Its pride.
Its people.
Its beautiful landscape.
Its quirky little obsession with manga and all-things-cartoon.
Its beautiful ladies who paint their faces so prettily.
I could keep going, as the land of the rising sun has impressed me on countless occasions, but I wanted to cut to the chase, here are my "Top 5 Reasons Why I Love Japan".
Reason 1: The Japanese ARE the politest people on earth (see also Reason 3).I love the fact that in everything the Japanese do, manners and etiquette are involved.
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| Slippers off at the door, please |
If you are shopping, it's the done thing to give your cash/credit card with both hands and to receive the receipt/change in the same way, with a bow.
Bowing is truly one of my favourite Japanese customs as it signifies respect from one to another. For example, if you're older than me, I'll bow lower than you, if you're my manager, or if I'm serving you, the same thing applies. There's a sense of order about things.
Even in our pre-flight meeting (a 'briefing'), if there are Japanese crew present, they always stand up and bow to one another upon entering the room, by way of a polite and professional greeting.
I've also encountered them to be quiet and undemanding, when being served and in general day-to-day activities (I have been told that may also be to do with a slight language barrier... but still). In the world of air hostessing, the flights to Narita and Osaka are famous amongst crew. Not only are the Japanese tidy in a way that is quite frankly unnatural, but they are also respectful to those serving them.
I love old people, and in Japan, the elderly seem to hold this tradition of polite respect very dear. The country has an ageing population with 23.1% aged over 65 and it's touching to see the elderly men and women going about their daily business, with this mannerful character an instinctive part of their personality.
Reason 2: They celebrate cherry blossom season.
Compared to the rest of the world, who busy themselves thinking up the newest way to celebrate St Paddy's Day (in other words, come up with a new, even more ridiculous green leprechaun hat), the Japanese celebrate something a little more serene. The arrival of the most beautiful of blossoms from their treasured Sakura (cherry trees).
When I visited Ueno Park (in Ueno, Tokyo), I was a little early for full-on cherryblossom-mania but I was lucky enough to catch one special tree who was giving us a sneak preview of the season's outfits...
It struck me as quite the antithesis of a dog-eat-dog world. They try to do good for the benefit of their society as a whole, not just for that of one individual. I would love to see how this would (or could) happen in any other country. It's truly commendable.
If you do only one thing today, just watch this short video - I found it inspiring to say the least.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW
Reason 4: They like cute stuff.Or rather, they invented it. Their culture is filled with beauty, pretty little quirks and funny, Japan-specific inventions.
The design of their buildings with the upturned roof corners that look like book pages lifting in the wind.
The beautiful tiered pagodas. Brightly decorated kimonos splashed with colours and swirling designs. The bold reds and greens which shine from many of the structures around the cities. Caligraphic designs on hanging wooden wishes outside treasured temples.
The funny little vending machines which sell everything from comics and candy to trainers and potted plants (yes, really!). The make-anything-stylish girls, with their intricately put-together outfits, twinkling jewel-embellished nails and impossible hairstyles.
And one of my favourites has to be the 'doggy pram'. An invention as ridiculous as it is cute - for those pups that can't keep up. It's exactly as it sounds, a pram, for your dog. Take a look...
Cute? Ridiculous? Ridiculously cute? I really have no idea!
Reason 5: They love taking pictures (almost as much as me).That really doesn't need too much explaining as I'm quite sure most of us have experienced a tour bus full of excited Japanese tourists pull up and unleash the most photo-fanatical beings you'll ever meet. I love it.
By contrast, when I visit Moscow and I'm tramping around the Russian capital with my big Nikon, they eye me suspiciously, as though I might be carrying some kind of stealth weapon.
In Japan on the other hand, they're all so busy taking pictures that they probably dont even notice me snapping away in the background...
Aregato Japan!
Love from Japanese Dolly x
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| Cherry blossoms form an umbrella in Ueno Park |
Compared to the rest of the world, who busy themselves thinking up the newest way to celebrate St Paddy's Day (in other words, come up with a new, even more ridiculous green leprechaun hat), the Japanese celebrate something a little more serene. The arrival of the most beautiful of blossoms from their treasured Sakura (cherry trees).
 |
| Darling buds... |
When I visited Ueno Park (in Ueno, Tokyo), I was a little early for full-on cherryblossom-mania but I was lucky enough to catch one special tree who was giving us a sneak preview of the season's outfits...
Seeing this early-bloomer can be compared to the feeling you get when you win a competition where the prize is something money can't buy / you can't actually afford. I'd been busy snapping pictures of budding blossoms, doubtful that I'd get to see a real, live blossoming Sakura tree! But when I turned onto the tree-lined path that weaves through the middle of Ueno Park and caught sight of the fluttering, dainty blossoms, I was tempted to do a little dance. Rest assured I didn't, for fear of scaring one of the elderly
Japanese passers-by but instead, I floated up in a little bubble of appreciation.
I felt as high as the slim, brown branches that waved shyly at the sky.
I felt as light as the sugary pink petals, illuminated by the sun like tiny fairy lights.
And I felt as lucky as the tiny, blue-feathered birds who perched among knobbly dark wood, surrounded by gentle round blossoms and their dancing yellow stamens.
Japanese passers-by but instead, I floated up in a little bubble of appreciation.I felt as high as the slim, brown branches that waved shyly at the sky.
I felt as light as the sugary pink petals, illuminated by the sun like tiny fairy lights.
And I felt as lucky as the tiny, blue-feathered birds who perched among knobbly dark wood, surrounded by gentle round blossoms and their dancing yellow stamens.
Truly a moment that cannot be recaptured, nor very well recited.
Now I understand why this once-a-year event is such a special one for the Japanese.
Reason 3: Their actions speak louder than words.
During the aftermath of 2011's tragic tsunami, despite a natural disaster on their hands, the people of Japan remained proud of their country's environmentally-friendly ethic, maintaining recycling systems in refuge shelters and collectively preventing electricity cuts by reducing their power consumption at certain times of the day (without being asked, and with no legalities in place). There was no looting, and people receiving aid waited impossibly patiently in queues... (image below from Channel 4 News)
Now I understand why this once-a-year event is such a special one for the Japanese.
Reason 3: Their actions speak louder than words.
During the aftermath of 2011's tragic tsunami, despite a natural disaster on their hands, the people of Japan remained proud of their country's environmentally-friendly ethic, maintaining recycling systems in refuge shelters and collectively preventing electricity cuts by reducing their power consumption at certain times of the day (without being asked, and with no legalities in place). There was no looting, and people receiving aid waited impossibly patiently in queues... (image below from Channel 4 News)
It struck me as quite the antithesis of a dog-eat-dog world. They try to do good for the benefit of their society as a whole, not just for that of one individual. I would love to see how this would (or could) happen in any other country. It's truly commendable.
If you do only one thing today, just watch this short video - I found it inspiring to say the least.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW
Reason 4: They like cute stuff.Or rather, they invented it. Their culture is filled with beauty, pretty little quirks and funny, Japan-specific inventions.
The design of their buildings with the upturned roof corners that look like book pages lifting in the wind.
The beautiful tiered pagodas. Brightly decorated kimonos splashed with colours and swirling designs. The bold reds and greens which shine from many of the structures around the cities. Caligraphic designs on hanging wooden wishes outside treasured temples.
 |
| Wooden blocks inscribed with wishes hang outside temples and make music in the wind |
The funny little vending machines which sell everything from comics and candy to trainers and potted plants (yes, really!). The make-anything-stylish girls, with their intricately put-together outfits, twinkling jewel-embellished nails and impossible hairstyles.
And one of my favourites has to be the 'doggy pram'. An invention as ridiculous as it is cute - for those pups that can't keep up. It's exactly as it sounds, a pram, for your dog. Take a look...
 |
| The Doggy Pram - are you serious?! |
Cute? Ridiculous? Ridiculously cute? I really have no idea!
Reason 5: They love taking pictures (almost as much as me).That really doesn't need too much explaining as I'm quite sure most of us have experienced a tour bus full of excited Japanese tourists pull up and unleash the most photo-fanatical beings you'll ever meet. I love it.
By contrast, when I visit Moscow and I'm tramping around the Russian capital with my big Nikon, they eye me suspiciously, as though I might be carrying some kind of stealth weapon.
In Japan on the other hand, they're all so busy taking pictures that they probably dont even notice me snapping away in the background...
Aregato Japan!
Love from Japanese Dolly x
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