Describing Japan in 500 words is difficult.
A few weeks since I returned from my first visit I am still trying to process the sights and sounds, the hundreds of small impressions that make up the memory of my trip.
Having previously set down a take in words I figure that now it’s the turn of pictures. Here’s ten that sum up what I saw of the country over the course of a busy 12 days.
I’ll get back to Japan, sooner rather than later. These impressions are part of the reason why.
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The Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine is a major Shinto landmark in Kyoto. Like many such shrines it’s watched over by a fox – seen in the Shinto religion as a messenger.
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Ten minutes from the busy Umeda commercial district of Osaka lies the river Yudo. Despite being on the cusp of a city of 2.6m people only a few runners hit the riverside running trails in the morning.
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From the Toyko subway to the famed Shinkansen to a tiny local in Kamakura we rode the rails all over. With every train on time.
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Yamakazi single malt and dried shrimp from the 24 hour konbini store – is there a better way to end the night?
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We ate big, we ate small, we ate sushi, we ate yakatori, but we always ate together. This was at an izakaya in Osaka, one of a number we visited.
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The Japanese love their dogs, and their dogs must love them. The famous Hachiko landmark at Shibuya Station in Tokyo commemorates Hachiko, a Akita dog who famously turned up daily to greet his deceased master for nine years after his owner‘s death.
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Attention to detail is taken for granted. Whether it’s street sweeping, ticket collecting or making simple store-bought sandwiches.
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There are 6,000 people per square kilometre in Tokyo. And it feels like most of them are waiting by the lights at the famed Shibuya Crossing. People, people, people: up, down, left, right, forward, back.
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Amazingly we had little sushi during our visit. An hour before we flew home we rectified this, at breakfast, at Narita Airport.
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The language: I wish I could read it. But part of me wonders how I’d ever manage to comprehend the bewildering array of symbols used. Maybe one day I’ll tackle this translation.
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