The Juice Tram

Before I tell you my early impressions of Japan, I feel obliged to admit to my preconceived notions.

I had never been to Japan before - nor had I really been exposed to much Japanese culture. I'd seen photos of large, metropolitan cities and heard rumours of technological gadgets bordering on science fiction. I knew of the rural, quiet Japan as Japanese gardens and Shinto temples. I suppose I was expecting to find cities filled with robots and mountain villages with monks in abundance, but no Internet access.

Silly Gaijin.

The first thing that I noticed about Japan is the fact that they have their past and their future more closely and successfully entwined than any other country I've been to. In hirakata, it seems that whether your house is more modern or traditional is mainly based on personal preference, and every street you go down has a fascinating mix of both. In Kyoto, you can dress up as Maiko-san (an apprentice Geisha) and walk around the city. In Osaka, you can go to the re-creation of an ancient castle - and go inside to find an air-conditioned museum. You would think that these two very different sides of Japan would seem jarring so close together, but it's so seamless that you begin to not even notice it.

View from a Buddhist temple with Kyoto in the distance

This is Maiko-san. Don't call her "Maiko-chan" unless you want your Japanese friends to laugh at you. Trust me.

Japanese popular culture has also made one of the biggest impressions on me. In Japan, if you own a phone, you own a little jingly keychain for it. I've owned many phones in my life, but never before Japan did I consider finding some pretty string with a toy on the end and then tying that string to my phone. Now I see phones without them and say "what? where's your keychain?"

It seems to be a process of making everything beautiful. There are ugly things in Japan, there are telephone lines and giant pylons - but there are also gutters that are hidden from view with cute little cartoons, public pavements with mermaids drawn on and no litter on the ground (despite the fact that Hirakata has about 3 public bins for the whole town).

This is how the grapefruit is prepared in the University Cafeteria. I felt bad eating it.

These are some of my early impressions of Japan, and every day they change as I learn more. But I have to be honest - I'm still on the lookout for at least one robot.