My love letter to Japan

I recently travelled to Japan as part of a half year Elternzeit (parental leave) travels through Asia. While there are many things one can talk about (“from Anime to Zen”), the aspect that stood out to me the most was the design of everyday life and the Japanese attention to detail.

Public transport

Japan is well known for its amazing public transport system within cities but also for country-wide travels with their bullet trains (Shinkansen). But what needs to be highlighted is the process and the one’s interaction with this system. The most advance of them all was Tokyo’s subway system. The trains themselves aren’t very new but the interface that runs on the screen is state-of-art. They show you every possible information you may need (without overloading), from which side the gates will open to where the elevators and escalators are in context to your carriage.

Japanese people are also very respectful of personal space and there is always silence when you travel. There are unsaid rules which you will eventually pick up if you’re there long enough and are attentive to them (more about this later). People queue on one side while de-boarders come out on the other side and these are clearly marked on the platforms.

For the long distance trains, the carriage numbers and seats are always marked on the platform so you can queue beforehand instead of having to run to your carriage when the train arrives. Oh, also, the trains are never late.

There are also countrywide passes and cards for long-distance as well as intra-city travels which makes it very easy to move around without having to buy tickets for each trip.

If you do happen to interact with a human to buy your pass or some ticket, it can be a very special interaction and reminded me of a dance of some sort. They listen carefully, then respond with all the accuracy with gestures and language (in case English isn’t their strong suit), and also bow a little after certain interactions. These bows help one understand things even with no words involved.

The bathing experience

Every place I travelled to within Japan came with an incredible bathing experience, to the extent that I question why the rest of the world hasn’t yet explored this the way Japan has! The bathroom and toilets are separated and the bathroom is just that—a room for bathing. This includes a bathtub and another shower area where one is able to comfortably sit on a small stool and shower. The entire room is made of a material which is easy to clean and dry and doesn’t get tarnished with water over time.

Another very important aspect of the bathing culture are onsens (hot springs or communal bathing facilities), that are ubiquitous in Japan and while I wasn’t able to visit that many because of my tattoos, I was able to experience the family room where my partner took me through the ritual of showering before getting into the onsen and the one thing that stood out to me was the perfect water temperature. The Japanese sure know how to enjoy their baths!

Human interactions

While I don’t speak Japanese, I found the process of interacting with Japanese people, especially in formal situations, very enjoyable. The interactions were precise, intentional, and mindful. I didn’t have to struggle too much with my communication because they seemed to understand the context and then used gestures very adeptly to explain or respond. My favourite moment was buying a train ticket on the Yufuin station — with very elegant and controlled gestures the person behind the counter, almost without any words, sold me the ticket and then bowed to complete the transaction. While the bow is usually part of formal interactions, I especially liked this one because it reminded me of a dance where two people, through movement, conduct a series of steps, and with one movement the interaction ends.

Other mentions here are the shop sellers who pay great attention to detail and respond very mindfully to a customer’s needs (even before a customer asks sometimes), the people at gas stations who lead the cars in and indicate to you which step of the process you are in, while someone behind fills the gas into your car, people at the subway clearing out of the way for you in case you are running for a train or if you are in a rush, and just the general overarching feeling of care that is part of the whole system.

Shibui

The word that captures these ideas for me is the Japanese word Shibui — which means “simple, subtle, and unobtrusive beauty” and its seven principles are simplicity, implicity, modesty, naturalness, everydayness, imperfection, and silence. I love that imperfection is included in this because without it what would beauty even be.

I end this here leaving you to meditate on the idea of Shibui :)