Cubapop
Life, Culture and Travels from the perspective of a Cuban
Japan on my mind
Categories: Trips

I visited Japan three months ago and came back full of mixed emotions. Good emotions. I had the chance to visit Tokyo for a week and Kyoto for only a couple of days but enough to be convinced that I want to return during a spring or summer to travel by train and get lost in their cities.
Japanese are probably the most polite people I know. Even when they rush there is a certain calm that distinct them. They are helpful, organized and they seem to be made of a very strong personality. They are proper and friendly at the same time. They are not very expressive but they are truly grateful, sensitive and interesting people. They love art, technology, colours and French bakeries.
They are the builders of an amazing nation.
The city of Tokyo is crowded but everything seems to run smoothly and keep its harmony. Kyoto is a smaller city with a different charm. I enjoyed seeing happy kids taking the bus by themselves to go to school.
Some of the things that called my attention about my surroundings: no garbage, no cigarette butts on the ground. Even the busy streets and subway stations are extremely clean. Everything works properly. No subway machines were out of service or street vending machines out of stock. No trains were late, ever.
Japanese culture and traditions combined with the modern it is an incredible experience for any foreigner. Many times we think that different cultures are too far from what we know but we all humans need and look for the same thing: a meaningful existence, love, friendship, family, a career and a vacation.
Seeing the news and pictures from Japan since Friday, after the earthquake and tsunami that lashed the Eastern part of the island have been devastating. It seems so unreal and painful that I have decided not to talk about it here, only leave space for all the great feelings that I brought back and have stayed in my memory since then.

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