To me it's a land of contradictions, a parodox. The streets and sidewalks are crowded, yet spacious. The train system is complex, but simple. The people are in a hurry, but have time to spare. They are serious, but warm-hearted. The population is dense, but there is plenty of personal space. I leave Japan with a feeling of unsatisfied curiosity.

I transferred planes in Tokyo on my last trip . I decided then, the next time I came this way I would spend some time in this country. This time, on my way back to South East Asia, I wanted to stop off and spend some time in this nation in East Asia. Japan is located in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Sea of Japan. To the east is China, North and South Korea and Russia.
 
Japan is an island. I have always seen pictures of Japan's Geisha girls in their traditional dress and the Japanese structures made of wood, elevated on stilts with tiled roofs. I've seen movies of them sitting on pillows instead of chairs and using sliding doors in place of walls. The many colorful lanterns and their home life always intrigued me. It always seemed like one of those countries you just need to see for yourself.

As I sit here on the plane, leaving Japan, I reflect on this country that I have traveled for several weeks. I left Kyoto on the bullet train early this morning bound for Tokyo where I will catch an express train to the Tokyo airport.

As has been the case in each country I have traveled to so far, my impression of the country has greatly changed from what it was before I arrived .

Just a few weeks ago, I landed, not far from midnight, and immediately felt this was a place unlike any other I have been to.

The people here are some of the most courteous I have seen anywhere. I was prepared to put up with pushing and shoving in crowded places and people breaking in front of you when standing in lines. I have seen Asians in America that did these things. Like they didn't respect other people's space. But, it was not like that in Japan at all. It was really the opposite. If someone needs to walk in front of you, they will bow slightly and say something. I am sure they are saying "excuse me" or "sorry", or something similar.

The clerks in stores will bow and say something after your purchase while smiling. I did not find this much in the other Asian countries. Store clerks in many of the other countries do not smile, or even tell you what you owe. If I would say thank you after a purchase, often they would not even respond with a smile or nod . It is so different in Japan. When you leave the store you feel like you are the most important person in the town.

They are a nation of serious people, seriously. They are hurrying down the street, in the subway, or wherever they happen to be. When standing in the subway waiting on their train or sitting on the train, they are seriously looking at their phone or newspaper or sleeping. Not laughing and talking to their neighbor, just seriously being serious.

They are serious about their anime. Entire blocks are dedicated to it. You follow narrow hallways through floor after floor looking at it. They are serious about their electronics. Stores selling just electronics are lit with neon lights and look like a small city in itself. 

They are serious about their religion. I see them burning incense and paying respect at shrines everywhere. I don't understand the signifcance of so many rituals, but they do, and they are serious, stopping, regardless of where they are going or what they are doing to pay their respects . 

They are a very helpful people. Japanese are second to none, in my opinion, when it comes to being helpful. This was something I noticed from when I first arrived at Tokyo's airport, and it proved to be the same the entire time I spent here.
 
No one makes eye contact or smiles as you pass them on the street, or on the trains, or anywhere else. They don't start up a conversation wanting to know where you are from and how long you will be in the country. There are no beggars asking for money and you don't have to be wary of someone always trying to scam you. There are no touts calling out to you to use or buy their products or services. But, they were always ready to help, whether it was a young person or woman or sophisticated-looking gentleman.

When I would ask for directions, I just expected to be pointed in the direction I should go and I would ask further along if I needed more information. But, these people that seem non-approachable are not satisfied with just pointing me the right way . More often than not they personally take me to where I need to be, no matter how far it is, and then nod and leave, going back to where I met them.

Once I asked an executive-looking man in a business suit ((that was waiting on a train platform) where I could find my train. He had been standing there, looking at his phone, seeming very professional. I interrupted him to ask my question, showing him my destination's name. He didn't speak English, but motioned for me to follow him. He took me up and down a couple flights of escalators and around a couple of hallways before pointing to where I should wait. Then, he turned and went back to where I had met him. It's awesome the type of service you get here.

A lady was sweeping the walk in front of her small shop one day. I stopped to ask where to find the post office. I had been walking and trying to follow my map for a while with no luck. She didn't speak English but started to point and give directions in Japanese to me . Then, she stood her broom up, motioned for me to follow and led me two blocks down the street to the post office, leaving her open shop unattended long enough to help me. (It was a good thing, too. The little place didn't resemble a post office at all, and there was no signs in English).

The young people were just as helpful, sometime enlisting the aid of their friends to help. Seldom did any of them speak English. One small group of Japanese students were trying to tell me where to change trains in their language when my stop came up and I had to get off. I was looking at the signs on the platforms, trying to figure out which direction I should go, when a woman motioned for me to follow her. She had been listening to the students trying to tell me. I hadn't even noticed her. She led me all over the corridors and escalators until she got me to my next station. Then, she turned and went back the way we came. She was heading in the other direction, but took the time to personally lead me to where I needed to be .

I think of the woman on the train that passed me a note telling me my stop was yet an hour away. She overheard me trying to ask some other people for help, but still not sure of their answers. She could have just ignored the situation but took the time to help.

 The examples could go on and on. Other travelers I talk with seem to have the same experiences.

Things are organized and efficient in Japan. From the doors that slide open at the lightest touch to the door handle to the city sidewalks, they are efficient. The colorful, attractive brick sidewalks have a yellow, raised section in the middle of them. I guess that is to separate the two directions of pedestrian traffic, like the white line on a street does. 

At crosswalks there is are cross sections marked for bicycles, so pedestrians don't have to worry about bikes weaving in and out while they cross the busy streets .
 
 At small cafe's you buy tickets for your meal out of a machine instead of paying the waiter. There are escalators everywhere. You stand obediently on the left side so others that want to walk instead of ride can pass you by on the right. Just like a passing lane on a highway. People look serious and usually in a hurry.

There are never any trash cans along the streets, but the streets and sidewalks are spotlessly clean. There are not even cigarette butts around. They recycle everything, and are very environmentally friendly.

You never have to ask for clean towels, soap, toilet paper or shampoo in the hostels I stayed in. They are always clean.

The quality control in Japan is evident everywhere. I wonder if an unorganized person could live here?

Japan is a modern city. They have rebuilt the country after the wars and natural disasters they face, being an island . There are the old wooden Japanese style building to be found and the Japanese culture is everywhere. But, it is also a modern country, with skyscrapers and all the modern technology. The wonderful thing I like is how the old and the new seems to intertwine seamlessly. A person can enjoy the traditional Japanese style culture and the modern at the same time, and it seems to work!

The language and expenses are not what I expected. I found not many of the people speak English, outside of hotels and a few places like that. Overall, there is very little English spoken. The other Asian countries seem to emphasize English classes in the schools, but it does not seem to be so in Japan. The signs around town and train stations and attractions are often just in Japanese, no English version like other countries I have been to. I was surprised at this, expecting more English signs and spoken language here.

One thing you always hear about Japan is how expensive it is to visit or live . It is definitely costlier here than other places. The train system if very costly, and one of the bigger expenses. The food and lodging are also more expensive. But you can control the food and lodging by choosing whereto eat and sleep, depending on your budget level and style of travel. Overall it costs more to travel in Japan, but it is not totally out of reach.

Remembering Japan! Riding on the Shinkansen (bullet train) and seeing Mount Fuji out the window on the trip from Tokyo to Kyoto was mesmerizing. I would loved to have visited Mt Fuji, but there was just not enough time on this trip. 

The trains into the mountains and small towns was a highlight of my visit. The views I saw and the people I met were unbelievable.

But, what I will remember most about Japan is what an enigma it is. I would need much more time to understand the unique personality of this nation, if I ever could. I can't help the feeling that there is so much more to this culture than what I understand .

I will always wonder about the culture as understood through the mind of a Japanese person. I was amazed and awed at the culture, but it remains a mystery more so now than when I arrived. 

After just a few weeks there are so many things I still do not really understand about the culture of this Asian Nation. It really seems complex to me, beyond my comprehension. I would need to spend some time with some Japanese person that spoke very good English for me to learn the answers to the many questions I have about their culture. 

I will always smile a little when I think of the reaction of the locals when I would say I was from the U.S. They would want to know where and I would say Texas. I learned to say Texas on my last Asian trip because most of the people in these counties are only familiar with a few U.S. states, such as New York, California, Texas and maybe Florida.

In all the other coutries in Asia I have visited, when I say Texas, they imitate John Wayne firing guns . Here, in Japan, as soon as I say Texas, they smile and swing an imaginary bat, saying, "Ah, Texas Rangers". (Never the Cowboys).

With pleasant memories and many unanswered questions, I leave the Empire of Japan, "The Land of the Rising Sun", and all the mystic that surrounds it.

My flight tonight will take me to Shanghai, in the Peoples Republic of China.