PAPEL DE HAPON

konnichiwa (hello)– ohayo gozaimasu (good morning) — sumimasen (excuse me)– do itashimashite (you’re welcome)– domo arigato (thank you very much) – sayonara (goodbye) —  some kind words i learned from my recent trip to the land of the rising sun. and here are some interesting facts about Japan and some of my experiences which made my stay absolutely fantastic:

Japanese, in general, are so polite.  though English for most of them is an extra challenge, if you ask for anything, they would find ways to extend help.  and  as a sign of respect, they would bow their head down to waist level – Taragis!

I thought KYOTO is Japan’s old capital, it’s not.  i’ve learned that NARA was then  Japan’s capital prior to KYOTO and TOKYO.  it is a small city, just an hour- train ride from OSAKA.   NARA describes the old Japan – i’ve seen typical Japanese villages, old temples and even some geishas around – Ayos!

Japan’s railways, subways and bullet trains are no less than “ASTIG”, haha.  it’s quite confusing at first, but sooner  you’ll get used to it.  these systems simply made life in Tokyo and the whole of Japan a lot more easier!

Taxi! Oops, never open the door! Astig, door automatically opens and closes for you, para lang prinsipe ang sasakay, waaah. only in Japan??

Sakura a.k.a. Cherry Blossoms.  I have no idea that Sakura leaf is edible until my friend gave me a bread with fresh, caramelized Sakura leaf on it, it tastes good though. 

Japan’s spring weather during my stay, according to Yahoo’s 10-day forecast, was supposed to be 10-20 degrees, but H—  nah, t’was 3-9 degrees C and imagine, I only brought a windbreaker, tees, and shorts thinking that it’s gonna be just like Baguio, later to find out that Japan’s weather is so erratic especially during transition.  it was freezing and left no choice but to get fleece jacket and  thermals (putek GINTO ang presyo, waaah)!

Ramen House –  Irasshaimase! Walastic, Japanese authentic noodles, magicSARAP!  Noodles freshly done in front of me, SUPERB!

Sushi Bar – maguro (tuna), salmon, mackerel, king crab, caviar, name it, you can have it — walang binatbat ang DADS.

Get drunk with Nihonshu or sake ( “sake” is also the general Japanese term for alcohol), it is brewed using rice, but it’s more like our local coconut wine a.k.a. LAMBANOG.  Sake is served mostly at Izakaya, Japanese term for restobar.

On my 9^th day, 3 men in black approached me as I exited at Akihabara station (a.k.a. electronic town in Tokyo)— haha, as expected… immigration police!  While these guys were talking in Japanese (syempre di ko maintindihan), I just answered back, “YES?, I’m really sorry guys, I don’t understand what you’re trying  to say, anyway, here’s my passport”, that’s it, they just needed my passport and tried to look for my visa.  then, they gave me back my passport and said “Sorry. Domo arigato”. Haha. nice experience, I should have asked them to have some pics with them- sayang!

Onsen — a term for hot springs in the Japanese language.  the last but the best experience I’ve had.   Just google it to find out or you may want to go to JAPAN to know what an ONSEN really is. Astig!

Japan has a lot more to offer.  The cities I’ve visited: Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Tokyo, and Yokohama are truly remarkable.  I encourage you to visit Japan.  Though it’s a common knowledge that everything in Japan is expensive yet of good quality, yes it is.  My Japan adventure is totally different from my other trips and I consider this as one of my best trips, though expensive, i’d still say “I shall return.”  Travelling though is not about how much you spend, it’s all about how much you gain from it. 

But how frustrating it was that I haven’t seen any Japanese paper… walang PAPEL DE HAPON sa JAPAN? waaaaaaaah!