New entry for my blog! I realized that more people read my blog than I expected, so it's good to know that I touch lives in ways more than one..hee hee. I have been chastised for not updating my blog, not telling people about my Japan trip, and worst of all not putting up pictures taken during the trip. Well, in my defense, there was countless Christmas/New Year parties/chalets/barbecues once I came back to Singapore, and then the NIE term started. Since this semester is so short, everything was very intense unlike last semester which was more laid-back for me. In fact I am already half-way through the semester! (Since there are only 6 weeks this sems)
The Japan trip was good, of course, thanks to global warming which resulted in the erratic climate that Japan had to face in Dec 2005. The Kansai and Tokyo area almost never get any snow in December, but snowstorms struck Japan on 18 Dec 2005, breaking the record held for the highest amount of snow accumulated in a single day in 25 of the cities. The result: Kiyomizudera covered in snow. In fact there was enough snow that even people like me who are seeing snow for the first time finds it a little annoying after some time.
Some things I had not known about Japan:
1. When visiting a temple/shrine/places which require you to remove your footwear, Japanese leave their pricey trendy boots on the shoeshelves for people to steal, but their much cheaper umbrellas are safely locked and secured in the umbrella stands provided.
2. The sheer amount of verbal announcements on public transport. I believe up to 70% of the Japanese I heard on my 11 day trip is made up of announcements made on the train/bus. Kyoto buses growl "TO-BI-RA-GA-SHI-MA-RI-MA-SU"(The door is closing) annoyingly frequent. Shinkansen trains give a nice melodic chime before a sweet female voice purrs and reminds you to watch your steps as you board or alight. (Ashimoto o gochu-i kudasai!) The announcements are so lengthy that they need to begin shortly after the train leaves each station. My train barely pulled out of Osaka when suddenly the announcements are reminding me "Mamonaku Kyoto desu" (Soon we will reach Kyoto). But the soon turns out to be at least ten minutes of endless announcements. They tell you which doors are going to open(left or right), they tell you where you should get off if you are transferring to other train lines, they even tell you what time the next train on the other line is departing.
3. When paying with credit cards, the salesperson will ask you how many times you want to pay(literally). I was a bit taken back the first time I used my credit card and did not understand the question despite my, ahem, above average Japanese proficiency. You mean I have to pay more than once? It took me a few days to realize that most retail shops allow credit card users to pay by instalments and the salesperson was asking me how many instalments do i want to pay. * sheez *
4. Of course I had heard that the Japanese people are very orderly, but I didn't realize the extent to which the statement is true. I was in Tokyo on Christmas eve for the Christmas lights illumination. I have always hated crowds and never have I been in such a huge crowd for the past quarter of a century. (Tokyo has 7.8 million people. Compare that with Singapore's 4 million) I can barely step out of Tokyo Station although the actual illumination is still some distance from the station. An endless throng stretch in every direction and the end of the line is nowhere to be seen. Yet surprisingly the line moves pretty fast, almost at a walking pace (despite a slow one). When I reached the illuminated site, I was amused to see that nobody stops to take a picture. The Japanese take pictures with their high-tech mobile phones while they are simultaneously walking forward, not wishing to cause jama (disturbance) to the rest of the Christmas crowd. The few people who stopped in their stride to take pictures (causing the immaculate system set in place by the local police to break down) are, sure enough, tourists (Singaporeans?).
Okay, my time is up and the NIE Computer Lab is not allowing me to extend my time.....so I guess more of my trip in the subsequent entries!
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