The Top Ten Things We Miss About Japan

10. Kimonos. Part of my initial checklist when we went to Japan was to buy one. I even set aside a "budget" for it, knowing that it would be so expensive. But when we were there and I saw just how much it cost, and read through the net how difficult it would be to keep and wear, well, I had to reluctantly give it up. I settled for buying several yukata instead. :P With matching obis, of course. They're just as pretty, won't be as hard to put on, and cheaper. They're also usually the summer version of the kimono, so they're perfect to use in weather like ours.


9. Real, authentic, Japanese-made, Japanese food. Yes! Japanese food really tastes different when you're in Japan! :P Even the Yoshinoya beef bowl tasted different. Paul and I were lucky enough to eat at a small restaurant near our hotel that specialized in tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) and the servings were quite big. On one of our Akihabara days, our friend Aaron took us to a Yoshinoya-like place that also sold gyudon, and it was delicious. They served it with a very filling soup side dish instead of the usual miso soup and that was delicious, too. Unfortunately, we weren't able to try any tempura. Maybe next time. :)


Oh yeah, I miss their takoyaki. T.T They're made with real octopus and are the size of billiard balls. So different from the ping pong-ball-sized takoyaki they sell at Samurai Foods! Or even at Sakae Sushi. Waaa. I'm gonna have my brother learn how to make those things. :P



8. Fiber-optic internet. Ah, the wonders of technology. Why do they have really fast internet while we're stuck with crappy old PLDT DSL? It boggles the mind.



7. Capsule Toys and UFO Catchers. Akihabara is teeming with these things, although most of the pachinko parlors we've seen in Tokyo had a floor of just UFO Catchers. Most of the toy prizes were medium-to-large sized and looked like licensed, genuine, of good-quality products, usually Disney characters. Needless to say, Paul and I were very addicted. How addicted were we? Hmm...

[<<<< UFO Catcher goodies.]

You know, I'm not really sure. XD


6. Akihabara. The realm of the otaku. Paul and I aren't "otaku" in the Japanese sense of the word but we love anime and games just as much. After all, we met through cosplay. So you can imagine how we viewed Akihabara: building after building and floor after floor of games, figures, DVDs and all things anime! Pure heaven. On Sundays, they even close off the main street and you can see all manner of people walking along it, with an occasional Rei Ayanami-crossdresser or two. The nice part about Akiba was that it's just walking distance from our hotel in Ueno. Sweet!


5. People. Schoolgirls. Women in kimono. Harajuku girls. Businessmen on the train in power suits. The staff at our hotel who tried to understand what Paul meant when he was describing "shipping company" and "box". The nice ojiisan and obaasan who clean our room. You know, despite the language barriers, the Japanese are pretty nice, and they are very interesting. I love how polite and disciplined they are. They give way to people exiting trains and going up escalators. Cars really stop to let pedestrians cross the street! And they slow down when the light is yellow. They rarely litter and they recycle. I wish we were like that.


4. Vending Machines. It is said that Japan has the most vending machines in the world, and we saw this for ourselves. There's a vending machine in almost every corner of Tokyo. Most of the ones we saw sold drinks, but there was the occasional cigarette vendo. In pachinko parlors and UFO Catcher places, they have machines that exchange bills into 500 and 100 yen coins.

I especially miss the Coca-Cola vending machine that sells hot Royal Milk Tea. T_T That drink saved my fingers countless times from freezing. :P


3. The Subway/Train/Transport System. To a first-time visitor to Japan, Tokyo's subway map can seem very confusing. But when you get the hang of it, you can see how extremely convenient it is. You can get virtually anywhere in Tokyo just by commuting and then walk the rest of the way. Paul and I miss this because it made our trip easier--close to our hotel were the Yushima stop of the Chiyoda line (which passes by Omotesando), the Ueno-Hirokoji exit of the Ginza line (which goes to Asakusa), and the Okachimachi station of the JR Yamanote line that runs around Tokyo. We used the last one mostly for getting to Akiba when we were too tired to walk.

2. Sakura! The reason why I wanted the trip to be in early April. Our original plan was to leave after the Holy Week, April 9, but Paul had work on the 16th so we scheduled it earlier. I wasn't disappointed because when we arrived, the sakura were in full-bloom, especially in Ueno Park, where there were a lot of people celebrating and having hanami parties. When we went to the Imperial Palace and Asakusa, they were starting to fall. It was very beautiful. :)

1. The Weather. Sure, I was cold most of the time, but when we got home and faced the summer heat? I was raring to go back. :PThe temperature in Japan = 63 deg F

The temperature in Manila = 93 deg F

'Nuff said. :P