JAPANESE TRAVEL EXPERIENCE
By Alison
Pettigrew
 Having
studied Japanese for six years at high school, then furthering my studies
in a degree at university (coupled with a business degree) I longed to
finally experience the sights, sounds and smells of the Japanese culture
and people first-hand. So, in the mid-semester break of 2000 I organised a
two week holiday to Japan with my family in the hope that years of hard
work studying kanji, grammar patterns and folding origami would finally
pay off!
Our first destination was Tokyo where we would spend five days exploring
the city. I had heard a lot about Tokyo’s pace, yet nothing could have
prepared me for the sheer level of energy generated by the city both day
and night. Tokyo’s entire infrastructure seemed to operate like clockwork
– the subways were clean and ran on time, people were polite and friendly,
a moist towellete for our hands was always provided before a meal, and
even the salesclerks at the department stores always greeted us with a
polite bow and ‘irasshaimase’ (welcome). My family being tall and blonde
seemed to stand out in the crowd, yet I noticed that no one even stared
out of curiosity. No one ever complained during peak hour when we were
packed tightly into the trains by guards, and even though there was no
room to move everyone still seemed to have their own sense of space. The
tolerance and patience of the Japanese people comes as no surprise
however, since Tokyo alone caters for a population of approximately 12
million.
 Our time
in Tokyo was spent visiting places such as the Imperial Palace, Ueno Park,
Tsukiji fish market and the Sony building in the Ginza district. I noticed
that shopping seemed to be a favourite national pastime, with stores
encouraging this by offering child-minding services and extensive shopping
hours. The range of products were also very diverse, often a combination
of the old and modern Japan. You could find anything from digital cameras
and portable MD players to kimonos and woodblock prints. It was also not
uncommon to see a Japanese woman dressed beautifully in a kimono chatting
on her mobile phone. (Editor: Why a picture of Mc Donald's? Click to
enlarge and see all the kitty gear!)
Eating out in Japan was always an enjoyable experience. We never really
had any trouble deciding what to order as each restaurant displayed
plastic and wax replicas of their dishes in the front windows or provided
a menu with colour photos.
Initially I was both hesitant and scared to use my Japanese, but after a
series of charades with little success I was often left with no
alternative. Sometimes when I approached a Japanese person to ask for
directions they seemed most startled to see a young Australian girl trying
to converse in their native tongue. However, they were always very
helpful, and on some occasions they would walk us to our desired
destination even when it was completely out of their way!
From Tokyo we travelled 3.5 hours by Shinkansen (bullet train) to
Hiroshima. It was great having the opportunity to see some of Japan’s
countryside and dwellings, which were like tiny crowded dolls houses
compared to Australian standards. We passed Mount Fuji along the way but
unfortunately it was covered by cloud. Hiroshima, which is an industrial
city close to a port, had a totally different feel to Tokyo. Our main
reason for the trip was to visit the Peace Memorial Park and the A-Bomb
Dome (Gembaku Domu). I found the nearby Children’s Peace Memorial Park the
most touching of all, inspired by leukemia victim Sadako. According to the
legend, after developing leukemia at the age of ten Sadako decided to fold
1000 paper cranes – the symbol of longevity and happiness in Japan. She
was sure that if she could reach her target she would recover. Sadako died
before completing this figure, but children from her school finished off
the outstanding number of cranes. She was buried with them. Today, there
are hundreds of brilliantly coloured paper cranes around the memorial in
honour of Sadako, carefully folded by school children from all over Japan.
 Our
final leg of the journey was Kyoto, which was definitely my favourite
city. This is where you will find more than 2000 temples, shrines, palaces
and gardens. Yet the magnificence of the city is at times obscured: small
pockets of beauty weave their way through the complex concrete buildings
flashing neon lights. Kyoto’s train station was one of the most modern and
impressive stations I have ever seen, and was not dissimilar to an
airport! The Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji Temple) was exquisite, and even
more breathtaking in real life than depicted in photos. Built in the
1220s, the temple is covered with layers of gold leaf. The temple’s
gardens were immaculate with neatly uniformed gardeners clearing away the
tiny twigs and leaves from the fairytale surrounds. Graceful cranes picked
through the waterlillies while large blue dragonflies hummed overhead.
Although we only spent a short time in Japan, the experience gave me a
newfound confidence in my ability to write and speak Japanese. It seemed
that all the hard work was definitely worth it. Once I have completed my
University course I hope to return to Japan for an extended period to
perhaps teach English or work in an office.
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