Zen, super-toilets and spaghetti from a vending machine

Japan has a very special place in my heart. I’ve been fortunate enough to visit the country multiple times and can’t get enough of it. I love how it’s a clash of the ultra-modern and the very traditional. You can spend the morning in a Zen temple and then the evening in a robot restaurant. You can experience an ancient tea ceremony and then follow it up with sushi delivered to you on a conveyer belt. It’s a contrasting, vibrant and exciting place to spend time.

I’ve always been attracted to novelty and quirky experiences and Japan has provided me with plenty of these. A few examples:

After climbing Mt Fuji, I found myself absolutely exhausted and in desperate need of food. Luckily in Japan you’re never far from a vending machine. They are literally everywhere. On this occasion I happened to find myself right next to a vending machine that sold spaghetti. I was too hungry to turn down this opportunity so ordered myself a bowl of the good stuff. It was a surreal moment but the spaghetti was actually pretty good.

Another experience that I will never forget is the first time I came across a Japanese super-toilet. Yes, it’s as great as it sounds. Some Japanese toilets have been upgraded to have a whole host of features. The panel looks more complicated than a regular remote control and the first time I saw one, I had no idea what any of the buttons did. It turns out that some are for spraying hot/cold water, some are for changing the seat temperature and some are for playing music. They are pretty impressive contraptions. In fact, I would install a Japanese super-toilet in my house right now if I had the choice. I think my wife needs a bit of convincing though!

It’s not just the novel and hi-tech experiences that have stuck with me. One of the things that I have really connected with in Japan is Zen. I’m a huge fan of the philosophy and absolutely love the aesthetic. I have spent hours sitting in Zen gardens and Zen temples all over Japan and enjoy the peace and tranquillity found there. These gardens are typically minimalistic in design and make careful use of space. In one particular temple there is an extremely rare flower in the corner that only blossoms for one day every year. It symbolises how brief life is and represents the Buddhist concept of impermanence. The attention to detail and symbolism within these gardens is incredible.

On another occasion, I was lucky enough to stay in a Ryokan – a traditional Japanese guest house. I was required to wear a Yukata (robe) to dinner and presented with a huge spread of traditional Japanese food. It was one of the most formal experiences of my life. I had no clue what I was doing and completely messed up the order of how everything should be eaten. It was quite funny in hindsight although I was pretty embarrassed at the time.

The thing is, when I first started visiting Japan there were so many instances where I wanted to get closer to the culture and understand things better. This ended up being one of the reasons why I decided to take my relationship with the country to the next level and start learning the language.

I began learning Japanese for two reasons. The first was because I wanted to challenge myself. The second was that I wanted to gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of the culture. When you learn a foreign language, you naturally begin to form a special bond with that country. Even after a few months of studying, you get excited when you notice the language being used in the real world. I remember getting very excited about being able to read the Japanese characters on Uniqlo’s storefront. It’s the small things, right?!

Spending hours and hours studying the Japanese language, which is fiendishly difficult to learn by the way, has taught me so much about myself. It’s allowed me to get closer to Japanese culture and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this. Being able to hold a conversation entirely in Japanese was a real benchmark moment for me. In fact, the last time I was in Japan I set myself the challenge of only using Japanese the whole time I was there. I manged to do this and felt such a deep connection with the country because of it.

There are so many things I have learned from Japanese culture and it’s hard to choose which one has had the most impact on my life. I think the attention to detail is something that I find particularly inspiring. The fact that trains are so punctual and that people are respectful towards each other is also a wonderful thing. Watching the Japanese fans clean up the Stadium after Japan played in the Rugby World Cup a few years back certainly sets a precedent for other nations. Maybe we should all be a bit more like the Japanese!

Where to Visit

I’d like to finish up by giving you a few recommendations. If you do find yourself in Japan, these are my top three suggestions:

1. Visit the Golden Gai district in Shinjuku.

This is an area in central Tokyo that has a muddle of tiny Japanese bars. You will definitely feel like you are in Japan here. To get a sense of what this is like, check out the Japanese TV series Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories on Netflix.

2. Visit the Daitoku-ji temple complex in Kyoto.

This is home to the most beautiful Zen temples I have ever seen. There are plenty of dry rock gardens and lots of empty space (very Zen). My favourite temple is Koto-In.

3. Go to a 7/11 supermarket.

You are never very far away from a 7/11 supermarket in Japan. With cheap prices and a wonderful selection of interesting food to try, spending some time exploring what’s on offer will be a wise investment of your time. Also, look out for a pizza bun from the hot counter when you’re there. You can thank me later.

Japanese Inspiration

For general inspiration on Japan and its culture, I recommend the following three books:

Lost Japan by Alex Kerr

This is a detailed look at many traditional aspects of Japanese culture. Alex walks you through everything beautifully.

A Geek in Japan by Hector Garcia

This is more of a reference book that explores many aspects of modern Japanese culture. From Nintendo to Cosplay, this book covers a real cross-section of Japan.

Japonisme by Erin Niimi Longhurst

This is a beautiful guide to Japan. It has lovely illustrations and is packed with some great Japanese concepts.

And finally, if you want to get your teeth sunk into some videos, you can’t beat the YouTube channel – Abroad in Japan. Chris’ videos are both hilarious and insightful. Enjoy!