I had fascination for japan about 10-15 years ago. that was the expansion of video games (Nes and Snes era) and Japanese culture with anime broadcasted in France.
A lot of people in school were having fascination for japan too, because a lot of game never release in europe, so learning japanese was great idea (I still don't speak japanese).
After school I started working, and had a lot less time for video games. but Japan was still in mind.
Then, I got internet, and while playing online video-game PSO on dreamcast, I met some Japanese people, and one friend who invited me to come to his home at Tokyo when I said I liked to go there.
In 2002 I went to Tokyo, and we visited history museum, some touristic place like emperial garden, tokyo tower, Shinjuku tokyo office, etc.
I found a town not so crowded (maybe they were in summer holiday), very clean (nobody throwing junk, paper, nor dog's poop) compared to France street, and people very obedient in a way they are taught to care about others (let people get out of the train before wanting to rush in, walk on the right on the rolling strairs to let people go faster on the left if they want). Here in my country, all is full of disorderedness.
A thing I disliked was the food. not all of them, there were good things too, but I usually didn't love the taste.
It was 10 short days (time flies).
It was a good experience to visit another country as I barely travel outside France (which have a lot of different places, cultures and history already. France is not only Paris
).
But I felt it was not my decision to go to japan, only a way to say to other people who whined about japan :
- hey, look, I did it ! it was not hard at all, why everybody keep complaining about going there ? just go to a travel agency and you're done. very simple. stop acting like it's the end of the world.
Now don't misunderstand, it was a good experience. Sometime I understood some Japanese speaking, and wished I could understand a lot more.
I still like the Japanese culture, and hope to go to japan again, but not for the same reasons.
I'm not aiming Tokyo again. A rural town with cultural history or a travel tour with a guide to explain things is more appealing. Touristic instead of fanatic
Some days ago, Tamyu (who is not writing a lot here these day)
said the same thing about people having fascination for Japan and thinking everything were the same everywhere. She explained things well, viewed by someone living in japan. (read the comments too).
PS for Tamyu: I hope it's ok to link it here.
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RedColoredStars:
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SylverReZ:
