Japan changed me…

I went to Japan, now all I do is compare everything to Japan

Japan is a special place, I have been enough times to know it’s also a very real place, yes just like anywhere else it has its pros and cons BUT Japan is special to me! It’s hard coming home from Japan, they say post holiday blues from Japan hit different (harder!) and I agree.

Japan really feels like another dimension, completely different to anywhere else in the world. Its modern yet has so much tradition and history, something that I really find inspiring.

Japan has forever changed me, I love visiting there’s always a quiet reflection that happens with learnings and introspective moments. Japan makes me want to be a better human. Perhaps in the quietness you can really hear the truth.

I love the details in Japan, nature, history, architecture, design, simplicity, respect and thoughtfulness, the list could go on it’s my utopia!

I like to romanticise life always and this is easy to do in Japan, I can only explain from my own experience but there is something magic about Japan and how it makes me feel…

This I know to be true, people in Japan match your energy, and appreciate taking pride in how you present youeself ( yes don’t travel around in your gym clothes in Japan wear cute outfits) People think about the collective not just the individual, Japan is very organised. If you are polite, curious and not loud this will get you everywhere.

Then other thing that makes travelling to Japan much more satisfying is knowing that I will never see it all. The more I go the more relaxed my days are, I prefer to enjoy there days at a slower pace, not trying to do too much and to not have a crazy list to check off. I prefer the real life moments and experiences, getting lost or getting off one train station earlier and really exploring away from the crowds. I like to feel like a local. Honestly know this makes travelling much more satisfying and the truth is you could go to Tokyo and Kyoto hundreds of times and not see it all. I mean I haveseen and discovered things that my friends in Japan have not seen themselves!

My biggest piece of advice before visiting Japan is to learn a few basic phrases, this will make all the difference. I swear, like I said in Japan people really match your energy and it will be appreciated that you have made an effort to communicate in Japanese and you don’t have to be perfect just sincere.

Maybe it’s the paradoxical nature of this place that I love best. There are no bins and yet there is no litter. No tips but better service. More traffic but calmer drivers. More tradition yet more modernity. Quiet crowds. Strict yet relaxed. Organised but deeply human. In Japan if you ask someone for directions they might just walk you there, or if you order a taxi from a hotel, the front desk will wait with you on the street. A total paradox, the world’s largest city’s also feels like the world’s safest city. After each of my trips to Japan, I’m already dreaming of the next trip. It’s a place that changes you in the best kind of way. It’s made me crave simplicity and rethink all aspects of life and to make things less complicated. I still spend my days dreaming of moving to Japan for a more simple life complete with cute bicycle, of course.

Of course I created an APP to make planning and navigating Japan a little easier you can download.

Arigato Jason

Download the app here.

Katsuo-ji Temple Osaka.