In August 2009 I went to visit the empire of the rising sun, or Japan!
Of the many trips taken and the places seen, Japan was one of those who most impressed me.
Maybe because as a child I learned to appreciate everything that came from Japan, including video games and manga, but this trip I've always dreamed of and I was not disappointed at all, in fact, everything was much nicer than what I would have ever imagined.
Japan is really a particular country, with its traditions, its beautiful temples, the cleanliness and order of his city ... and people!
Yes, people have been one of the things I most appreciated on this trip.
Like being in another world, in a world apart.
There are boys dressed in suits with bright colors, managers in suits and evening after work get drunk (but do not bother anyone), Buddhist monks, women dressed as geishas, and much more.
But what is most striking is the sense of honor of the Japanese.
Yes, because in Japan you can be poor and all you want, but the fact of scrub next is considered something reprehensible and who does not only misjudged by society, but try himself a great sense of dishonor.
A little 'different from here, where it seems to be cunning and cheat the neighbor is a source of pride, do not you?
But then what about order and cleanliness is in their streets?
I visited Tokyo and Kyoto, and I made more trips like Nara, Hiroshima and other areas, and a sense of the general cleaning I never tried anywhere else in the world.
But apart from the cleanliness, even the kindness of the Japanese people do not mess around.
And that I discovered just arrived, when we got lost at the exit of the Tokyo subway because of the way written in Japanese with a non-existent number.
You know what happened? A woman all dressed up that probably was going to work, seeing us in trouble stopped and she found us the way, by calling an acquaintance on his cell phone to ask questions and making a 10 minute walk up to take us to our hotel.
Disoriented and accustomed to Italy already were thinking of a scam or who wanted money in exchange, instead he smiled upon us and is gone ... just great!
And then the order. In the metro stations there are strips where everyone stops in the right place to go and no one passes you more awake believing, the only ones who step out of line at most are tourists.
On trains for example, even if empty, the seats are all marked and if you move they make you put in your place, always with grace and kindness.
Speaking of trains, we want to talk shinkansen? The famous ultra-fast maglev trains that take you from place to place Japan in a short time.
The means of transport in Japan are then punctually.
Adding up all the delays to all trains in a year, it barely reaches a few minutes, and when this happens the incumbent president officially apologizes to the nation!
Just equal to Italy is not it? ;)
I move to Japan I only used trains and subways, buying online from Italy a call card Japan rail pass, with which I was able to unlimited travel for two weeks on the fastest trains.
One particular thing that I noticed traveling on the subway is that some Japanese fall asleep on the way, and then wake up magically stop to which must go down.
Of course, then even the Japanese have their own problems, of course.
For example in Japan are frequent harassment and Palpatine on public transport, so that on some metropolitan there are special pink carriages reserved for women only.
Even the police are different in Japan.
Try to ask information to a policeman or a police officer and you will see how they bend over backwards to help and even excuse themselves with bows if they can not (predominance; I had read on the internet that it is better not to ask anything not to put them at ease).
And that time I entered what was the equivalent of our resurgent? I found myself at every step salespeople who greeted you with a thousand bows ... dare I say almost embarrassing.
Being based in Tokyo I made several day trips, seeing everything from majestic temples, a Buddha, a city full of deer, a reserve of wild monkeys, a replica of the Statue of Liberty, a clone of the Eiffel tower and even a giant statue representing the Gundam robots.
But you know what happened the first night I arrived?
There was a strong earthquake of which he is also spoken in Italy.
Since it was night I will not have even noticed, but my other travel companions.
In Japan, earthquakes are frequent and often are much stronger than those that happen here in Italy, the difference is that you can build your houses and do not collapse miss with magnitude 8 earthquakes.
In Tokyo, I also had the privilege to see the statue of Hachiko, the dog became famous around the world for having waited for years to his dead master station, until he too has not gone to a better life.
From Tokyo then, I moved to Kyoto, another beautiful Japanese town.
With nearly 1 million and a half inhabitants, Kyoto has been in the past also the capital of Japan.
And it is precisely in Kyoto that I learned to appreciate the sushi, the fish eaten raw together with rice.
I had never tasted before, but there, in a nice restaurant where a roller was running the courses, I could appreciate the kindness.
Now Japanese sushi restaurants that Italy is full of them and also the roller conveyor is no longer a novelty, but at the time it was very fascinated me, as well as the restaurant you cook the skewers when and where that other they ate only cakes and candies.
We then talk about housing?
I've stayed both in luxurious hotels with toilets with toilet complete with remote control
both in the Ryokan, or features Japanese homes with garden, where you sleep on mattresses on the floor.
And to make matters worse, the last night I spent in a capsule hotel, or in a niche: p
One of the most unique tours I have done has been to Hiroshima, a city notorious for being the first target of the atomic bomb during World War II.
After all that has happened, Hiroshima has become a symbol of peace and not a place where you brooding resentment ... even in this case there is to learn from the spirit of the Japanese.
I'll tell you then one final curiosity.
Many Japanese run with masks on the face.
I thought it was for the smog, but someone told me that in fact in Japan blow your nose in public is considered a reprehensible act, so ... yuck! :)
There is much more to be said about Japan, but let speak my (500) photos.
What is certain, is that I'd go back ... konichiwa!