Though Japan felt "the closest" in culture and comfort to me of all the countries visited, there were distinctly Japanese experiences that are not America! English does not go as far in Japan, though the people are extremely polite in their not-knowing our language. Japanese people wait quietly in lines in the train and subway stations. Japanese people are quiet in public at parks, on the streets, at shrines, and on public transportation. The Japanese have it "all over" us on display, product presentation, and packaging. Stores in the US and Japan have a very similar appearance and also in the products. It's very hard to find an ATM that will take foreign credit cards so getting yen was always difficult......
Food: plastic or real, and package presentationJapan has an advanced industry for plastic food.
I saw this 40+ years ago when I visited Japan, and the art has only gotten better.
Presumably this plastic food fashion came from a time when a good percentage of the population was illiterate and the plastic food helped with the ordering.
It certainly helped foreigners because English menus were scarce.
In addition, Japan has food (and product) presentation WAY WAY ahead of us in the USA
Check it out: which is real and which is plastic????
People: Japanese and American
I know it looks like a painted backdrop, but actually fellow Faculty member Fernando Opere and I were photographed in front of the Golden Pavillion.
Wee happened to visit Japan over the national holiday that is similar to Thanksgiving.
At that time some parents 'present' their 3 year old boys, 5 year old girls and boys, and seven year old girls. They are dressed in traditional kimonos, sometimes the parents are also traditionally dressed, and they all go meet invited guests at the Shinto shrine.
Gardens
The gardens in Japan are particularly interesting, ancient, traditional, and contemporary.
The Japanese people apparently enjoy the gardens as well - they were there, walking in great numbers.
I have a great urge to further develop my 3 garden opportunities in Charlottesville - front, side, and back. Will this impulse hold over winter into spring in Virginia?
I think I will place a rock sculpture like this one in my garden.....
Ryoan-Ji, built in 1450 by deputy shogun Hosokawa Ketsumoto is a garden park that contains the world-famous Zen dry garden, a contemplative space with 14 rocks and raked gravel. Meditation is the key to understanding this garden.
Japanese toilets and restrooms:
Japan takes first prize, internationally, for the #1 toilet and restroom technology and fixtures.
One can still find the traditional squat toilets (and instructions on how to properly use them in the "Japanese style").
Otherwise, the restrooms have accommodations unlike
anywhere else that I have seen: heated seats, heated squirts or mists of cleansing water, heated puffs of drying water, child safety seats to free up mommy's hands, and miniature child urinals.
