart. Ever since I made a change to finally act upon my life goals, take more actionable decisions, life happenings kind of just…. fell into place, as if it was meant to be. So sudden was this trip, I only had 2 months to make human connections and plan an itinerary before departure. With my life goals in mind, this trip became more of a personal business trip than the typical sightseeing vacation. My motivation to make the most out of this sudden gracious opportunity became my drive to reach out to artisans practicing their crafts in Japan. I filled my itinerary with visits to small Japanese shops with the focus on Japanese textiles, museums and destinations that would inspire my new line of work to which I will be happy to elaborate on my next post.

Today, I simply want to show my gratitude to have experienced and knock down some of the misconceptions that so clouded my delayed gratification. While my trip may have been 12 days short, all my experiences in Japan was nothing short of amazingness. I had shared on my social media platform the profound sadness I felt during my last meal at Narita airport. I’ve traveled to other eastern countries including my own home town (Hong Kong) but always on the last day, I was happy to return back to Toronto, to the mundane lifestyle I was so use to. It seems, I have a deeper connection with a country I was not physically born into.

Misconception 1: Japan is an expensive place to visit.
Allow me to be transparent. A solo traveler, I was able stay within my budget, just over $3,000 CDN for 12 days, 4 main destinations (Tohoku, Kyoto, Osaka & Tokyo) 10 hotel nights (private room + hotel amenities) including flight & transportation which included many taxi rides with comfortable spending on what I pleased (within reason). Because Japan is recognized as one of the top destinations, they have accommodations for the budget minded travellers for as little as $30 a night with shared washrooms & common spaces, especially popular in Tokyo. Conscientious budget mind spenders, Japan is affordable!!

Food was not a concern. Japan is a place where hunger holds no meaning. Every block offered any sort of culinary goodies, specialized in their family/community/region. An average meal at any given restaurant, any region, ranges from 500 – 1200 yen which comes with their famous matcha tea on the house and their piping hot white napkin to clean your hands prior to feasting. Food on the go from donut shops & their endless locations of 7’Eleven’s ranged from 100 – 500 yen. Splurge meals in Japan is equivalent to any splurge meals anywhere you reside. And every meal, no matter how cheap or expensive, it will take taste…heavenly. Chefs in Japan have a beautiful reputation of dedicating their lives to dishing out their greatest achievements for every customer they serve, regardless of price.

Transportation while it is slightly more expensive than other metropolitan cities, their transit services from rails to buses are top notch. My average travel per day cost via subways in Tokyo ranged from 230 – 1,000 yen which includes transfers. Tokyo’s seemingly complex transit system can be overwhelming for first time travelers but once you get the jist of it, it becomes quite convenient to travel one destination to another on rails verses airplanes. Taxis however, depending on region, start at 600 yen so a 15 minute ride will cost you, after conversion to CDN dollars today; $40. But for more budget friendly, sight-seeing traveler, there are many locations where they rent out bikes to tourist to zip around.

Retail goods. While Japan has many highly crafted, specialty stores, which may have provided the misconception of expensive goods, one must understand the amount of time spent to make a single crafted good and appreciate the craftsmanship to be able to shell out the dollars. A single pair of handcrafted chopsticks can be sold for over 20,000 yen (you’ll find such store on Terramachi street in Kyoto ) but you can also go to Daiso (Japanese 100 yen stores) and buy one for 100 yen. So how you spend is truly up to you. So, in conclusion, Japan is affordable.

Misconception # 2: Traces of radiation still lingers in food. You’ll come back disfigured. (I’m not kidding you. I honestly heard this!)
I’m sure the radiation issue in Japan is no laughing matter and should be taken seriously and precautions taken, however, the underlining truth about a Japanese individual is, they will not serve food to their customers if they themselves deem it not safe to be eaten. Their service and respect to others can be witnessed at every turn, providing their very best for every customer they serve. So I’m going to trust the food that is placed before me and slurp real loud on my ramen to show my appreciation to the chef(s).

Misconception # 3: Especially because you are Chinese woman, men will not respect you &
Misconception # 4: No one speaks English there.
This one was the most shocking. Everyone, literally everyone I’ve encountered, both male or female has been nothing but gracious to me; a foreigner. I had several opportunities having long winded, somewhat intelligent conversations with Japanese men and never once did I feel degraded because I am a woman of Chinese descent. Every individual I had the pleasure of talking to was extremely forthcoming with their knowledge, who went above and beyond my expectation to get one from one place to another. Even those who spoke no English guided me with directions using hand motions, pointing the right way and ending the conversation with them saying to you in Japanese “Please take good care of yourself.” Wherever you go, you are greeted with a “Welcome!” in Japanese and as you leave, they send you off with “Thank you very much for coming.”

Simple true humanity lives here. Respect is a value that everyone cherishes and gives out freely. For this, I am infinitely thankful to have been afforded the experiences had in Japan. The beauty of authenticity in human interactions is the underlining key of why I’ve always been in love with Japan. Until we meet again Japan.

Like Sayuri as a little girl from the movie “Memoirs of a Geisha” I relived that scene of Sayuri running through these tori gates at Fushimi Inari Temple. A dream moment happened.