Two Weeks Since Japan

It’s been two weeks since I came back from Japan, and I’ve been thinking about what I got out of the trip. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far.

Japan was the best trip I’ve been on in recent memory. It’s in contention with a trip I took to Berlin and Barcelona with close friends when I was 24 as the best vacation I’ve ever had. That’s an exciting development.

One main outcome of the trip is that it confirmed my enthusiasm for Japan. I hesitate to use superlatives or come across as That Insufferable Guy Who’s Really Into Japan, but here it goes: Japan is the most interesting place in the world. To me, it feels like there’s the world, and then there’s Japan. I’m sure part of this is novelty from being an outsider, and part of it is that I’m weird and connect with the place on a weirdness level. But that’s how it feels. This was my third trip there and I hope to go back.

Something that makes Japan compelling for me is the combination of intensity and pleasantness. On one hand, it’s completely disorienting—like landing on another planet with a totally different culture, language, and way of doing things. On the other hand, it’s incredibly welcoming. Everything feels thoughtful and intentional, from the way the trains run to how people interact with you. It’s like stepping into a version of the world where things are closer to how I wish they could be. Trains, food, crafts, people—it’s strange and familiar at the same time.

Beyond solidifying my enthusiasm for Japan, the trip seems to have reactivated a sense of adventurousness and curiosity about international travel that I thought was fading, I assumed because of age. But I’m genuinely excited to travel again for the first time in a while. I’m also suspicious of my regular routines in a way that feels healthy. This trip made moving abroad—or just opening myself up to new experiences—feel three to five times more doable.

Japan also resonated with some of my idiosyncrasies in a way that made me feel seen. For example, I’m sensitive to noise. Loud environments stress me out. I’ll leave a restaurant if it’s too noisy. Tokyo felt like it was designed for people like me. It’s polite not to talk on the train. The train cars themselves make a pleasant white noise. My hotel room windows blocked out 100% of the street noise when they were closed. Drivers don’t honk. It was really nice.

Probably related to that, I’m the type who’s cursed (and occasionally blessed) with noticing details. In Japan, I felt like I wasn’t alone in that. The level of care and thoughtfulness put into everything was as striking as people say it is. Chairs didn’t wobble. Spaces were clean. Even the cardboard packaging for toothpaste or snacks was so well-made that I hesitated to throw it away. There’s so little trash on the ground that I half-wondered if, in fact, everyone secretly keeps a cardboard shrine at home. It felt comforting to be in a place where details matter like that.

That same thoughtfulness extended to how people interacted with one another. Japan is famous for hospitality, and I’ve become interested in it over the past few years. Naturally, I was excited to experience it there. What struck me was how often I encountered hospitality in everyday interactions—not just in the hotel, but in department stores and subway stations. Here are a couple of moments I’ll remember.

Shortly after I got to Tokyo, I went to a hifi bar with my friend. I asked the bartender for a non-alcoholic drink that wasn’t sweet. I think I came across as pretty particular about it. The bartender spent five minutes making the drink. It turned out to be water, with some thoughtfully added essences. Weirdly, it was perfect.

At a small shop, I bought some household items, and the owner handed me a tiny origami crane as a thank-you. It was so small that it seemed impossible to have been handmade, but it was.

There’s more I could say about the trip. I figured out how to avoid certain pitfalls that used to trip me up while traveling. Of course, no place is perfect—there were a few things about Japan that didn’t quite work for me, but they didn’t overshadow the experience. But maybe I’ll put those into another post. For now I am going to get a turkey sandwich.

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